FAQ
"What is Baby Steps?"
Baby Steps empowers pregnant students at Auburn University to have their education and their babies by providing housing, support, and community.
"What is our mission?"
Baby Steps empowers pregnant and parenting students facing an unplanned pregnancy at Auburn University to have their education and their babies by providing housing, support and community.
"Where are we located?"
We are located in the historic district in the heart of Auburn, which is just a short walk away from campus. As we continue to fundraise for a permanent home, we are renting a house that enables Baby Steps to offer housing, support, and community to pregnant and parenting women at Auburn University.
"What do we provide?"
By helping the courageous women we have the privilege of serving, Baby Steps creates a space where they have the freedom to thrive. Baby Steps provides the following for pregnant and parenting students at Auburn University living in the Baby Steps home free of charge:
housing, food, tutoring, childcare, resources for education grants and scholarships, information on relevant topics (motherhood, child development, childbirth, nutrition, and many more), support, and community that will instill confidence in our moms’ abilities to be successful mothers, students, and college graduates
"What do we value?"
Baby Steps is designed to be a place of peace and security. It is our greatest desire to see young women thrive. We are here to offer the support needed for the women we serve to become successful and fulfilled in many areas of life. This will take hard work and dedication, and we are confident that together, we can do what is necessary to guide each woman towards a beautiful future for her and her child. Our house expectations are based on two values we believe will help us become the best versions of ourselves: authentic love and excellence. We desire to uphold a level of excellence in all areas of our lives because we want to help the women we serve live their best lives possible. We believe the most meaningful part of living a full life is to do so in the company of people who truly care, who put others well being before their own, and who have authentic love towards one another.
"What is a Live-in Support?"
A critical part of Baby Steps is our Live-in Support whose sole purpose is to provide an environment of friendship, encouragement, accountability, and hope. With this help, we believe those who live in the Baby Steps home will have a great opportunity to thrive.
“Do you offer services to moms who don’t live at Baby Steps and if so what?”
Yes! Only one of our three pillars is housing, which is offered to student-moms. The other two pillars - community and support - are integral to our mission. Baby Steps wants to be a space where ALL student-moms can gather and realize they aren’t alone - maybe for the very first time. We strive to achieve this by creating opportunities for authentic friendships, not just student-mom to student-mom but also through the friendship that exists through our Live-in Support and Resident Student Assistant. We host community events such as weekly community dinner monthly socials, and have created an open home environment that’s available for them whenever they’d like. We have a Bus Boutique where student-moms can receive amazing supplies that have been generously donated. We are constantly connecting student-moms to whatever resources they need to thrive. Our goal is to be a triage of support...a place where student-moms can come, be rejuvenated, and better equipped to face the world outside of Baby Steps.
“What is required for moms to live at Baby Steps?”
We expect a lot out of our resident student-moms, not to burden them with more trials, but to call them high and equip them to face the world outside of Baby Steps. In order to be a resident student-mom, she must be a full-time student at Auburn University between the age of 18 and 25. She must currently be pregnant or have only one dependent child. She is expected to maintain a 2.5+ GPA, attend at least three counseling sessions, be willing to have her child in a professional childcare facility while she’s in class, and abide by all other house guidelines and expectations.
"Are you a ministry?"
Baby Steps is a non-faith based nonprofit. Baby Steps stays away from any labels that can be seen as “political.”
This is a time in our world when a lot of people are divided for a lot of reasons. We don’t want to add to that division in any way, so Baby Steps steers clear of putting ourselves in any boxes that might cause people to think we have intentions other than empowering student-moms to have their education and their babies.
We’re proud to be an organization that can bring people together who while potentially having many different opinions and views, can say as a collective voice, “We stand behind student-moms pursuing their education.”
If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to reach out to us at thrive@baby-steps.org
CONTACT US
we would love to hear from you.
|
Email
thrive@babysteps.org |
Phone
(344) 521-2184 |
Mailing
PO Box 713 Auburn, AL 36831 |
If you or someone you know is a student and finds themselves in an unplanned pregnancy or is a student- mom, please call or text 334.521.2184. We are here for you!
