The adolescents that come to the Center for Great Expectations range in age from 13 to 18. They are pregnant, homeless, and in some cases in denial that they are pregnant; others are overwhelmed with the responsibility. As victims of physical and sexual abuse, mental illness, neglect, and deep poverty, they suffer from poor decision-making and coping skills, as well as very low self-esteem. They may have difficulty in navigating the most simple of life's challenges, and little or no idea how to parent an infant.
Most have been neglected by parents who are addicted and suffer from mental illness. They may have had little to eat and have lived in environments that do not provide safety or comfort. In many cases, they became homeless because living on the street, in a cardboard box or in an alleyway is safer than being at home. Their self-esteem is non-existent and they struggle to believe they have value or worth, or that they deserve to have a good future. The scenarios are heartbreaking, but the breakthroughs and changes that happen to our adolescents during their stay at the Center can be profound.
The Challenge
An adolescent having a child is a challenging situation. The Center's programs offer a chance to break the cycle that got them here and concentrate on positive growth. The journey to accept and embrace this is necessary, and can be long and arduous, but the staff at the Center has the expertise and credentials to provide the help needed to overcome these obstacles.
Licensed by DYFS (Division of Youth and Family Services) the adolescent building is home to eight adolescents, their babies, and children. Their stay at the Center can be up to 18 months. Following a comprehensive intake, a bio-psycho-social assessment is performed and from the information gathered here and at the at the first interview/intake, an individual treatment plan is created for each resident. Addressed within the plan is prenatal, post-partum and all other medial care, family, social, psychiatric and legal status, spiritual, life skills and vocational development, intensive case management, counseling (individual, group and family) and discharge planning and referrals.
Reaching Their Goal
The Center for Great Expectations places high emphasis on providing parenting education and skill development for each pregnant adolescent and adolescent mother participating in the program. The goal is to ensure that each adolescent exhibits the maturity, motivation, and skill readiness for parenting her infant child in a responsible, safe, and loving manner. To ensure that adolescent mothers receive the necessary training in infant/child development and in providing the nurturing, stimulation, and mother/child experiences crucial to bonding and healthy attachment, the Center provides weekly group and individual education/counseling sessions to address the needs and meet the personal, individual, short, and long term goals of each client.
These include:
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Parenting education, including infant stimulation and all aspects of infant care and knowledge and assessment of developmental stages |
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Health education, including the pregnancy, childbirth, delivery, postpartum care of mothers and all health needs of children |
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Life skills development — including communication skills, nutrition and meal planning, budgeting, time management, anger management, self-advocacy, etc. |
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Counseling services to the adolescent as well as to the father of the baby and the significant others of the adolescent's family, or circle of support, to assist in reunification of the family |
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Intensive case management, including coordination of all services with DYFS, CMO, YCM, Probation and other service providers involved in the adolescent's life |
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Academic and vocational services |
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Psychological and psychiatric assessment |
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Scheduling and transportation services and coordination to all medical, legal, social service appointments |
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Recreational component that promotes healthy social development in a drug-free and risk-free environment |
Through these programs and services, our adolescents can obtain their high school diploma, develop the parenting skills they need, start to prepare to manage their own home and finances, and ultimately to hold down a job and care for their family. Eventually, they can look forward to a future that holds possibility and promise.
For more information or to take a tour contact our Adolescent clinical coordinator at (732) 247-7003 Ext 17.