Female high school students that are also expecting mothers can find a safe space for support at Texans Can Academy - Dallas Oak Cliff. The campus recently began a weekly support group for expecting mothers called “Mommy and Me,” where young women will be able to share their motherhood goals and gain resources for the future.

The purpose of the support group is to provide additional resources to young expecting mothers and to show the students that they are not alone. Last month, the group met for an introductory and goal setting lesson led by Texans Can Academy social work extension groups and social work interns. After learning about the program and participating in a few ice breaker activities, the female students created vision boards to identify their goals for being a future mother and what they would need to do to accomplish their goals.

“The Oak Cliff campus is proud to be able to provide a support group for our students who are expecting mothers,” said Texans Can Academy - Dallas Oak Cliff Principal Cynthia Miles. “We are thankful for the social work extension groups for bringing this group together and it is amazing to see the female students show determination toward achieving a high school degree. We are excited to offer resources like the support group to help students reach their education and life goals.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 50% of teen mothers do not earn their high school diploma. Texans Can Academies cares for the whole student by providing services like the “Mommy and Me” support group, allowing every student to attain an education without any barriers.

Texans Can Academies graduate thinkers and offer students, aged 14 to 21, a second chance at earning their high school diploma instead of a General Education Development (GED). Texans Can Academies are a unique network of 14 charter schools located in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. The schools are tuition-free, open enrollment, public high schools of choice serving students who have struggles in a traditional high school setting. For more information, please visit www.texanscan.org.