This guide summarizes and links to resources that may help answer questions common among young parents, the organizations that serve them, and policymakers interested in supporting young parents’ success. These groups all have a role to play in addressing young parents’ needs. Providing tailored resources to address their needs is critical, because they face particular obstacles to achieving financial stability associated with having the responsibility of caring for a child while transitioning to adulthood.
The questions and resources derived from a technical assistance partnership between the Urban Institute and three partnerships focused on young parent supports as part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Learn and Earn to Achieve Potential (LEAP) initiative. This partnership highlighted that different stakeholders concerned with addressing young parent needs require different types of resources, including (1) actionable resources young parents can use to address their immediate needs; (2) resources young parent–serving practitioners can use both to increase their capacity for young parent services and to engage young parent clients to address their needs; and (3) resources policymakers can use to inform changes to policy and practice so programs can better serve young parents.