KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Babies have a way of changing everything, and for a teen parent, the stress of having a newborn can be magnified.
The arrival of 18-year-old Davionne Cannon’s daughter, Noni, changed his whole perspective.
“My mind was racing. It was a lot of thoughts like, I got to finish high school, I have one more year, I got to knock it out with a kid. But I can get through it,” Cannon said as he held his six-week-old.
He’s not the first teen at Central High School to have a child. Around 30 students there are also parents.
Now, they have a new child care program to help them out.
Central High School is the only school in the Kansas City, Missouri region to offer an Early Head Start program, where teen parents can leave their kids with trained employees in the same building.
“At lunch I can come in and sit with her, eat with her, and just come and monitor. It’s well-needed,” Cannon said.
The school has the space, and the idea of this program blossomed over the last year, thanks to advocates like Lead Counselor Amanda Campbell.
“We had noticed a trend with a lot of our seniors and students that were dropping out. A lot of the reasoning behind them dropping out of high school was not being able to have childcare for their children,” Campbell said.
Cannon and other parents drop their kids off in the morning and pick them up when school is over. The program is open to kids from 6 weeks old up to 3 years old.
“It puts me in a better, safe place ‘cause I know some day cares can be ran in any direction. But for this program to be with the fundamentals they have, it made me very comfortable,” Cannon said.
The program has a set curriculum to help toddlers learn and develop, while their parents are just down the hall.
Program directors said it does not encourage teen pregnancy, but faces it head-on with the goal to set mom, dad, and baby on the right path.
“This is the situation you’re in. Obviously we can’t change that situation, but what can we do to make it better? So, what resources do you need? What can we help you with?” Campbell said.
Being a father is important to Cannon in an environment where he said he does not see many positive role models.
“It’s a lot of father out here who do things a certain way. So, when I found out I was going to be a father, I told myself I’m going to do it the right way, do it a better way,” Cannon said.
Cannon’s girlfriend dropped out of a different high school before giving birth to Noni, but Cannon said she’s enrolling at Central High School to be close to the family. Then they will both look forward to college.
Cannon offered a word of advice to teen fathers in his position:
“Love it. Enjoy it. Grow with it. It’s going to be a crazy journey, but it’s a crazy journey that you’ll like to have,” Cannon said.
The Mid-America Regional Council, the federal office of Head Start and the Stanley H. Durwood Foundation are providing financial support for the program.
