Level Up Parenting helps single and teen moms

GREENSBORO, N.C. — A nonprofit in Greensboro is providing single and teen moms with support, community and free items.

The most recent U.S. Census Bureau stated there are almost 11 million single-parent households with 80% maintained by single mothers.

Kailyn Handy, like many high schoolers, was focused on homework and extracurricular activities, but her biggest assignment of all became her son, Kaymar, when she became pregnant at 16. Now 20, Handy is a junior at Winston-Salem State studying for her nursing degree.

“Even though I am a young mom, I still feel like I can be the best mom I can be,” Handy said.

She credits her success to the support she has received at home and from the community. She received a $1,000 scholarship for teen moms in Guilford County from Level Up Parenting.

“My counselors kept telling me, you can do something, you can get a scholarship,” Handy said.

Handy graduated high school with a 3.1 GPA and says getting this scholarship from Level Up Parenting made her feel seen.

The nonprofit was started by Tamica Hughes, someone who knows what it is like to be a single teen mom. Hughes is now a grandmother of five, but when she became pregnant at 15, she didn’t know what to do.

“Being pregnant at 15, you know, and in high school, not really knowing which way to go. He gave me the inspiration to keep going and finish strong,” Hughes said.

Hughes started Level Up Parenting in 2019, but it was shut down due to COVID-19. She still was able to give back to others, handing out 100 meals a day for 30 days with help from the community through grants and donations.

Level Up Parenting’s brick-and-mortar location opened its doors at the end of July through a grant from the City of Greensboro’s American Rescue Plan Fund. She has also received grants from Guilford County, the Cone Foundation and more to help Hughes give back to single moms.

“To know that you have impacted someone's life and made a difference in their life forever, and it will go on with their children and their children. So for me, it's just life-changing, and it just fills my life up,” Hughes said.

The nonprofit provides classes to mothers to help them navigate the challenges of parenthood, especially when doing it while young or alone. Mothers can also stop by every 30 days to shop in their free store to get diapers, garden plants, baby formula, toys, children's clothing and business clothing for interviews.

“My long-term goal is to have a transitional house. So if a single mom needed somewhere to stay, I’d have a place for them to stay,” Hughes said.

With the help Handy has received from Hughes, she hopes to give back to other teen moms in the future. And while she plays superheroes with her 3-year-old, Handy shows others that maybe not all super moms have to wear a cape.