What is the Purpose of HealthConnect In The Early Years?

Pregnancy and preparing for the birth of a baby is an important and special time. Raising a healthy baby can be special, but challenging. HealthConnect In The Early Years will promote healthy pregnancies, optimal child development, and get families off to the best possible start.

How can families benefit from the HealthConnect In The Early Years Program?

HealthConnect In The Early Years will help families cope with the challenges of a new baby and establish a healthy foundation for the future by:

• Facilitating access to health services and medical providers
• Identifying post partum depression
• Administering child development screenings
• Parenting skills development

What services does HealthConnect In The Early Years Provide?

Services will be tailored to meet the needs of each individual family. Family Coaches will visit families on a regular basis and provide them with information and education on:

• Infant and toddler nutrition and health
• Infant and Child development
• Breastfeeding education and support
• Discipline
• Injury Prevention and safety

What is a Family Coach?

Family Coaches are professionals trained to provide health education, promotion and support to first-time moms, expectant teens and their children. Offering free prenatal and postnatal home visits, Family Coaches help ensure families have the knowledge and support necessary to have the best possible health and development outcomes.

How do home visits work?

The Family Coach will schedule each home visit according to the family’s needs, ensuring home visits are sensitive to the family’s schedule and respectful of their routines.

Prenatal home visits will include:

• Helping the family establish a medical home
• Providing prenatal care information, education and support

Newborn home visits will include:

• Basic Baby Care
• Immunizations
• Family Planning
• Breastfeeding
• Safety
• Staying healthy

Ongoing home visits will include:

• Child health and developmental screening
• Family support
• Home safety
• Parenting education
• Screening for maternal depression