ELECT Help for Pregnant and Parenting Teens in Berks County

ELECT helps students stay in school, keep up their attendance, finish a high school diploma or high school equivalency (HSE) certificate, line up work, school or training after graduation, and grow as parents. Support comes through a combination of group and one on one sessions and home visits. It includes pregnancy prevention information, guidance and services to reduce the chance of a second pregnancy, support for healthy parental relationships, and strategies to encourage fathers to play a significant role in their children's lives.

To qualify under the state rules, a young person must be attending an educational entity or High School Equivalency program approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and be either an expectant mother or custodial young parent already receiving TANF benefits, or an expectant mother or custodial or non-custodial parent who does not receive TANF and whose own monthly earned income is no more than 235 percent of the Federal Poverty Income Guideline. The income test looks at the young parent's personal earned income, not the whole household's. The state page is not consistent about age: it describes the program as serving pregnant and parenting youth under 22 years of age, while the eligibility list says youth must be under the age of 25. Ask the Berks ELECT office which limit applies to you.

Students reach ELECT through a referral. The BCIU uses an online ELECT (Pregnant and Parenting Teen/ Teen Fatherhood) Referral form, filled out by the referring agency or person, such as a school counselor or caseworker. The form asks for the referring person's name, role, email and phone; the student's name and grade; the student's school district and school building; date of birth, address, phone or email; the family's language preference, English or Spanish; whether the student is pregnant or parenting; and the date of the last positive pregnancy test if the student is pregnant. The student must give consent to release this information, and the referring agency is asked to read the consent with the student or caregiver before checking the box. The information goes to the BCIU ELECT case managers.

Questions about the program or about completing the referral go to the Berks IU ELECT office at 1111 Commons Blvd., PO Box 16050, Reading, PA 19612, by phone at 610-987-8627 or by email at bciuelect@berksiu.org. The ELECT supervisory team can also be reached directly: Jenni Reinhold, ELECT Supervisor, jenrei@berksiu.org or 610-987-8627, and Sara George, BCIU Assistant Director of Student Services, sargeo@berksiu.org or 610-987-8656.

The program is free. The sources do not list office hours or how long it takes after a referral to hear back.

Source: berksiu.org/page/pregnant-parenting-teen-services, read October 26, 2026.

The details

In Berks County Intermediate Unit’s words

Responding to the specific needs of pregnant and parenting youth in Berks County Schools, BCIU's ELECT Program provides free services and support to help teen parents thrive.

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