"A Stork Room (store of donated goods): Consider having a “price” for everything that the teens “buy” with “Baby Bucks” that they earn in various ways. This helps them learn that most things in life aren’t free and that they need to prioritize and save.
Included in this resource is suggested diaper prices, suggested Stork Room signs / rules, sample form for keeping track of Baby Bucks, ways to earn Baby Bucks and an overview of the Baby Bucks program in Utah from Nancy Denney.

We want teen parents to think about the concept of Empowering vs. Enabling. Having teens “earn” rewards and experience consequences has many life lessons! “You can give a man a fish and feed him for the day. Or you can teach him to fish and feed him for a lifetime.”

Determine ahead of time what would lead to someone losing Baby Bucks. For example, if a teen signs up for a ride to group and then isn’t there when their driver shows up, it might be a good idea to take baby bucks away from their account and communicate to the teen that the driver’s time and space in the car is valuable. Another example is giving a consequence for “sneaking” a sick baby into the nursery. The teens should be asked how they would feel if someone else brought a sick child and their baby got sick. It’s better for the whole group if that teen and baby stayed home that night... not to mention it’s better for the sick child’s recovery!

Suggestion: Teens need to make appointments for a visit to the Stork Room or other favors from staff a specific number of days prior (you set the number). There might be an emergency once, but if you let it become a pattern, they may expect you to “drop what you are doing” every time. This teaches respect for your time and planning ahead.