Taking baby steps Program teaches skills to single mothers Program teaches skills to single mothers
By Jennifer Jackson
Published: May 12, 2007
NORMAN — The first day Michelle Caraway dropped her daughter off at Baby Steps, she cried as she drove to school.
Advertisement
"I didn't know what to expect for me or for her,” the 21-year-old said.
Almost two years later, Caraway is grateful for the program, which allowed her to finish high school and taught her the skills she needed to be a better mother to her daughter Ashton, 3.
Baby Steps offers child care, in an Early Head Start classroom, to children from birth to age 3 and is open to any student in the Norman School District who has a child or is pregnant.
The program is free; diapers and formula are provided for each child who is enrolled at Baby Steps.
Caraway dropped out of high school when she was 16 and became a mother 11 days before her 18th birthday.
After a year of staying home all day with her daughter, she got bored and decided to get her high school diploma.
She enrolled in the program and took classes at Dimensions Academy, as well as parenting classes. She graduated from high school in December and now is enrolled at Oklahoma City Community College, where she is working on a degree in business and accounting.
Caraway said the teenage mothers in the program give each other the emotional support they need as they learn how to balance being a mother and a student.
"Every time we get a teenage mom at Dimensions, we go talk to her and encourage her to enroll in the program,” Caraway said.
Caraway said enrolling in the program was the best decision she could have made.
"Ashton just turned 3 a few weeks ago, and she can already spell words and recognize them,” she said.
Through the parenting classes, Caraway learned about patience and the best way to discipline her daughter, she said.
"We learn not to spoil them rotten or spank them every five minutes,” she said. "Before I was in Baby Steps, Ashton was so spoiled, and I would get her anything and everything she wanted. I've learned that as she gets older that's not reality.”
Caraway has also learned how to cook things that don't cost a lot of money and are easy to prepare, including pot roast and a variety of desserts.
"Before Baby Steps, the only thing I knew how to make was pizza and anything in the microwave,” she said.
Baby Steps is sponsored by Norman Public Schools, the Junior League of Norman, Inc., Center for Children and Families and Crossroads Youth and Family Services.
Buying a Car
Visit NewsOK's latest Know it and get tips on buying the perfect vehicle.
More Info
Michelle Caraway, 21, and daughter Ashton, 3, were enrolled in the Baby Steps Program when Caraway was trying to finish high school. Baby Steps is open to any student in the Norman School District that has a child or is pregnant. by STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN
Prev
