11 Facts About Teen Dads

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1. In the US, about 750,000 women under the age of 20 become pregnant every year, meaning that about 750,000 men are also involved in teen pregnancies.^["Pregnancy and Childbirth among US Teens." Planned Parenthood. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/2013/9611/7570/Pregnancy_And_Childbearing_Among_US_Teens.pdf (accessed July 21, 2014).]
2. 8 out of 10 teen dads don’t marry the mother of their child.^["Teen Pregnancy by the Numbers." New York City Human Resources Administration. http://www.nyc.gov/html/hra/downloads/pdf/news/campaigns/teen_pregnancy/teen_pregnancy_infographic.pdf (accessed July 21, 2014).]
3. Teen dads are less likely to finish high school than their peers. You can provide free babysitting for parents taking GED classes.^["Teen Fatherhood and Educational Attainment: Evidence from Three Cohorts of Youth." Cornell Institute for the Social Sciences and the Cornell Population Program. http://resiliencelaw.org/wordpress2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Teen-Fatherhood-and-Educational-Attainment.pdf (accessed July 21, 2014).]
4. Absent fathers pay less than $800 annually for child support.^["Teen Pregnancy Prevention." National Conference of State Legislation. http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/teen-pregnancy-prevention.aspx (accessed July 20, 2014).]
5. Paternity, for any child born to teen parents, can be established before the child turns 21.^["Child Support Handbook for Noncustodial Parents." New York City Human Resources Administration. http://www.nyc.gov/html/hra/downloads/pdf/services/child_support/noncustodial_parents.pdf (accessed July 21, 2014).]
6. Children who don't live with their fathers are 5 times more likely to be poverty-stricken than children with both parents at home.^["Know the Facts." Stay Teen. http://stayteen.org/teen-pregnancy (accessed July 20, 2014).]
7. Teen fathers face a lack of teen parent programs to help them.^["Fast Facts: The Unique Needs of Young Fathers." Teen Health Network. http://www.state.nj.us/dcf/providers/notices/Young.Fathers.Healthy.Teen.Network.pdf (accessed July 21, 2014).]
8. An unmarried father has rights and responsibilities concerning custody, visitation, and child support. However, an unmarried father needs to take legal action to obtain these rights and responsibilities and must sign an Acknowledgement of Paternity form.^["Establishing Paternity ." Department of Social Services. http://www.ct.gov/dss/lib/dss/pdfs/dadbklt.pdf (accessed July 21, 2014).]
9. Young fathers are more likely to have economic and employment challenges and are more often economically disadvantaged than adult fathers.^[Lerman, Robert and Ooms, Theodora. Young Unwed Fathers: Changing Roles and Emerging Profiles. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1993. Print.]
10. Teen fatherhood appears to be associated with negative consequences, both for the father and child, that are similar to those observed among teen mothers.^[Lerman, Robert and Ooms, Theodora. Young Unwed Fathers: Changing Roles and Emerging Profiles. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1993. Print.]
11. Despite the stereotypes, there is increasing evidence that teen fathers want to be (and are) involved with their children, though this involvement may not always include financial support.^[Gavin, L., et al. (2002). Young, disadvantaged fathers’ involvement with their infants: an ecological perspective. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31, 266-276.]