St. Jude’s Ranch for Children has responded to one of the greatest unmet needs for children in Southern Nevada with the opening of the Pregnant and Parenting Teen Program.

Nevada has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the country and teen mothers typically are not ready to parent on their own.  More specifically, seven out of every ten pregnant teens drop out of high school.  If there is no intervention, 68% of the girls who get pregnant between the ages of 10 and 14 years old will be pregnant again in 18 months.  This St. Jude’s Ranch Program provides that intervention.

The Program provides “at-risk” mothers ages 10 to 17 years old the opportunity to receive training in parenting, job and life skills as well as social, academic and independent living skill development. Individualized and group therapy are also offered and all are delivered while focusing on the mother's health care needs throughout her pregnancy. 

The facility is large enough to accommodate a teen mother in private quarters through the pregnancy stages and after the arrival of her new baby.  In addition to a parenting curriculum, all the girls will

attend the local public high school and receive individualized case monitoring provided by trained and caring staff.  The Program residents will be able to stay until they are ready to transition to independent living or until they turn 20 years old.  Working in the community and learning how to become a self sufficient and productive parent and member of society are core skills these young women will learn as residents of the St. Jude’s Ranch for Children Pregnant and Parenting Teen Program.

Residents of the Program have initially been placed in St. Jude’s Ranch’s care by the Department of Family Services or the Department of Juvenile Justice System.  Most have been taken from their natural parents or caregivers because of some form of abuse, abandonment or neglect.

The Ranch is grateful for the generous outpouring of community and donor support that made the Pregnant and Parenting Teen Program a reality.  Such kindness makes it possible for us to provide a safe, healthy and nurturing home for the girls and their babies, while breaking the vicious cycle of abuse.