Teens and Toddlers pairs teenagers from local schools in areas with high teen pregnancy rates with nursery children for two hours a week for 20 weeks. It began in Greenwich, London, in 2001 and is run by the non-profit foundation, Children: Our Ultimate Investment (COUI).
Director Diana Whitmore said, 'If you give teens a live, hands-on experience of the responsibility, work and privilege it is to have a child, they are more inclined to wait before having children. We've delivered in six boroughs and these local authorities want to mainstream the programme.'
COUI is now piloting long-term Teens and Toddlers projects in Southwark, Islington and Brent It is also in discussion with the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit about launching nationally.
A survey of those in the London projects found it is having an impact on reducing pregnancy, with only three births to 160 under-18s (less than 3 per cent) who did the course. In 2004, the pregnancy rate for 15- to 17-year-olds in Southwark, one of the project's areas, was the highest in London at around 8.5 per cent.
Ms Whitmore said, 'We ask the nurseries to assign each teen a child who's perhaps shy or who hasn't got English as their first language. Social skills and communication is where there is the biggest impact.'
'The nursery staff are keen to embrace and accept the young people and the young people get a sense of achievement.'
She added that at least a quarter of teenagers in the programme, both male and female, are now interested in childcare as a career.
'One young woman was in trouble with the police, a young offender. She did the Teens and Toddlers programme and three months after she had started a GNVQ in Health and Social Care and has recommended childcare as a career to all her friends.'