By Shellie Branco

Teen mothers and fathers are everywhere in the media these days, from Bristol Palin to the MTV show “16 and Pregnant.” But you can find many of them closer to home. The Central Valley has the highest teen birth rates in California, even as the overall state rate is at a record low. According to the California Department of Public Health, Kern County tops the list, followed by Kings and Tulare counties.

What is it like to be a teen mother, especially in a recession? And what assistance does the government offer to young parents? In Shafter, one young mother offers a look into the reality of teen parenting.

Jesus Montoya is learning new words every day. Like any 2-year-old, he loves to point at what he sees. He gurgles the words “socks” and “shoes” as he points a tiny finger toward his feet.

His mother, Chantal Flores, is eager to learn, too. She skipped parts of high school when she became pregnant at 16. She’s 18 now and hopes to get her diploma this summer.

But for the time being, Chantal and her son make visits to nurse Nellie Escarcega at the Kern County Department of Public Health clinic in Shafter. Nellie counsels Chantal as part of the Nurse-Family Partnership program. It’s a statewide program that provides health and parenting advice to first-time mothers, especially at-risk and low-income women. At a recent appointment, Nellie was thrilled with the news that Jesus has no need for a baby bottle these days. Chantal says he ditched the bottle at nine months.

Nurses in the program also make home visits to moms, from pregnancy through the baby’s second year. Nellie says the goal is to keep families healthy, but it’s also to reduce their reliance on government assistance. They also want moms to wait a few years before having another baby.

“This is why we only do the first-time mom, because this is where you can make the most impact,” Nellie says.

Moms who are on their second child tend to follow the lessons they learned from their past parenting experiences, she adds.

During her visit, Chantal talks about her son’s progress, but Nellie wants to know how Chantal’s doing, too. She asks if Chantal is using condoms or other contraceptive methods. Chantal says she isn’t using anything.

“OK, we’ve gone over what causes pregnancies,” Nellie replies in a cautionary tone.

The state credits the overall decline in teen births to education and prevention efforts. But even with sex education classes, many teen parents still don’t fully understand the risks – or choose to ignore them. Nellie says teen births are sometimes a family pattern, with several generations of moms giving birth at young ages. She isn’t sure why teen births are up in Kern County.

“Is it ‘cause they’re bored, there’s nothing to do?” she asks. “I’m in the outlying areas and there’s really not a lot of activities for young people to do out here.”

Before Jesus was born, Chantal thought she couldn’t get pregnant because when she didn’t use protection, nothing happened. When she found out she was pregnant, her boyfriend, Pedro Montoya, was happy, but Chantal’s family had a serious talk with her.

“My mom told me, ‘Don’t even think about having an abortion because it’s your fault that you’re in this situation, and it’s not the baby’s (fault),’” Chantal says.

Jesus was born with a blood infection and stayed in the hospital for two weeks. Chantal raised the baby on her own for the first year, while her boyfriend served with the Army in Iraq. To support her young family, Chantal got a job and moved in with her boyfriend’s mother. Pedro, 22, is now stationed at Fort Irwin near Barstow, but he sends money and visits on weekends and days off.

Chantal would like to tell other teen girls to be careful.

“Just think about it, because having a baby young makes you think about life and you have to grow up fast,” she says. “Really fast – and it’s not easy.”

Chantal is hopeful about her chances, despite the recession. Someday she would like to have a daughter, but that’s in the distant future. Chantal wants to become a nurse specializing in labor and delivery. She says watching Nellie at work had something to do with that.

Shellie Branco is a correspondent for Valley Public Radio. This report will air at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 16 to kick off a discussion about teen pregnancy and parenting on the public radio station’s Quality of Life program. Tune in on the radio at KVPR 89.3 in Fresno and KPRX 89.1 in Bakersfield. Or listen online at www.kvpr.org. To call in to the show, dial 800-224-8989 or e-mail comments to talk@kvpr.org. An archived Podcast of the show will also be available online after it airs.