Would making $365/year be enough incentive to stop a teen from getting pregnant?  Not likely.  When I first heard about College Bound Sisters program that pays $1 for every day that a teen doesn’t get pregnant, I was skeptical.  After all, there aren’t many teens who think getting pregnant is a good idea.  $1 per day doesn’t even buy a Starbucks, why would it motivate someone to not make a mistake and get pregnant.

But then I visited their website: http://nursing.uncg.edu/cbs/index.html

The College Bound Sisters is a pregnancy prevention program for younger sisters of teen mothers.

The first thing they did right was  targeting high risk teens.  They then narrowed the list even more with the following criteria:

• Is between the ages of 12-16
• Has a sister who had a baby before age 18
• Has never been pregnant
• Wants to attend college
• Is willing to attend a 1.5 hour meeting each week at UNCG

I think the meetings make the difference.  These teens will provide support and peer pressure to each other.  The $1/day payment is paid into a college fund, therefore providing more incentive than just “Don’t get Pregnant.”  The incentive is that it will help them build a future.  College is out of reach for many high risk teens.  Letting them know that someone believes in their future is a wonderful idea.