CAN TEEN PARENTS GET HELP?
If you are a teenager under 18 who is pregnant or who already has a child, has never been married, and you apply for CalWORKs, you must live with your own parent or parents, a guardian, another adult relative, or in an adult supervised arrangement in order to qualify.
If you are a teen parent, or pregnant, and don’t have a high school diploma, GED or equivalent, and you receive CalWORKs cash aid, you have to be in a program called Cal-Learn. Cal-Learn gives you supportive services in child care, transportation, and school supplies while you go to school.
Once in Cal-Learn, the teen will work with a case manager who will help them develop a
personal plan to finish high school or complete a General Education Development
(GED) course. For those not currently enrolled, the case manager will help to get the
teen back into school.
The plan identifies the responsibilities of the case manager, the Cal-Learn teen, and
additional services needed. Additional services may include help with child care,
transportation costs, ancillary expenses, and mandatory costs associated with the
educational program.
Bonuses and Sanctions
Cal-Learn rewards good school performance and penalizes poor performance using
cash bonuses and grant sanctions to encourage school attendance and graduation.
Teens who receive report cards reflecting satisfactory progress (C average or better)
may have a $100 bonus added to the family grant. For report cards reflecting
unsatisfactory progress (less than a D average), the teen may receive a sanction of
$100 that is applied to the family grant over a two month period. Cal-Learn teens can
earn up to four $100 bonuses or sanctions each year based on performance.
Upon graduation, the Cal-Learn teen may be eligible to receive a $500 bonus.
The time a teen parent participates in the Cal-Learn program does not count toward the
60-month CalWORKs time limit.
For more information about Cal-Learn, you may contact the Sacramento County
Department of Human Assistance at DHA-Cal-Learn@saccounty.net or Sutter Teen
Programs at (916) 887-4031 or https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/pregnancy-childbirth/teen-smcs