Pregnant and Parenting Foster Youth

Nikki Almendarez was thrilled when her boyfriend’s mother gave the teenage couple the gift of a Lamaze class to prepare for the birth of their first child. But as the March date approached and her belly swelled, Almendarez, 18, had a creeping feeling she would not be discussing birthing balls, breathing techniques or breastfeeding with a cohort of other expectant parents in her San Diego community.

Earlier this summer, Mark Courtney and his team at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago released the latest installment in his most recent longitudinal study, the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH).

Half of children born to mothers in foster care will also enter into the child welfare system by their second birthday, according to a study published in this month’s issue of the journal Pediatrics.  

This month, Calif. Governor Jerry Brown signed a raft of legislation aimed at improving the lives of children and youth in foster care. In addition to the package of bills designed to stem the overprescribing of psychotropic medication for foster youth, and AB 403 which will greatly reduce the number of youth placed in group homes, Brown signed several other significant foster care bills before last Sunday’s midnight deadline.