A group of teenage girls are celebrating their first Mother’s Day in a brand new maternity foster home.
The Children’s Home opened its maternity home in December 2015.
- The maternity home opened in December 2015
- The home is open to girls ages 11-17 who are pregnant or parents
- 15 girls have gone through the program
"There just aren’t a lot of foster homes that can accommodate a foster care teenager and their baby so this is a perfect solution and we aren’t just a home, we are a program,” Barbara McCormick, the Maternity Home Director, said.
The home is open to girls ages 11-17 who are currently pregnant or parents. It’s the only licensed maternity foster home in Hillsborough County. So far 15 girls have gone through the program.
While they are there, staff helps take care of the babies so the teens can enroll in school, take parenting classes and participate in therapy sessions.
"This program is a good program,” 16-year-old Carina said. “It’s a healthy environment, the staff is really nice and it’s a good place for any other foster kids."
Carina’s daughter, Natalie, was the first baby born at the maternity home.
"I still can’t believe I am a mother, but I am and it’s real,” Carina said.
After spending time in the juvenile detention system, Carina entered the foster care system in 2015. She came to The Children’s Home when she was seven months pregnant.
She said she has learned from her mistakes, but knows Natalie will one day be proud of her mother.
"I can hear her saying that. I did change my life,” Carina said. “I was doing poor decisions and I changed my life when I found out I was pregnant and I want my daughter to be better than how I was before. I want her to make good decisions."
Carina spends time with her younger siblings, mother and grandmother on the weekends. She hopes to finish high school and move back home with her mom. She said her goal is to become a chef.