He is the baby. His brother and sister used to tease him that he never had any true responsibility until now. He is outgoing, friendly, and can talk your ear off. It seems like nothing can stop him from achieving his goalsK except for one thing. Sean is not average. At age eighteen, he is a father.

According to statistics, teen pregnancy is an epidemic plaguing our society. A recent report given by the National Center for Health Statistics concluded: "The United States has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and births in the western industrialized world. Teen pregnancy costs the United States at least $7 billion

In addition, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, "approximately 4% of all births in the United States are fathered by men under 20 years of ageK. Although fewer than 40% of teen mothers have adolescent partners, 97% of teen fathers have adolescent partners." In Sean's case, he was 17 when his girlfriend, who was then 18, became pregnant. It was the summer prior to his senior year in high school.

Granted, numerous programs such as Strivin' and Survivin' have been implemented to help new fathers out. However, these programs are just underway and are simply not adequate. Strivin' and Survivin' is a 4-year-old program founded by NCCU professor Cheryl Amana, who herself, became a teen mother while growing up in Philadelphia and is sponsored by the Maryland-based Annie E. Casey Foundation. The program, which is located on NCCU's campus, was traditionally geared towards women. It was only last spring that three men became included. Strivin' and Survivin' rewards full-time students with scholarships and parental guidance and support. Despite the successes of this program, Strivin' and Survivin' can only help a limited number of fathers. Since 1994 when the program was implemented, 24 students have won scholarships.

Another program, Con Los Padres reaches out directly to teen fathers. "Con Los Padres is a collaborative effort by the District Attorney's Bureau of Family Support Operations along with Bienvenidos Family Services Center of Los AnglesK" Con Los Padres provides counseling, mentoring programs and educational and job training to expectant and teen fathers between the ages of 12 and 19. The goal is to "help these young men develop positive, nurturing relationships with their children. K The young father participates in 30 weekly classes where he learns to be a "dad', not just the biological father of a child."

"It's sad, but for awhile, the whole situation didn't seem real. It was almost like I was in a dream. I wanted to keep living my life how I was. It was almost like I didn't want the interruption, you know? It's terrible, but all I wanted to do was go out and live my life like I had always done. I was missing out on so much. And I'll admit, for the first six months, I wasn't around all that much. But one day, it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I am a father and I have someone depending on me. I wanted my daughter to grow up with her father."

Some common words found in the essay are:
Health Statistics, Role Sean, Amy Financially, Urban Institute, Los Padres, Boston College, Teri Amy, Strivin' Survivin', Throughout Sex-Ed, Urban Institute's, teen pregnancy, strivin' survivin', teen fathers, con los, los padres, teen mothers, con los padres, teen-age boys, family support operations, national center, center health, district attorney's bureau, health statistics, teen pregnancy epidemic, national center health,
Approximate Word count = 1716
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)