GENEVA - The average age of a girl admitted to the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Geneva is 16. Some of the girls are pregnant; some already are mothers.

In the past, whenever their children visited, the young mothers had to meet them in a front office visiting area. There was no privacy. The office was not baby friendly.

Cortney Lichti, a youth counselor at the center, said no one was available to help with parenting and the mothers' frustration in coping with their babies and tots was apparent. "It wasn't a very good situation for closeness or bonding," Lichti said.

About three years ago, Lichti, administrator Dan Scarborough and chemical dependency counselor Jane Beethe intervened. With the goal of building bonds between mother and child, the Mothers and Babies program was launched.

The program, based in part on the mother and child program at the women's prison in York, is not mandatory for pregnant girls or those who are mothers.

"It's an extra. Everyone (who has participated) has chosen to be involved, and that is good. Well over 55 have been involved in the program so far," Lichti said.

Numbers in the program fluctuate as girls enter treatment and are released. In February, there were nine in the program. In March, seven were enrolled - six who have children and one who is pregnant.

The young mothers, their children and society reap the benefits, say program officials.

Early bonding helps a mother be more invested in her child and take better care of him or her, said Lichti. That strengthened bond reduces the chance the child will be emotionally or physically abused and ultimately stems costs to the public, said Lichti.

Scarborough said he was not aware of any other juvenile correctional facility in the country with such a program.

One mother, Jasmine (YRTC insisted on pseudonyms since most of the girls are juveniles), is 18 and was committed to YRTC for criminal mischief. She said she was reluctant to sign up for the Mothers and Babies program because others who had been in the program said they didn't think she'd like it.

But Jasmine says she was pleasantly surprised. Now, Jasmine talks up the program.

Jasmine said she learned what to do when her daughter, now 2, gets sick. Before, she said, she probably would have taken her to the emergency room even if she had only a cough.

"We did like a big section on protecting kids, like with strangers, abusers and molesters," she said.

Sara (also a pseudonym), is also 18. She landed in Geneva after violating her probation. Sara has a 2-year-old daughter who stays with Sara's grandparents.

In a telephone interview, Sara said her favorite thing is seeing her daughter twice a week, she said.

Sara describes visiting days: "I play with her. I watch her play. I read books with her. I eat with her and change her diaper."

Nancy (also not her real name) is 17. A third-degree assault charge sent her to YRTC. Her 2-year-old son stays with a foster parent.

When her son visits, she reads books to him and they play with toys. She's learned about baby safety, such as car seats, about SIDS, child abuse and more.

Children's visits used to be sporadic.

Now the children are there two to four times a week for three-hour or longer visits.

A building on the campus was refashioned from floor to ceiling for the visits. One area of the building has a child's bedroom, bathroom - including a tub for mothers to bathe their babies - and kitchen.

In another area are Lichti's office and a teaching center where the girls receive instruction ranging from pre- and post-natal care to parenting topics such as child development, nutrition and safety, even scrapbooking.

On-campus group meetings are arranged to avoid conflicts with the girls' full-time schooling. The meetings, sometimes featuring a speaker, touch on such topics as toddler discipline, potty training and how domestic violence affects the child.

Lamaze training, along with information on pregnancy, labor and delivery, is available at the Geneva hospital to girls who are pregnant.

Occasional off-campus excursions are planned, such as to a petting zoo.

Pre- and post-testing gauges the mothers' knowledge of children and parenting and how the girls feel about their competency, Lichti said.

The tests also help the staff assess whether they are offering the right services, Scarborough said.

After they leave Geneva, some of the young women call or write and send pictures, Lichti said. Some come back - just to visit - and bring their children with them, the counselor said.

Lichti said she takes satisfaction in the successes and hopes that something the girls learned or something she said will help them overcome their troubled situations.

Reach Joanie Cradick at dc34702@alltel.net.