Providing Educational Services and Support to Expectant and Parenting Teen Students
The Education Leading to Employment and Career Training (ELECT) program – a Pennsylvania Department of Education initiative funded by the Department of Human Services – provides expectant and parenting teens with guidance and services designed to break the cycle of welfare dependence through goal setting, fostering self-sufficiency, building healthy relationships, and obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent.
The ELECT program provides young parents with essential resources to support their educational and personal growth, leading to impressive outcomes in graduation rates and reduced repeat pregnancies. Nichole [Fisher] Hartman, ELECT’s Youth Development Coordinator, emphasizes the importance of collaborative community support and advocacy for both the students and the staff who guide them.
There are currently 25 ELECT programs across the commonwealth.
Their services are available to students ages 22* and younger who:
- attend any PDE approved educational entity.
- are expecting and/or parenting (male or female).
- receive TANF benefits.
or
- have a personal monthly earned income that does not exceed 235 percent of the Federal Poverty Income Guideline (FPIG).
*Participants turning 22 years old while attending their senior year of high school may remain in the ELECT program until the end of their senior year. However, HSE students are not eligible to remain in ELECT upon turning 22 years of age.
ELECT programs offer a wide variety of year-round programming and services to participants via individual case management, group education and resources, including but not limited to:
Academic support
- Academic tutoring, mentoring and homework assistance.
- Attendance tracking and improvement plans.
- Grade report monitoring and improvement plans.
- Incentives and ongoing personal accountability.
- Access to childcare and transportation.
- Needs assessment.
- Goal Setting (S.M.A.R.T).
Retrieval services for expectant and parenting teens who have dropped out of school
- Re-enrollment in school or HSE program.
- Enrollment in ELECT to provide academic support and additional services.
Intensive individual case management and educational group sessions
- Prenatal and sexual health.
- Secondary pregnancy prevention.
- Child development and parenting skills.
- Co-parenting and healthy relationships.
- Personal finance and family budgeting.
- Personal health and well-being.
- Health care and nutrition.
- Domestic violence and substance abuse.
- Vocational, career, and job readiness training.
- Post-secondary education exploration, financial aid, and college prep.
Guest speakers, field trips, and activities
Per Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) ELECT Operational Guidelines, all programs are expected to meet or exceed the following outcomes:
Graduation Rate
75% or higher of all expectant and parenting youth eligible to graduate each program year will earn a diploma or HSE.
Secondary Pregnancy
85% or higher of participants, including those who are legally married, will not become pregnant or father a second pregnancy while enrolled in the ELECT program, regardless of the outcome of the pregnancy.
Student Retention
75% or higher of ELECT participants enrolled at any time during the program year will remain active through the end of the program year.
Academic Performance as Measured by Grade Point Average (GPA)
75% or higher of students enrolled in the ELECT program will attain a program year (PY) average GPA of at least 2.0 (based on a 4.0 or 100% system) OR an increased GPA from quarter to quarter of PY for participants with less than 2.0 GPA.
School Attendance
75% or higher of students enrolled in the ELECT program will meet 75% of their expected attendance for the school year or will show improvement in their attendance if less than 75%.