Free Daycares for Teen Mothers

In the United States, thousands of teens will become pregnant. In a recent study, it has been shown that 34% of teens have at least one pregnancy before they turn 20. Because there are so many new teen mothers, many high schools across the nation have decided to create free daycares within the high schools so that teen mothers will be able to attend all of their classes. Although done with good intentions, there have been very negative consequences. Personally, I believe that there should not be free daycares within the high schools.

Of course, someone has to pay for the daycares. But if the mothers aren’t paying for it, then who is? State funding has made it possible for the free daycares to become a reality. The state not only pays for the space and necessary materials, but they also have to pay for caretakers. Because there is so much money going into these daycares, many schools have had to resort to lowering their budgets, which means that many other deserving students haven’t gotten the rewards that they deserve such as nicer dances and graduation ceremonies.
Although the teen mothers are getting a chance to attend all of their classes, some may be missing out on an important lesson about motherhood. Because they don’t have to pay for their daycare, some may get used to not having to pay for it. But that’s not how it’s going to be once they get out of high school. Once they’re out on their own, they are going to have to pay for someone to take care of their child.
In some ways, the daycares are good things too. They offer support for teenage mothers. But all of that support might not be taken the right way. The free daycares and the support that they provide may be sending off the message to teenage girls. Many girls may believe that becoming a teen mom in an OK thing because so many other girls are becoming mothers and they are getting free support to go with it.
Free daycares in high schools aren’t necessarily the best thing for teen moms. They do provide support for those that may be struggling, but they may also be sending off a negative message to other teenage girls. They also may even be depriving teen moms of an important lesson. But there are ways that all of those negative things can change. If more sexual education courses are offered in high schools, it might just lower the need for the daycares altogether. But if the daycares to stick around, it may be a good idea for the mothers to pay for them. If the mothers put money into it, it’ll not just teach them about what it’s going to be like when they get out on their own, but it will also allow the state to save more money. I’m sure that there are so many other things that could be done as well as the ones that I mentioned. If we decide to take one of those ideas and make it a reality, we can rid the daycares of their negative consequences.