16 & Pregnant: When A High School Provides On-Campus Daycare

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Last night’s episode of 16 & Pregnant took place in Asheville, NC, where teen mom Jamie was provided with free transportation for her infant as well as free on-campus daycare at her public high school. Free for Jamie that is. According to the North Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy literature, teen pregnancy cost North Carolinians $312 million in WIC, Medicaid, TANF and food stamps in 2004 alone. But it would seem that facilities like daycare within a high school—at which Jamie can take a break from her history exam to breastfeed her daughter—are in response to something of an epidemic, as the state consistently ranks ninth in the nation for teen pregnancy rates.