WESTMINSTER INFANT CARE CENTEROur April Mission of the Month was the Westminster Infant Care Center (WICC). WICC is a ministry of Westminster Presbyterian Church of Peoria that allows teen parents to have a stable source of quality child care so that the teen parent can stay in school after having an infant. Many times the hurdles for finding care for the infant would cause the teen to drop out of school. WICC currently has 8 parents enrolled in the program, all with children under the age of 2. WICC has a fantastic success rate for parents completing their education goals, measured each year by the parent’s graduating from high school, obtaining a GED, or attaining the next grade level. Since 2001, WICC has averaged a 91% success rate for teen parents remaining in school and graduating. A number of WICC parents have received college scholarships, attended college, or finished nursing programs. In one notable instance, one WICC parent was able to stay in school after having her baby and received a full scholarship to Robert Morris College. At Robert Morris she excelled in accounting, and is now working for Caterpillar. WICC credits their success to creating a family atmosphere with the parents and providing transportation from the parent’s homes each day to Westminster childcare center, where the students board busses for school. Many times, finding reliable transportation to a daycare center is difficult for these parents. |