With babies smiling and playing everywhere, unaware of the extreme stress occurring in the surrounding classrooms, the TAPP program really is a magical place. But not just for these reasons— it’s a valuable resource for South’s teen parents. TAPP is South’s childcare and education center for student parents and their children.

TAPP provides many services for teens and their children alike. In addition to childcare during the school day, parents can also take classes about how to best take care of their kids, as well as anything else the program might be able to do for them. TAPP’s mothers seem to all agree that the program is an important resource, and a very good part of the school.

TAPP is especially important because having a child is very difficult, in particular during high school. A mother’s schedule is very dependent on her baby’s. “I can’t do things when I need to do them, I do them when [Jordyn] lets me do them. If she’s hungry, I feed her first, I put her to sleep first, before I can do things for myself, like my homework,” said senior Mariah Marshall, whose five-month old daughter, Jordyn, is a part of TAPP. TAPP helps by providing childcare during school, though mothers can visit any time they feel the need to.

However, despite its hardships and negative stereotypes, having a baby can be a very positive experience. “At first, I was … a loner, and didn’t do anything, and I was depressed,” said Jones. “After I had [Annabelle], she made me happy, and now I get to meet new moms and hang out with them.” TAPP is very much a community, with support from many different sides.

“It’s a pretty amazing program,” said Marshall. “I like the feeling of it. I know she’s ok in there, so that makes me feel really nice … knowing who she’s with and where she is.”

“I like how they’re interactive with the babies,” explained sophomore Julia Jones. She and her 11-week-old daughter, Annabelle, joined TAPP a few weeks ago. “[The teachers] can teach them stuff even when [mothers] are not here, like doing tummy time and spending time with each other, and having the kids interacting with each other,” said Jones. Tummy time is when young babies lie on their stomachs, which encourages them to raise their head and develop stronger neck muscles.

“I love all the staff there,” said junior Isbeth Saldana, whose 3-year-old Hailey has been in TAPP since 2012. “I like the fact that they understand us, pretty much everyone there does,” she continued.

The staff of TAPP have raving reviews from every single parent this reporter talked to, perhaps because of their incredible dedication to helping teen parents succeed in all aspects of life.

“If the moms have a need for anything, and there’s something we can help with, whether its housing … medical, transportation, whatever their issues may be outside of school …  we do everything we can to get them resources,” said Tanya Lovelace, the lead teacher at TAPP. “We’re here for them to succeed, and it’s all about helping them to succeed in life, and being better parents for their kids.”

Lovelace has been working in childcare for over 30 years, 15 of which have been spent in South’s TAPP room. To Lovelace, the best part of working in TAPP is simply “being with the moms and the kids, being able to help them. For me that’s what it’s about,” she said.

However, like most programs in public schools, TAPP has difficulties finding enough funding. “There’s never enough money to do everything we want to do,” commented Lovelace. “We have to come up with other resources.”

And like most classrooms in South, TAPP has no windows, and little outdoors access, something its teachers find detrimental. “We would love to have a window. We have a childcare center with no windows … and we have no outdoor playground,” Lovelace complained.

The room itself, with a capacity of 20 children, is small enough, though sometimes the kids play on the soccer field, nearby parks, or the dance studio. “But, you know, we learn to work with it, and we make the best of what we have,” said Lovelace optimistically.

Classes provided by TAPP focus on parenting skills. One day, the class Jones attends spoke about what the parents want to teach their children in the future. “ I want to teach [my daughter] to be a leader not a follower, and to be independent, and long term stuff like that,” Jones said.

Mainly, says Lovelace, TAPP’s goal is “development, literature, [and] helping to get [the kids] prepared for kindergarten.” Some of this starts even before the child is born. “A lot of the moms will read to their babies while they’re in the wombs, and thats where it starts.”

Lovelace gestured to Jones’s young daughter Annabelle, who was sitting with her mother a few feet away. “She doesn’t talk, [but] their little brains are like a sponge, and it’s taking it all in, and then eventually she’ll start making sounds and try to … copy the sound that she hears, and that’s the beginning of her vocabulary.” Lovelace went on to point out that childcare like this is much more than it seems. “People think, ‘oh, babysitting!’ There’s a whole lot more to it. It’s not a babysitting job,” she said.

Interest in TAPP and it’s services even spurred a documentary made by a handful of students for their VOICES class. Lucy Phiravanh, along with three of her classmates, directed the movie, called ‘Snap Clap TAPP,’ that was featured in the TC Daily Planet. “Our documentary was supposed to be about a social issue,” said Phiravanh, “and there are a lot of teen parents nowadays, so its a good resource.”

Phiravanh greatly praised TAPP’s services. “What they provide for the kids is wonderful. I went there on the holiday party, and all the parents got free diapers and gift cards and gifts. … They provide a lot for the mothers and the kids,” she said.