Family Center Home Visiting Program

The purpose of the project is to continue this intensive home visiting program. The overall goal is to provide strength-based family support to first time parents from the prenatal stage of pregnancy through the child’s third birthday. Our project supports parents in developing positive attachment relationships with their infants and toddlers along with enhancing family self-sufficiency: family coping skills and functioning, promotion of positive nurturing parenting skills, and parent-child relationship. First time parents are the focus of this program. In fact, home visitors prefer to begin meeting with families on a prenatal basis, giving the home visitor and parents plenty of time to build a solid relationship before baby comes. First time parents are more open to the curriculum and are eager to learn about their new baby. This home visiting program is evidenced-based and has three primary characteristics that make it successful:

1. Intensity: home visits take place weekly

2. Duration: home visitors visit the family during the prenatal stage whenever possible, and continue with home visits through age three to five, depending on the needs of the parents.

3. Curriculum: The Growing Great Kids (GGK) and Growing Great Families (GGF) curriculum is family friendly, strength based, and culturally appropriate for any culture.

The purpose of the Family Center Home Visiting Program is to provide first time parents support as they begin parenting. We believe that earlier is better. By providing a home visiting program for the youngest children in our community, we are able to address child development needs, safe homes, family stability, and support these families as their children grow.

The program has two primary goals.

1. Children and families are safe, nurtured and healthy. Expectant mothers receive appropriate prenatal care and families have a primary health care provider. In addition, children have on time immunizations and well-child checks. The home environment is safe, and parents do not use physical punishment to discipline their children.

Children arrive at school ready to learn. Prevention is the key to positive and healthy outcomes for children and their parents. Parents offer their children appropriate learning opportunities that encourage curiosity, language development, and social skills that set the stage for a successful student. Children having special needs are identified early. These children progress according to needs and early intervention. Many of these children may not require special services following early intervention.