North Hills : On-Campus Day Care to Aid Teen Mothers

A mother at 17, Katie Nehme says she is determined not to become a statistic.

Unlike many girls who have babies out of wedlock, Katie, a senior at Monroe High School in North Hills, said she is determined to finish high school and even go on to college.

“I want to get my diploma,” said Katie, whose daughter, Destiny Nicole, is 6 months old. “If you don’t have your diploma, they are not going to give you the job you are looking for.”

While it won’t be easy, her path has been made smoother by a new program at her school, in which teenage mothers leave their children at an on-campus day-care center while they attend classes.

The Los Angeles Unified School District held a dedication ceremony Friday for the Joan Elam Children’s Center, which will open Monday. Officials said it will serve as many as 14 mothers with children between 6 weeks and 5 years old.

The center was named after Monroe’s principal, who spearheaded the drive to establish the center, which officials say is the third of its kind to open in the Valley. The center will also house a preschool program open to the entire community, administrators said.

Having a place for teen mothers to leave children as they attend classes can make all the difference in keeping them in school, officials said.

“The girls are working. They are going to school, and they are trying to be a mom,” said Keven Sobray, who teaches a parenting class at the center. “That’s hard.”

To help the girls develop marketable skills, various educational programs are available, including training in culinary arts, nursing and child care. But the girls must apply themselves, said Pam Hamashita, assistant principal of counseling programs.

“The girls have to stay in school,” she said. “It is not a drop-them-off-and-go-play” program.