New program helps young mothers get high school diplomas
Role Model Moms gives women hope of a higher education, career
Sue Coaker had her first child when she was 15 years old.
She had her second child three years later, when she was 18.
On Thursday night, Coaker and 27 other mothers will be collecting their high school diplomas at a graduation ceremony in Scarborough. Their children will be in the audience watching.
Seven years after her first child, Coaker is graduating with her GED, the Ontario High School Equivalency Certificate.
That's thanks in part to a program called Role Model Moms, run by Toronto City Mission. But, as Coaker told Metro Morning host Matt Galloway, it was also part of her determination to break a family pattern both for herself and her daughter, Alexis.
Her mother didn't finish school.
"I saw how much my mom struggled with part-time jobs, Ontario Works and social assistance. I wanted to break that chain," said Coaker. "They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but I wanted to roll far from the tree."
Coaker respects her mother for raising her three children with very little, "but I wanted a different life."
Her sister, who also became pregnant in her teens and now has five children, will be graduating with Coaker. The sisters went through Role Model Moms together.
The program offers free daycare for the mothers' children. The moms also have a meal together once a week. The classes revolve around traditional academics, but also focus on time management, daily discipline, communication and — what Coaker really appreciated — confidence-building.
"Everyone there is a mom with their own problems; they're not worried about mine," she said. "It was very comforting. I didn't feel like I was being judged because I didn't have a job."
She said she's hoping her daughter follows in her footsteps, which isn't something she was always able to dare hope for.
"I told her I dropped out of school, that I made some wrong decisions," said Coaker.
She recalled the moment she told her daughter she had graduated.
"When she saw the big envelope with the GED test in it, she asked about it," she said. "I told her I graduated. She said 'I'm so proud of you...' and hugged me."