Teen Moms Inc.: Helping young mothers navigate life

YOUNG VOICES |

Article and photos by Isaac Gonzalez-Diaz

Born and raised in Salinas, Carol Edeza was 14 when she got pregnant for the first time, and 15 when she gave birth to her son. It was a challenging time in her life that made her see there was a need for services in Monterey County for teen moms.

Fast forward 26 years, and Edeza, 40, decided to establish Teen Moms Inc. 

“There were a lot of experiences that I had,” said Edeza. “I was able to work in a nonprofit field and local government, and I see that there was a need for these services for young moms, specifically those who are in juvenile hall.”

Carol’s determination for a better life and for an opportunity through a young employment program while she was incarcerated inspired her to begin a career in the nonprofit industry and local government.

Edeza did all the paperwork needed to start the nonprofit and applied to a “Shark Tank” pitch program at Colorado Springs.

“I had three interviews,” said Edeza. “I made the final, where I got invited to come to the actual pitch and it was a chance to win $10,000 to help you get your nonprofit up and running. So I won the $10,000.”

Between 2021 and 2023, Monterey County had 17 babies born for each 1,000 girls aged 15-19 — the highest rate in California and the United States. Teen Moms launched in May 2025, and it’s dedicated to giving stability to pregnant women and young moms ages 18 to 24. To date it has served 67 young moms in Monterey County. Edeza plans to start serving young dads next. 

Teen Moms Inc. provides mentorship support in one-to-one monthly meetings, where moms are supported with community resources and baby products such as diapers, baby wipes, food and clothing. Health products for the mothers such as face cream, shampoo and conditioners are given, too.

Mariana G., a 17-year-old mom and student at El Puente in Salinas, explained how the services provided in Teen Moms Inc. helped through her journey as a single mom.

“It has changed my life because they support us and teach us things we don’t know, and also to take care of our mental health,” Mariana said. “They give us diapers so we don’t have to spend from our money.”

Teen Moms Inc. promotes its services through word of mouth and social media. Undocumented teen moms are also eligible to be part of the organization. The requirements to receive the services are to provide an ID and a proof of pregnancy or a birth certificate. 

 As long as everything checks out, Edeza said, “I tell them: ‘OK, you can come. This is the address, we’ll see you then.’” 

Teen Moms Inc. supports its clients with housing assistance. Edeza has a five-year plan to get a four- or five-bedroom home and support teen moms with housing and a safe, healthy environment.

“The goal is to provide housing and child care within the same home,” said Edeza. “The child care is provided there.” 

One of the core values of Teen Moms Inc. is community engagement, which helped Edeza grow personally and professionally. The goal is to inspire the teen moms to engage and serve others. 

“I incorporated that into our core values, where our moms are being exposed to community engagement, community activities, so that is something we are working on,” said Edeza. “Hopefully it’ll be like me one day. They’re gonna be like ‘Wow, I’m gonna do my own nonprofit’ or ‘I’m working in government now because I started in this teen moms program that helped me.’”

One of the biggest outcomes of Teen Moms Inc. has been the social and emotional impact on the moms after their mentoring meetings.

“The importance of having a safe place like that one, where other people totally understand that feeling and we just let you be. So I think that’s been one of the biggest impacts,” Edeza said.

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