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Lead: Teen parents learn from home visiting programs.
Synopsis
"The hardest thing is leaving my son in the morning when he is still sleeping." Wendy, 18, wants to finish high school and work in a law office; she also wants her seven month old son to be healthy and happy. Wendy lives in Boston with her mother, grandmother, brother and sister and is currently an active participant in a home visiting program. At least twice a month Wendy's home visitor (called her "advocate") comes to her home. During these visits, Wendy's advocate checks in to make sure that the baby is healthy and is up to date on immunizations and doctor's visits. The advocate also uses the visits to talk with Wendy about parenting techniques and issues, encourages her to provide appropriate stimulation for her child, and supplies her with appropriate books for her to read to him. An important goal of the home visits is to work with Wendy to develop her own skills and abilities as a parent.
The program seeks to be creative in engaging teens; for example, the program arranges to meet teen mothers at home, at a local restaurant or wherever they are comfortable. The parents and child can be visited until the child is three years old. Program director Fran Azara states that the goals of the program are to:
- ensure the child's adequate growth and development
- identify developmental delays early
- prevent child abuse and neglect by strengthening families
- foster good parenting skills.
Research shows that the early parental interaction shapes emotional development and learning abilities while also greatly influencing the development of the brain. The home visiting program is based on the belief that all parents should learn how to engage with their children in loving, positive manners to help their children reach their optimal development.
This makes sense to Maryanne Wolf, a neuro-psychologist. She states, "There is no more important time period than zero to three for development of critical language, cognitive, and emotion skills. Input from a child's environment provides a make or break situation for further development."
The home visiting program wants to support Wendy in her efforts to create a healthy and nurturing environment for her baby. Working with her home visitor, Wendy is learning how to interact with her baby and to solve problems on her own. The program encourages her to continue her education and avoid another pregnancy. It will also help her become an informed, effective parent. Wendy states, "If the baby is sick or I have questions, I call my advocate. She helps me figure out the answers."
Program
Martha Eliot Health Center
Women's Health Services
75 Bickford St.
Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA
(617) 971-2301
- Started in February, 1999, the Martha Eliot branch of Healthy Families provides home visiting services to first-time parents who are 19 and under.
- Participants may stay in the program for up to 3 years; during the first six months visits are weekly.
- The program is strictly voluntary and can be tailored to fit the needs of each parent.
- Program members are taught parenting skills with the goals of preventing child abuse/neglect and promoting healthy development and preventative care.
- Home visitors help parents develop problem solving skills and critical thinking to permit them to meet their families' needs.
- Home visitors must have a high school diploma, are heavily trained, and are recruited from the community.
Wendy Rias
(617) 522-4429
A teen mother involved in the program
Fran Azara
Director of Women's Health Services
Martha Eliot Health Center
(617) 971-2301
Martha Eliot Center is an organization that enacts the home-visiting program by delivering direct services to mothers and children.
Shereen Tyrrell
Children's Trust Fund
294 Washington Street, Suite 640
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 727-8957
Children's Trust Fund is responsible for the training of the advocates and for the evaluation of the home visiting program.
Expert Contact
Maryanne Wolf
Professor of Child Development
Tufts University
E-mail: mwolf@emerald.tufts.edu
She testified for the Children's Trust Fund to gain funding for the home visiting program. She has done research in the cognitive neurosciences focusing on children's reading and language development and disabilities.
Gretchen Biesecker
Research Coordinator
Children's Trust Fund
(617) 727-8957
Ms. Biesecker gathers and synthesizes research on home visiting and family support.
Background
Over 2.6 million cases of suspected child maltreatment were reported in 1991 in the U.S., and in the same year more than 4 children a day died from maltreatment. (Healthy Families America Fact Sheet. Distributed by the National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse. 322 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60604-4357. (312) 663-3520.)
Studies show that home visiting programs can work to prevent abuse and neglect in "high-risk" families up to 99.8 percent of the time. (O'Connell, R. D. (Summer, 1992). Healthy Beginnings. Caring, 20-24.)
The earlier the parents are educated and given support for the birth of their child the less likely the parents are to treat the child poorly. (Healthy Families America Fact Sheet. Distributed by the National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse. 322 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60604-4357. (312) 663-3520.)
For every $3 spent on prevention programs, the state saves at least $6 that might have been spent on child welfare services, special education services, medical care, foster care, counseling, and housing juvenile offenders. (Massachusetts Children's Trust Fund, representing Healthy Families Massachusetts. 294 Washington St., Boston, MA. (617) 727-8957; (800) 252-8403.)
Four year study on the Healthy Families Partnership, a home visiting program in Hampton, VA, show that: 94% of children in families participating in the program are up-to-date with immunizations compared with 48% of Hampton's children who did not participate; and the repeat pregnancy rate among teen parents who participated in the program is 8%, compared with the state rate of 30 %, and 36% among the Hampton teens who did not participate. (Healthy Families Partnership P.O. Box 69163 Hampton, VA 23669-9163. (800) 884-6481. http://www.iamyourchild.org.)
Home visiting can help to improve low birth weight in infants, can improve the mental and physical development of children with medical risks, and may even lead to decreased parental abuse. (Ramey, C. T., & Ramey, S. L. (Winter, 1993). Home visiting programs and the health and development of young children. The Future of Children, 3(3).)
Programs that work with new parents stand the greatest chance of success for several reasons:
- New parents are eager and excited to learn about caring for their babies.
- They model and support and positive parenting practices, before bad patterns are established.
- Most physical abuse and neglect occurs among young children under the age of two.
- Almost all child fatalities due to child maltreatment occur among children under the age of five, with approximately 44% occurring to infants under the age of one.
- The most important time for children to be immunized from childhood disease is during the first two years of life.
- The most critical brain development occurs during the first few years of life.
References
Healthy Families America Fact Sheet. Distributed by the National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse. 322 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60604-4357. (312) 663-3520.)
Healthy Families Partnership P.O. Box 69163 Hampton, VA 23669-9163.(800) 884-6481. http://www.iamyourchild.org.
Massachusetts Children's Trust Fund, representing Healthy Families Massachusetts. 294 Washington St., Boston, MA. (617) 727-8957; (800) 252-8403.
The National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families: Zero to Three. http://www.zerotothree.org
A national non-profit organization dedicated solely to advancing the healthy development of babies and young children. Information for parents and professionals.
O'Connell, R. D. (Summer, 1992). Healthy Beginnings. Caring, 20-24.
Ramey, C. T., & Ramey, S. L. (Winter, 1993). Home visiting programs and the health and development of young children. The Future of Children, 3(3).)
The Reiner Foundation "I Am Your Child campaign" http://www.iamyourchild.org
The Reiner Foundation seeks to educate the public about the critical importance of the early years of life.
"Why is Healthy Families America Needed?" (1996) Distributed by National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse. 200 South Michigan Avenue, Seventeenth Floor, Chicago, IL 60604-4357 (312) 663-3520; (312) 939-8962, http://www.childabuse.org.
Related Coverage
Bartley, S., & Tyrrell, S. (April 23, 1997). How we can make life better for Massachusetts newborns. The Boston Globe.
Hart, J. (May 30, 1997). Home visiting bill gets wide range of support. The Boston Globe.
Compiled by:
Julie MacDonald
Web Development Team
Tufts University ©1999 All rights reserved.