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For at-risk teen mothers, this parent support program and school-based child care setting appears to offer promising opportunities to help young mothers with parenting, avoid rapid subsequent pregnancies, and stay engaged with school, while their children are cared for in a close and safe environment.

HTMs represent a high-risk group with fewer available supports and many complex life stressors. School-based programs can benefit HTMs by offering support, helping them continue their education, and assisting with on-site school-based childcare.

Introduction Descriptive study compared adolescent mothers’ subjective perceptions of their children’s development with objective developmental assessments. Method Volunteer sample of mother/child pairs was recruited from urban high school. Thirty-three mothers completed Ages and Stages Questionnaire (A&SQ). Children were administered Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID). Results On the BSID, group mean scores all fell within the normal range. However, almost 20% of individual children had one or more delays. Almost 73% of mothers accurately assessed their children’s development on the (A&SQ) when compared to BSID results. Eighteen percent of mothers suspected delays when there were none objectively identified. A single mother identified delay in a different domain than that identified on the BSID. Discussion Findings that almost 20% of these children had developmental delays support other research that children of adolescent mothers are at risk for delays. Findings that teen mothers varied in their abilities to assess their children’s development reinforce the need for education of teen mothers about child development. Further study needed to determine the best models of this education in school and community settings.

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