Main Sections

Health Teacher Liz Cronin And The Flour Baby Project

photo by Marcie Bolton LtoR: Teacher Liz Cronin, Johnny Fitzcharles, Ali Adul Sater and Holden Laroche all of whom participated in the flour baby project.

Tuesday January 24, 2012

By Marcie Bolton

The flour baby project, run by health educator Liz Cronin of Middlebury Union Middle School, is a project designed to introduce eighth graders to the idea of what it would look like to be a teen parent. It includes the financial piece of being a teen parent, the time involved, and discussions on how being a teen parent would alter one’s reality as they know it.  One of Ms. Cronin’s hopes is that this project starts a dialogue at home around sex and relationships and what values families have regarding the topics.  I asked Ms. Cronin how she started the Flour Baby project, and she responded that when she began teaching at MUMS five years ago, the project was already in place, but she has changed it a bit since.  Since it used to be an extra credit project and the school does not assign extra credit as a whole, the kids are now given a choice; either complete a written essay piece answering questions on the subject or carry around the flour baby, a five pound bag of flour wrapped in tape with a name and taped on face and write a journal.  Both choices are centered on teen pregnancy awareness.  Ms. Cronin said new parents spend 94% or their time taking care of the baby. 

Carrying around a five pound “baby” and caring for it 24 hours a day is intense.  The middle school boys and girls are given the weekend from Friday to Monday to be flour baby parents while journaling about the care and costs of the “child” and the time involved.  How many diapers do newborns need per day?  What about health care costs and child care while the parent finishes school or has a job?  The MUMS students who keep the flour baby with them for the weekend cannot have younger siblings care for the “baby”, but older siblings are allowed to as well as parents and babysitters, for a short while.  Overall Ms. Cronin believes it is a fun project, and hopes to spur conversations.     

According to the cdc.gov website in 2009, a total of 409,840 infants were born to 15−19 year olds, for a live birth rate of 39.1 per 1,000 women in this age group.  Nearly two-thirds of births to women younger than age 18 and more than half of those among 18−19 year olds are unintended.  Sarah Brown, CEO of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy said on a recent National Public Radio show “Rates of teen pregnancy and birth are going down in the U.S. We're 35 to 40 percent lower than we were in the early 1990s.”   Ms. Cronin’s hope is that this program will develop discussions in families regarding the family’s values surrounding this topic.  “Teenagers have choices and decisions to make.  My job is to give them information to help them make better choices so they can have a happy, fun, fulfilled and successful a life as best as possible.”  She goes on to say “Sometimes mistakes happen but [my job is] to let people know what their options are.”  Current popular culture includes reality TV shows such as 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom.  While these shows portray only a very partial and sensationalized window into teen pregnancy, they also have increased vocabulary, expanded awareness and started dialogues.  While teenage pregnancy is a sensitive topic, before entering high school seems like an appropriate time to raise awareness.

Printer Friendly

Top

Advertisements

Search our Archives