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Cyber School offers young mother support group
(PA Cyber Press Release)
Dec. 23, 2007
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Lillian, 17, is one of half a dozen teen girls who bring their babies to a Young Moms Support Group meeting every Monday at the Eastern Support Center of the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School.
Though they take their classes over the Internet, since Oct. 1 they have been getting together in person every week. While school staff members watch their babies, the girls meet with PA Cyber guidance counselor Michele Fecht to talk about their problems, needs and aspirations. The babies range from 10 months to 3 years old. The group meets every Monday at 10 a.m. for about hour.
Lillian Abraham of Delaware County is one of those moms. Now a senior, she enrolled in PA Cyber when she became pregnant at 15. Since she takes classes from home, she has been able to care full-time for her baby. After graduation in June, Lillian hopes to go on to college for interior design.
“We talk about stress, budgeting, coping skills, short and long term goals, employment skills, college or postsecondary schooling, community resources, parenting and their relationships with significant others, parents and friends,” said Fecht. “The girls have really found it helpful and are very open during the sessions.”
“No other cyber school has this kind of program, and not many traditional brick-and-mortar schools,” said Ron Hall, director of PA Cyber’s Eastern Support Center. He said 15 local young moms enrolled in PA Cyber were referred to the new program. About half have attended regularly, most from Philadelphia and Delaware County.
PA Cyber has nearly 8,000 students statewide in grades K-12. Some 1,000 of them are in Philadelphia, its suburbs and surrounding counties. The Eastern Support Center itself is located in the Springfield suburb.
A cyber charter school is a public school in Pennsylvania, providing to students at no cost to them a computer, printer, Internet connection, textbooks and all other instructional materials, along with the professional services of teachers, administrators, school nurses and counselors.
PA Cyber has pioneered several programs to provide face-to-face educational and social opportunities for its far-flung student body and their families. Regional field trips are organized to museums, concerts, and science centers. The Family Link program provides social and recreational outings so cyber school families get to know each other. Kindermusik brings early childhood education students together for arts and social sciences enrichment. The ArtReach program provides experiences in theater, dance and music. And Cyber Plus Plus offers individual and small group tutoring for grades 8-12, along with group activities such as paintball, movie days, laser tag and job shadowing
Hall said in September the Eastern Support Center began offering classes at the middle school level on topics personal decorum, manners, and conflict resolution.
Hall gives credit to Fecht, a certified guidance counselor and social worker, for piloting the young mom support group.
“The next step is to figure out how to expand the program electronically to reach other young mothers across the state who are enrolled in PA Cyber,” said Hall. As a school, PA Cyber has to address issues of safety and privacy in putting such a program online.
“The girls have begun trying to meet up outside of the group. They have done a wonderful job of supporting each other,” said Fecht. “We currently do not have a chat room but that is something I can definitely look into and discuss with the girls at the next session, because I do believe that is a good idea. The girls are all very open, willing to talk and share experiences.”