Child, Home and Community
is a nonprofit in Doylestown, PA that provides services to pregnant and parenting teens. Their goal is to ensure healthy births, enhance family stability, and prompt self-sufficiency. They focus on empowering young parents through education. CHC offers childbirth education classes and support, in-school counseling, and teen pregnancy prevention programs throughout Bucks and Montgomery Counties.
Beth Styer currently serves as the Executive Director at CHC. Beth began working with CHC in 1986, with a background in certified childbirth education and lactation consulting. After working in teen parenting education for a few years, Beth was promoted to Program Director. In 1997, she became the director of CHC and has served in this capacity for the past 16 years.
Beth believes education provides an opportunity to make a change, but she stepped into the role of director because she knew it would allow her to have the most impact. Beth truly believes in CHC’s mission. She expressed she is there for the babies. She believes that every baby deserves the opportunity for a good start.
CHC’S main focus is educating teens to help them make informed choices about being a parent. Teens cannot access the services offered by CHC until they have decided to carry the baby. CHC does not just educate teens on labor and delivery, but also helps them form a parenting plan. The parenting plan includes information on who will care for the baby, and the parents’ future goals like college or employment.
CHC also spends a portion of their time teaching about contraception to prevent further pregnancies. They teach about breastfeeding and how to child proof a house. One of their most important tasks is to teach young parents how to comfort a baby that won’t stop crying. This helps prevent abuse and neglect issues. Some classes focus on team parenting and help teens learn to work together and communicate about their child even if they are no longer romantically involved. They also have a career advisor on staff that helps young parents assess their interests and gives them information to learn how to pursue that career.
The biggest challenge CHC faces is getting teens to their programs. Beth believes that many teens do not want to be stereotyped as someone with an early, unplanned pregnancy. This is unfortunate because CHC is able to provide a support network, and allows the teens to see they are not alone in their struggles. This is something Beth is passionate about, and she hopes to help any and all teens that may need it.
About the Contributor: Jessica Mantione is the Success by 6 Community Impact Intern at UWBucks for the summer. She just completed her first year as a graduate student at Marywood University pursing a Masters of Social Work degree. Interested in ensuring the access to high quality early education for all children, the Success by 6 campaigns offers a platform for this.