"What Doesn't Work " to Prevent Pregnancies and Births:
Welfare Demonstration Programs

Welfare demonstration programs aimed specifically at teenage mothers have shown minimal effects on subsequent fertility behavior. New Chance, a welfare demonstration project designed to assist young mothers in strengthening their skills to become self-sufficient, was conducted at 16 sites in 10 states. The program offered participants educational preparation, career training, health and family planning classes and other services such as child care. A short-term follow-up at 18 months showed the program group to have more pregnancies and abortions, and a greater likelihood of living with a husband or partner than the control group. A longer-term follow-up (42 months) showed virtually no difference between these groups on marriage or fertility outcomes (Quint, Bos & Polit, 1997). Another program targeted at transitioning teenage mothers to self-sufficiency, the Teenage Parent Demonstration (TPD), showed no impacts on marriage and fertility behavior. TPD, implemented in New Jersey and Illinois, provided young mothers receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) supportive services such as case management, child care assistance, and transportation assistance while they were participating in mandatory education, job training, or employment-related activities. Nevertheless, TPD participation did not significantly reduce participants' future pregnancies or births (Kisker, Rangarajan, & Boller, 1998).