Pregnancy Prevention Program for Teens Set

A new teen pregnancy prevention program, aimed exclusively at area teens, will host its first open house Thursday.

Pathways to Responsibility, located in the George Washington Community Center, is a collaboration of 19 local agencies that hopes to reduce teen pregnancy and cultivate parenting skills among teens that become parents.

According to the California Department of Health Services, the Anaheim Union High School District has one of the highest teen birthrates in Orange County. The program will concentrate on three “hot spots” for teen pregnancy in the city, which fall in ZIP Codes 92805, 92802 and 92801, said Debbie Moore, Anaheim Community Services supervisor.

The three-year program is being funded by a $458,000 state grant to Olive Crest Homes & Services for Abused Children, a nonprofit group that provides prevention, intervention and family services for children at risk of child abuse and neglect. Olive Crest will be the lead agency in the teen pregnancy prevention program, officials said.

“A focus needs to be placed on education and prevention of teen pregnancies, but we are also here to provide support to teens who are already parents,” said Kathy Theemling, Olive Crest director of family preservation.

Mentoring, education and community awareness are the focus of the program.

The open house is from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the George Washington Community Center, 250 E. Cypress St.

Information: (714) 543-5437, Ext. 123.