Teens and women who are pregnant or already have a family will now have additional support through the Pregnancy Assistance Fund.

Under the Affordable Care Act, the Pregnancy Assistance Fund will offer 25 grants worth $500,000 to $2 million a year to states who apply for the assistance. Funds totaling $25 million will be available each year.

States can use the funds to help provide services that will assist young parents earn high school or collegiate degrees and improve access to health and child care programs.

"The opportunity created by the Affordable Care Act will provide states and tribes needed assistance to support vulnerable teens and women who are pregnant and parenting," said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "The Pregnancy Assistance Fund provides states the opportunity to link these families to health, education, child care, and other supports that can help brighten the futures of parents and their children."

The teen birth rate is on the rise, making the need to fund programs for young parents crucial. The Centers for Disease Control report that there was a 3 percent increase in the birth rate for teenagers 15 to 19 years old in 2006.