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Welcome to the Young Parent Collective

At the Young Parent Collective, we are dedicated to supporting young parents in their journey. We offer a paid skill-building opportunities and aim to connect young parents' networks and social capital. Our mission is to break down barriers to education and health and provide a supportive and empowering environment for young parents.

Our Support Approach

Redefining the Way We Support Young Parents

At the Young Parent Collective, we understand the unique challenges that young parents and allies face. That's why we offer a supportive and inclusive community for everyone. Our team of peers and allies provides co-support and advocacy services to help young parents navigate their journey. We also conduct research and evaluation about young parents to provide the best support for our community.

Picture of Young Parent Collective members and their children

Our Journey So Far

2004

Kate, YPC's founding director, became a young parent at age 17. In high school, peers hung posters saying, "less than 2% of teen parents get a college degree by age 30." This felt predictive and anxiety-inducing, but Kate felt an immense amount of responsibility for her son and wanted to chase her dreams and build a good life for him. Although she was a first-generation college student, she attended a local four-year college where she learned how to use financial aid, juggle class schedules while working and parenting, and navigate a campus where she felt like she didn’t belong. This gave her the lived experiences that inspired the YPC vision.

2022

Kate began volunteering at a local high-school parenting program, supporting young moms in identifying goals and pathways to those goals. This parenting program continues to be a strong partner in the Young Parent Collective. Through this partnership, she built relationships with local young parents. They helped co-interpret national education outcomes data about young parents, noting significant disparities in college access. Young parent co-interpreters felt inspired to change these inequities, which led to the creation of the Young Parent Collective.

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