The Florida State University Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy, under the leadership of Mimi Graham, Ed.D., has developed, copyrighted and widely distributed the Partners for a Healthy Baby curricular series. These guides were developed to help nurses, home visitors and other outreach staff help expectant families have and cope with a new baby to ensure a happy, healthy childhood.
Practical applications of research are integrated throughout the curricula in strategies families can use for promoting a healthy pregnancy,early bonding and nurturing relationships. The program also discusses caring for a new baby, nutrition, health and safety, recognizing early warning signs of health and developmental problems, and supporting and enriching the child’s development. Career development and financial issues are covered, too. Magazine-style handouts summarize critical points in each trimester of pregnancy and each month of the child’s development through the age of 3.
Topics include enriching family relationships, enhancing fatherhood, nurturing self-esteem, supporting early language and literacy development, childproofing the environment, choosing quality child care, providing appropriate guidance for young children, the importance of routines for young children and dealing with temper tantrums.
The purpose is to help home visitors effectively communicate these issues and help families provide the social, emotional, intellectual and physical support young children need to thrive.
The handouts reflect ethnically diverse families and are published in English and Spanish. Programs such as Early Head Start, Healthy Start and Healthy Families use the series, as do hospitals and school boards across the United States. Additional curricula focus on fatherhood and self-esteem. More information is at http://cpeip.fsu.edu/PHB
This story was originally published in 2006.
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