Our society has a long history of harming young parents (persons who have a child before age 25). Research and evaluation are disciplines that express stigmatizing and harmful narratives. Some researchers describe young parenting as “suffering,” experiencing “regret,” and “harsh” parents where prevention is a mandatory approach for everyone. Such language influences society’s understanding of populations as worthy or unworthy for additional support and resources. 

Data can be used as a tool to harm when community members view systemic inequities as predictive, where there seems to be a slim possibility of being able to achieve one's goals. This is why the Young Parent Research and Evaluation Lab is necessary.

The Lab is a protector against the harm that can be done in research. It democratizes data and centers it in the hands of people most impacted. In partnership with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, we train young parents to conduct research or evaluation in order to reclaim our own narratives and leverage data to improve lives of young families.

Participants must be current or former young parents. To support participation, Lab members receive a stipend, childcare, transportation, and meals.​ Participants who complete the training receive a University of Wisconsin-Madison certificate and have the opportunity to apply for intern positions, evaluating applied projects after the training.​​​

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