Teen mothers struggling to finish school given baby supplies

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. (KABC) -- Learn4Life Academy is a non-profit network of public schools that has transitioned to online learning for their personalized high school programs across California due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, officials from the school say they were concerned with their program for teen mothers. Not because of the transition in education, but because they wanted to make sure they had resources to take care of their families.

"I had a feeling that they were going to be really scared to go to the store and resources might be running low," said Staci Roth, program coordinator at Learn4Life, "So we were able to use our partnerships with Baby2Baby, our donations that we get monthly from them, to have enough resources to start doing doorstep deliveries."

The academy filled their trunks with diapers, baby wipes, and even formula to drop off safely to the students' homes.

They offered these resources so that the young mothers can focus more on finishing school, but some mothers said school is still a concern.

"I only need 14 credits...hopefully I finish them by the end of this month. But I'm not really sure how we're going to do graduation this year, but my goal is for June," said Karina Rodriguez, a student at Learn4Life's Panorama City location.

As difficult as some say it is to finish school with a child, the added resources give the girls some hope.

"I'm still scared because you know it's (coronavirus) still around and it kind of hasn't gotten any better. But I know...like OK this is what's best for my daughter because at the end of the day she is my priority," said Heidi Blas, a student at Learn4Life's Palmdale location.

If you would like to donate to help these teen mothers click here to learn more.

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