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Street Law / Programs

Parents and the Law

The Parents and the Law program and curriculum are designed to help young parents learn practical legal information and the skills to use that information to strengthen their families and prevent child abuse and neglect.

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Products & Publications

Parents and the Law

Second edition, 2004 3-ring binder, 2-volume set

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Parents and the Law (CD-ROM version)

Second edition, 2004 CD-ROM with .pdf lesson plans

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Staff

Lena Morreale Scott

senior program director

News & Updates

Teaching about Parental Liability

1 February 2010

Featured Resource: Deliberating in a Democracy ... Read more

Carla Cartwright's story

28 September 2009

Carla Cartwright is an associate chief counsel for the United... Read more

Street Law & University of Tennessee Extension System to Provide Training

1 November 2007

Street Law was pleased to partner with the University of... Read more

Legal options offered to teen parents

28 March 2006

It is said that knowledge is power. Gregory Meyers,... Read more

More updates

The Curriculum

Housed in two three-ring binders, the user-friendly materials can be used by teachers and non-teachers alike. Each complete lesson plan is laid out step-by-step, including questions for students, teaching strategies, and evaluation tools.

Student materials are provided in both English and Spanish. The 23 lessons can form the curriculum for a separate class, or teachers can select individual lessons to incorporate into existing parenting classes.

Settings

Parents and the Law can be implemented in a variety of settings.

Court-mandated parenting classes: Parents and the Law lessons can be used as a component of court-ordered parenting classes for parents who have or are in danger of abusing or neglecting their children.
Community partnerships: Groups like the Child Welfare League of America, Communities in Schools, and Healthy Teen Network that serve young parents see the value in teaching practical law to their clients. Community sites have taught Parents and the Law as part of parent education courses at a child development center, as a Street Law series at a transitional living center, or as a special workshop at a community event.
Faith-based organizations: Parents and the Law lessons offer faith-based organizations an opportunity to provide a vital educational offering for young adults and link to members of the legal community.
Fatherhood programs: Fathers, especially non-custodial fathers, need to know about their legal rights and corresponding responsibilities. Parents and the Law tackles important issues - paternity, child support, custody - impacting non-custodial parents that can pave the way for more involvement in a child's life.
Hospitals: Prenatal hospital visits are critical to delivering a healthy baby. To attract young parents to hospitals, many host baby showers, give-aways, and a range of educational classes. Hospital staff, sometimes partnered with law students, have taught a series of Parents and the Law lessons to the pregnant teens they serve - bringing practical law lessons to where teens need to go!
Housing centers: Parents and the Law lessons provide tenants with critical information on their rights and responsibilities as tenants. Beyond this topical information, tenants can learn how to be good neighbors and parents, respect the rule of law, and identify legal information to solve their problems.
Juvenile justice facilities: Increasingly females are incarcerated as teens. Many incarcerated youth are parents or at-risk of becoming young parents. To help address the needs of this population, Street Law has brought Parents and the Law to teens in these facilities.
Schools: Schools must address the needs of pregnant and parenting teens and the needs of future parents by teaching about the legal responsibilities and rights of parents. Parents and the Law classes are offered in schools using different approaches to reach all types of students. Schools offer Parents and the Law lessons in:
- Child development classes
- Health classes
- Pregnant and parenting teen classes
- Special educational programming in conjunction with a special event like teen pregnancy prevention day, a health fair, or law day

Training and Professional Development

Street Law staff can provide customized training and technical assistance to support the implementation of a Street Law program in your facility. To learn more about customized PAL trainings, please contact Lena Morreale Scott.

Articles & Research

Teaching about Parental Liability

February 1, 2010 This free resource pack from Street Law, Inc. offers lesson plans, teaching methods, and links to outside resources. Read more

Carla Cartwright's story

September 28, 2009 Carla Cartwright is an associate chief counsel for the United States Food and Drug Administration. While at Yale, Carla was active in their law school-based Street Law program and taught practical law to high school students and teen parents in New Haven, CT. Read more

Street Law & University of Tennessee Extension System to Provide Training

November 1, 2007 Street Law was pleased to partner with the University of Tennessee to offer training in Street Law’s Parents and the Law (PAL) curriculum to 22 extension agents from their Family and Consumer Science and Youth Development programs across the state. The training took place in Crossville, Tennessee, on September 24–25, 2007. Read more

Legal options offered to teen parents

March 28, 2006 It is said that knowledge is power. Gregory Meyers, managing attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii Kaua'i office, is aiming to arm teenage girls who are also parents with tools he said will help them strengthen their families. Read more

Parents and the Law

April 1, 2005 We were “blown away” by the impact of the law on family health, marriage, relationships, child rearing, employment, and even the consumption of goods and services. Before the training, we had not realized how much the law affects every aspect of family life. Read more

Teaching Law as a Life Skill

November 1, 2004 Not all young people make a smooth and successful transition into adulthood. When faced with difficult circumstances, some young people drop out of school, abuse drugs, participate in criminal activity, or become violent toward others or themselves. In the face of adversity, why do some youth go on to become productive workers, parents, neighbors, and citizens while others do not? Read more

Teen Parents get Lessons on Legal Rights from Experts

December 3, 1998 Basic High School junior Joey Williams is a teen father. He lives with his parents; his girlfriend lives with hers. After school on Mondays and Tuesdays, he takes care of his 2-month-old daughter. From Wednesday to Sunday, he works a full-time shift as a busboy, with half his salary going toward child support. Read more