Family stability is something that continues to be hit hard. There are so many stories. For nearly 40 years, BETA Center’s story is one of providing family stability and healthy beginnings for young women and families in Central Florida – focusing on our youngest of young: teen mothers and their children.
Today, adolescent health is a national priority. And BETA is a life-changer in that regard. Its comprehensive, wrap-around programs and services enable young teen mothers to regain control of their lives; break cycles of poverty, despair and abuse; and become hope-filled students, citizens and members of the workforce. BETA’s unique service model and one-of-a-kind facility provide ‘deep down’ services that include education, prenatal care and parenting skills, counseling, residency, child care, emergency services, therapeutic arts program and home visits.
Without a doubt, BETA is an organization that’s needed. Teen birth rates are on the rise in the region, with the highest rates among Hispanic and African American teens. In addition, Orlando has 27% of children living below the federal poverty level – a significant contributing factor to teen pregnancies. Every year, BETA works to meet an expected 30,000+ need through crisis response and referrals and a host of programs and services. While BETA continues to be the region’s go-to resource for family stability and young teen mothers and their children, its capacity only allows it to serve about 5 percent of the need.
There are numerous ways the community can help BETA during these times of critical need and limited resources. A $5,000 contribution, for example, provides a starting level sponsorship of a young mother and her child for a whole year to receive prenatal care and parenting skills, counseling, child care and more. There are many in-kind donation opportunities as well. And, something new is that BETA is now an official Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten site with open, available slots. For more information about BETA, call 407.277.1942 or visit www.betacenter.org.
