According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are about 39 births per every 1,000 women was a teen pregnancy. Although this number has been declining, the teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. is still nine times higher than in most other developed nations.
Many school social workers have made it a point to show youths the consequences of having children too soon. For example, North Carolina's Cassandra Campbell, a school social worker for Pitt County Schools, has been tracking the teen pregnancy rate in the area, the Daily Refector reports.
Recently, Campbell found that there were 69 pregnancies in the high schools and middle schools in the county during the 2010-2011 academic year. This is 35 less incidents than the 2005-2006 school year and 12 less than last year.
"I'm happy about the decrease in pregnancies this year," Campbell told the media provider. "Education at home, school and the community has played a major role in reducing the number of pregnancies compared to other years."
Included in these educational programs is Teenage Moms Achieving Success, in which a school social worker and a health case manager host a parenting group for young mothers in the area, according to the news outlet.
