A PLACE TEEN MOTHERS CAN TURN TO; CRIBS, OTHER ITEMS SOUGHT FOR PROGRAM.

Byline: Rizza Yap Daily News Staff Writer

For one very long day, Karina Garcia knew the fear of living on the edge.

In February, at age 15, the Sun Valley resident learned she was nearly four months pregnant. Unsure of how their families would handle the situation, Garcia and the baby's father, Gabriel Valles, began planning for a future on their own.

Garcia was a sophomore at Polytechnic High, and Valles was working part-time. The money in his recently opened savings account was not enough to rent a home. They ultimately decided their new family would have to start life in Valles' car.

Fortunately, when Garcia went home to pack her things, her parents asked her to stay and extended the invitation to Valles. Today, the two couples live in one household with 3-month-old Andres, a healthy boy who smiles at the sound of his name. Valles is now working full time, and he and Garcia plan to marry next year.

``She's very lucky,'' said Jill Myers, who in 1995 started the Pregnant Minors Program through the Los Angeles County Office of Education's New Directions School in Van Nuys.

``We've had girls so completely abandoned by their family and the father of the baby that they end up in the delivery room on their own. Some of them don't know where their next meal is going to come from,'' Myers said. ``Maybe 20 percent are living below the poverty line but are somehow making it.''

Garcia, now 16, enrolled in the New Directions School PMP in June. She was given a spot in the 30-student program, which usually carries a waiting list of about six names.

At New Directions, Garcia found a place that gave her support in academics - her grades have improved from C's to A's and B's - and her pregnancy. PMP offers a chance for pregnant teens to complete their high school curriculum in an independent study setting, while providing classes on prenatal care and parenting. The program includes teachers, interns, nurses and counselors who recognize that pregnant women - whatever their age - need extra attention and support.

About 99 percent of students in PMP complete the units they attempted, Myers said. Many have gone on to earn their high school diplomas and attend college or trade school. Garcia plans to go on to college and study social work.

Teens may enroll in the program while pregnant and are allowed to stay up to six months after their child is born. They also may take their children to the schools' family development center, where students take turns caring for the babies as part of their studies.

``This is why it works,'' Myers said of the center, sparingly equipped with a couch, a changing table, a walker and a few well-worn cribs and swings. ``After the baby comes, most girls stop going to school. Unless you provide a place where they can continue their education with their babies close by, they're going to drop out. Very few girls make it because it takes money and family support to take care of babies.''

The state-funded program Women, Infants and Children supplies students with a limited amount of infant formula. Other items - diapers, baby wipes, bottles, blankets, pacifiers and toys - must be provided by the mothers, although some cannot afford to even take care of themselves.

As part of the Daily News' annual Season of Sharing program, Garcia put aside wishes for herself and asked for a few more cribs, changing tables and rocking chairs for the PMP program.

Since 1990, Season of Sharing has generated nearly $200,000 for local charities, with thousands of readers donating money or merchandise to help make the holidays brighter for their less-than-fortunate neighbors. The program is administered by the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council, which operates a network of programs that deals with interfaith relations, multicultural education and social services. The Daily News receives none of the money.

``Since I started going here, I've changed for the better. I can say I go to school, I have an education. The way I see things now, I didn't lose my future just because I have a son,'' said Garcia, her boy wrapped up in a blanket, asleep in her arms. ``But there are people here that need a lot more support - emotionally and financially - than me.''

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PHOTO Karina Garcia and her son, Andres, were supported by New Directions teacher Jill Myers and counselor Terrance Johnson.

Bob Halvorsen/Daily News