Government Student Pregnancy and Parenting Policy enables schools and principals to make local decisions to support pregnant and parenting students to continue their schooling. Under this policy, strategies and flexible options to assist pregnant and parenting students to continue education include:
- modifying curriculum to support student and balance workload
- tailor programs using Managed Individual Pathways
- Distance Education Centre Victoria
- Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE can be studied over three years)
- Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning
- Vocational Education and Training (in VCE)
- part-time apprenticeships
- traineeships
Kurnai College Young Parent Program (KYPP) at Moe and Churchill helps teenage parents to re-engage in education. It offers essential numeracy and literacy programs and relevant short courses to support them into future careers. Students can work on an individualised VCAL & VET program with ongoing personal and childcare support.
Their aim is to build young parents’ self-esteem, self-worth, aspiration and self-belief so they feel more confident in tackling the future and the obstacles they will face. See here for how young mums have fared in the program.
The KYPP say they are acutely aware of the need for young people to be respected as adults without putting too much pressure on them to be mature beyond their years and ‘…strive for a balance of life skills, social skills and parenting support and strategies’. ‘In achieving these goals students feel they can celebrate themselves and continue to set and achieve short and long term goals.’ KYPP was initiated by the Smith Family. ABC News 7 Dec 2015 – Teenage mothers graduate from high school with help of Young Parent Program.
Northern Bay College Supporting Parents’ Access to Childcare & Education – SPACE (replaces the Young Parents’ Access Program) offers social services, and education support, assisting with the development of educational pathways for young parents wishing to reengage in education. They offer:
- face to face meetings
- access to free WiFi and computers
- onsite childcare with supportive fee structures
- family and parenting supports
- ongoing mentoring support sessions
- assistance in applying for childcare funding
- scholarships and other financial supports
- community services
- Centrelink support and personal development.
They work to build confidence in completing education and job readiness, applying for long term employment, skills to plan, budget and manage finances, support to build meaningful relationships, assistance to access community survivors and activities and strategies to cope with stress and mental health issues. For more information email: SPACE@nbc.vic.edu.au or Jo Ridgeway, ridgeway.joanna.l@edumail.vic.gov.au or call 0447 356 519
See here for young mums talking about their future.
Ballarat Secondary College LinkUp Young Parents program runs from the Delacombe Learning and Education Centre in Leawarra Crescent. The Program operates four days per week offering PDS (numeracy), CGEA (Certificate General Education for Adults), VCAL senior literacy and Cert 3 Business Management. This program has been running successfully for the last seven years.