E.L.E.C.T. Program for Youth
Organization: Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU)
Program Name: ELECT – Teen Parenting Education Leading to Employment and Career Training Program (ELECT)
Overview of Organization’s Function: ELECT is a free voluntary program of the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Department of Human Services that supports pregnant and/or parenting youth, under the age of 22, to support them in graduating or obtaining a GED.
Funding: ELECT funding comes from the Department of Education, Department of Human Services and TANF funds.
What Problem is Being Solved? Assist pregnant and parenting youth and young adults with obtaining their high school diploma or GED to help avoid welfare dependance. The ELECT program accomplishes this by:
- Supporting parents in obtaining their high school diploma or GED.
- Providing education to parents about health care, nutrition, and child development
- Preventing intimate partner violence
- Avoiding second pregnancies
- Connecting parents with additional resources, i.e. childcare services and medical services to support successful parenting and self-sufficiency
Curricula Used: Love Notes
Curricula Benefits:
- Parents identify unhealthy and dangerous sides of relationship involvement.
- Participants understand themselves through use of the Colors personality assessment.
- Parents avoid sliding too quickly into new relationships or a second pregnancy.
- Resources available for bystanders, friends, and caring individuals who are witnessing a loved one (or themselves) experiencing an unhealthy and potentially harmful relationship.
- Participants create healthy accountability partners amongst each other while participating in program.
Observable Outcomes: In the past five years since Love Notes has been part of ELECT*:
- Graduation rates from CSIU are 90%, well over the state mandate of 75%.
- Second pregnancy rates for CSIU students are 5-7%, half of the state mandate of 15%
*Correlative not causative.
Program Setting: Seventeen school districts, across five counties
- Middle and high schools – comprehensive, charter, alternative, home
- Community Settings
- Participant’s homes
- Cyber-school
Location of Instruction: 50-75% of visits occur in the students’ homes if they participate in cyber school.
Instructors: ELECT Case Managers
Instructor Training Protocol: Case managers go through Dibble’s Love Notes training.
Length of Instruction: ELECT Case Workers see pregnant and parenting teens once a week for an hour. They pull components from Love Notes to address key topics like preventing intimate partner violence using the Red Flags activity and building self-awareness using the Colors Personality Sorter.
Class Size: Case workers work in schools, small group settings, and one on one with pregnant and parenting youth.
Target Audience: CSIU ELECT serves pregnant or parenting young people and who receive or are eligible to receive TANF benefits* Both mothers and fathers are served regardless of who lives in the home with them if they maintain eligibility to stay in the program
*Since not all students are eligible for TANF benefits despite being a funding source. Eligibility into the ELECT Program is determined by participants whose personal earned income does not exceed 235% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines (FPIG) and are enrolled in a secondary education program.
Audience Demographics:
Female 80% – Male 20%
20% Non-White (AA, Latinx, Other)
Student Workbooks: CSIU ELECT plans to hold a summer session to teach Love Notes in 2025. Since it won’t be during the regular school year, they will go through the whole program, utilizing the workbooks.
Incentives to Students: Food/meals, diapers, wipes, gas cards, door prizes. Fun activities including outings such picnics.
Challenges:
Youth can disengage with school or with meeting with their case management team if other life priorities or circumstances take precedence over staying enrolled in school and the ELECT Program.
Some rural locations are miles away from one another (up to 80 miles) limiting the ability to form groups. In rural areas, the lack of public transportation creates barriers for students to attending small group and classroom sessions.
Youth participation: Youth can feel apprehensive to participate in discussion of activity scenarios for fear they may expose their personal lives.
Many student visits take place in the home. This often creates a challenge for students to “speak freely” in front of other family members
Tips:
“Show care and love first!” Relationship development is the priority when working with youth, then the objectives.
Case management team occasionally will take students to lunch or other appropriate outings if they feel the home is inhibiting participants ability to be open and honest about needs and sensitive topics (alignment with Trusted Adult Connection within the program).
Match students with each other to build support and form friendships.
From the case managers:
With our ELECT group, there may be some students who are willing to share a personal story related to the topics of the program. Tap into those student leaders and provide additional support!
Familiarize yourself with the curriculum. Do not be intimidated by “lessons” or feeling you may not have the ability to go through something with entirety. Adapt the program to meet your participants and program needs.
The video snippets are great conversation starters.
If you think the student’s relationship may be unhealthy, it likely is. It takes courage at times to address something hard through providing education and support. Students may vary in response based on personal application of information. Do not be discouraged, the educational awareness could lead to hope and a plan for change. This could possibly save them from very dangerous relationships and situations.