Julia Potter, Nurse Home Visitor said: “We were so pleased to have several more families join us this year. It was a fun evening, watching the children meet other children their age and seeing how much the children had changed. NFP works with our moms for an average of two and a half years, meaning that a very special bond can be formed which makes reunions of this type very emotional for everyone. It is wonderful to see how far these young families have come.”
The event was held at the Third Ward Playground in Towanda and had a theme of ‘kindergarten readiness.’ As well as enjoying a meal together and fun for the children on the playground, participants learned tips on how to prepare their child for kindergarten and more importantly how parents can prepare themselves for the their child’s transition into kindergarten. All of the parents received resources and the children were given a writing book, compliments of Bradford-Tioga Head Start.
Nurse-Family Partnership is an evidence-based nurse home visitation program for first-time mothers. This is a voluntary program for any first-time mother who is income eligible, as long as they enroll prior to 28 weeks gestation. These pregnant women are then partnered with a Registered Nurse who provides support, education and counseling on health, infant development and self-sufficiency.
The program goals are to improve pregnancy outcomes, improve the child’s health and development and to improve the mother’s economic self-sufficiency. When an enrolled mother’s child reaches their 2nd birthday, then the mother and child “graduate” from the NFP program. In 2014-2015 NFP graduated 22 clients from the program.
For information about NFP at Guthrie Towanda Memorial Hospital or to find out if you may be eligible to take part, contact Desiree Rockwell, (570) 268-2518 or desiree.rockwell@memorialhospital.org.