This book has been created especially for young people in Aotearoa New Zealand , who are parents or who are about to become parents. People who are involved with, or who support young parents, may also find this booklet useful. Being a parent is a huge challenge no matter what your age or circumstances. However when you are young it's often challenging in different ways. Young parents need information they can relate to. The more relevant information you have, the better equipped you are to direct your life, make the decisions you need to make & get on with the job of being the best parent you can be. This book is a way of offering information & ideas to young parents. Young parents have shared their ideas & opinions on what they felt should be included in the book. With these as a guide, information was gathered from a variety of people & sources. More information can be found on the resources page or from the organisations referred to in this book.
	We welcome your ideas, opinions and questions. You can contact us at youngparent@womenz.org.nz Young Parent Project, P.O. Box 78-271, Grey Lynn, Auckland. The following agencies have financially contributed to the development and production of this book: