Giving Compass' Take:

• A study from the Urban Institute (funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation) discovered that young parents face a host of challenges that could hamper the development of their children later in life.

• How can the nonprofit programs help young parents in low-income communities? Mentoring support is one path suggested by the Urban Institute.

• This study also highlights the key role parents play in their kids' education, which is supported by other research. Want better STEM students? It starts at home.

Young parents face a host of challenges in their daily lives, from securing adequate child care to advancing their education or landing jobs that can sustain their families, according to a recent Casey-funded study by the Urban Institute.

Without better social supports and policies, such challenges not only adversely affect the lives of young parents today, they also dampen their children’s ability to achieve greater educational and economic gains in the future.

“As this report shows, young adult parents are at a point of great stress and great opportunity,” says Rosa Maria Castañeda, a senior associate at the Casey Foundation who manages two-generation investments.

Among the study’s key findings:

  1. Most young parents are not engaged in education activities.
  2. Most young parents live in low-income households.
  3. Many young parents live in households with other family members.
  4. Young parents are still developing emotionally.
  5. Many young parents rely on food and healthcare insurance assistance.
  6. Most young parents have young children, yet few rely on public childcare.

Read more about the challenges young parents face at The Annie E. Casey Foundation