Many studies have shown that teen mothers and their children are at high risk of living in poverty, due to not completing high school, being a single parent, and of their lack of knowledge and preparation raising a child due to unplanned pregnancies. Children born to teenage mothers are at greater risk of maltreatment and poor academic achievement. Furthermore, many studies have also shown that teenage pregnancy and poverty have an effect on child development. Teen Pregnancy and the Road to Poverty Poverty is one of the major problems that most teen mothers experience. “Between 2009 and 2010, approximately 48 percent of all mothers aged 15 to 19 lived below the poverty line. Teenage mothers living with their parents fared little better, with only 34 percent of them living below the poverty line. As their children grow up, their likelihood of living in poverty increases. By the time a child reaches three years of age, their likelihood of living in poverty increases to 50%” (Stewart Ng and Kaye, 2012a, pp.2-3). According to the U.S. Census Bureau “teen mothers are more than twice as likely as mothers ages 25 to 29 to live in poverty” (as cited in Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, 2008, p.9) . A major risk factor such as The reason many teen mothers live in poverty is because they drop out of high school, “fewer than 38 percent earn a high school diploma and another 19 percent earn a GED, and only 5 percent of young teenage mothers complete at least two years of high school.” go to college by age 30 and less than 2% get a college degree.” (Stewart Ng and Kaye, 2012a, p.1; Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, 2008, p.10).” Therefore, these mothers will not get a well-paid job to raise their children. Teen mothers are more likely to do so l...... middle of paper ...... lt, and adult mothers: http://proxy4.vaniercollege.qc.ca:2114/pdf27_28/pdf/2013/ MPQ/01Jan13/85124292.pdf? T=P&P=AN&K=85124292&S=R&D=a9h&EbscoContent=dGJyMNHr7ESeqLU4v%2BbwOLCmr0yep7JSrqe4SrCWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMPGnsEywqLVPuePfgeyx44Dt6fIA • Schuyler Center for Analysis and Pat rocinio, 2008: Births in adolescence: results for young parents and their children: http://www. scaany.org/documents/ teen_pregnancy_dec08.pdf • Stewart Ng and Kaye, 2012a: Why adolescent childbearing, education, and economic well-being matter: http://thenationalcampaign.org/sites/default/files/resource-primary-download/ childbearing-education-economicwellbeing. pdf • Stewart Ng and Kaye, 2012b: Why teenage childbearing, single parenthood, and father involvement matters: http://thenationalcampaign.org/sites/default/files/resource-primary-download/childbearing-singleparenthood-fatherinvolvement .pdf;