For more than 35 years, Children’s Friend has been collaborating with the Worcester Public Schools to offer the School Age Mothers (SAM) Program. At the SAM program, pregnant and parenting teens can continue their education while learning about pregnancy and parenting issues that are important for mother and child. The SAM program allows individuals to share with, and get support from, other pregnant teens and an understanding and knowledgeable staff. Our goals are to enable young parents to stay in school and graduate, improve teen mother and child health, and promote strong parenting skills to assure the welfare of both parents and their children.

You are eligible if:

SAM Staff
The professional and knowledgeable staff at the School Age Mothers Program include licensed social workers, nurses, child care lead teachers, teachers, and assistants. The SAM Program Director is a registered nurse and licensed clinical social workers. The SAM staff also includes two other licensed social workers and a registered nurse who has many years of experience in maternal child health and is a certified lactation consultant. The director of the SAM Infant and Toddler Center has a BS in Early Childhood Education, and day care teachers are licensed by the Office of Child Care Services after completing early childhood education and experience requirements. All staff have extensive experience working with teen mothers and multicultural families.

Services offered through the SAM Program
Academic Education
SAM offers an alternative school program during pregnancy. The teachers work closely with the students’ guidance counselors and home schools to assure full credit for the year. Seniors may graduate with their own class and receive their high school diplomas. Classes are small and allow students to continue with their regular school subjects without interruption. Instruction is offered in a friendly, helpful way to meet individual needs.

Health Education
A special time is set aside each school day for classes about pregnancy and parenthood. Students learn how to care for themselves and their children before, during, and after pregnancy, how to develop good health habits, and attend prenatal classes to help prepare for labor and delivery. The health program also includes special films, speakers from the community, discussion groups, nutrition classes, and pre and postnatal exercise sessions. The health coordinator is always available during school hours to meet with students individually to talk about personal health needs.

Social Work and Counseling Services
Licensed social workers are available everyday for individual and group counseling to help teens deal with the emotional issues that relate to early child bearing. They are also available to help students with practical needs such as obtaining medical care, housing, financial and legal assistance, and day care vouchers.

Infant Day Care
After the baby is delivered, students have a four-week maternity leave from school. When they return, they can enroll their child in the SAM Infant and Toddler Center. The center is a warm, friendly place where mother and baby can learn about each other and grow together. The staff is available to answer questions about child development and infant care.

“SISTERS”
SISTERS is the SAM teen pregnancy prevention program. Trained teen parent mentors and SAM staff carry out this program, delivering prevention services to high-risk middle school students in the Worcester community. Through the SISTERS program, two very important groups of young women are served. Young teenage parents receive training and are engaged as facilitators in program development and delivery, thereby increasing their skill set, professional experience and self-esteem. Younger teens see and hear firsthand the challenges of teen parenthood, and learn more about important aspects of personal health and development that are critical to ensuring healthy teen growth.

Counseling Center Without Walls
The SAM Counseling Center Without Walls was initiated in the fall of 2002 because of the awareness of a critical need for mental health services for pregnant and parenting teens in the city of Worcester. Many pregnant and parenting teens have significant risk factors for mental health issues. We learned that many providers for this population referred their pregnant and parenting teens to outside agencies but found the two main barriers to access were the long waiting lists and the inability of the teen to get to the appointment because of transportation and child care issues. To overcome these obstacles, SAM therapists meet each teen parent wherever it is convenient for the teen, with minimal waiting time. Parenting groups are also offered at participating sites.

During the 2006-2007 school year, the SAM Program:

In May 2007, 26 SAM seniors received their high school diplomas.

Contact Us
SAM Health Education and Social Services office is located at the Granite Street School at 120 Granite Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. The SAM Infant and Toddler Center is located within Girls, Inc. at 125 Providence Street in Worcester. You can reach the SAM office by calling Janice Girard, RN, LICSW, (508) 856-7373 and the Infant and Toddler Center by calling (508) 856-0330, or email SAM@childrensfriend.org.

Hours
The school is open Monday through Friday from 7:15 am – 3:00 pm. SAM office hours are 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Monday through Friday. SAM staff are available Monday through Friday from 7:00 am – 3:00 pm.

This program receives United Way funding.