Greenacres resident Michelle Gonzalez, chief executive officer of the Healthy Mothers, Health Babies Coalition of Palm Beach County, recently announced that the organization’s Caps and Cribs Teen Mom Mentor Program has been awarded the National Quality Mentoring System (NQMS) badge by Mentor, the national mentoring partnership.
The badge is an evidence-based acknowledgment of the safety and efficacy of the Caps and Cribs program and assures mentees, funders and policymakers that the program meets national quality standards and procedures for the operation of a mentoring program. Caps and Cribs is one of only six nonprofit programs in Florida to earn the accreditation.
“Because we know that being a parent is one of the leading causes of school dropout for teen girls, Caps and Cribs helps pregnant or parenting young women graduate,” Gonzalez said. “In an effort to support local teen mothers, our mentors work one-on-one with young women at their high school; they offer advice, share their life experiences, and help teens navigate the challenges of school and parenting. We are extremely grateful to Mentor for acknowledging the program’s professionalism and success.”
HMHB has locations in West Palm Beach, Greenacres, Belle Glade and Boynton Beach. For more information, call (561) 623-2800 or visit www.hmhbpbc.org.
