Missouri Child Support Services Chosen For Million Dollar Grants

The Missouri Department of Social Services, Family Support Division Child Support Enforcement has received two $1 million grants intended to help educate teens on parental financial, legal and emotional responsibilities through a couple programs that will begin activities in the 2021-22 academic year.

The “Parenthood Can Wait” program will include 1,250 youth parents, non-parents selected from three alternative high schools, and youth in care of the Division of Youth Services and will focus on developing youth understanding of the costs and legal consequences of parenthood.

The “Future Leaders” program is a pre-parenthood curriculum for 7th and 8th graders that will include 2,500 students from 6 school districts around Missouri who will participate in a 13-week course. The program will also include a group of students attending a Leadership Institute on a Missouri college campus intended to develop those students as mentors to 7th grade peers on pre-parenthood topics for the next school year. The “Future Leaders” program will then be measured for its effectiveness over 7 years.