Creating Connections with Teen Parents Practical Strategies to Engage and Empower Young Families in Early Childhood Settings by Debrah Clark, M.A., CFLE and Treasa Howard, MEd, MBA

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Teen parents are navigating two critical developmental journeys at once: adolescence and parenthood. The image of teenage pregnancy and parenting often elicits an emotional response shaped by personal beliefs, systemic bias, and media narratives.

This workshop will empower early childhood professionals to create meaningful, relationship-based, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive connections that build confidence, strengthen parent-child interactions, and support long-term success for young families—and for the professionals who care for them.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Identify key developmental differences between teen and adult parents, and analyze how parental developmental stages may influence child development outcomes.

• Examine common stereotypes about teen parents and evaluate how these perceptions impact parenting confidence, engagement, and classroom outcomes.

• Identify effective strategies and determine practical ways to replicate them across programs.