The McNabb Center’s Healthy Families East Tennessee program focuses on early childhood relational health to strengthen families in our community. From parent-child interaction groups and food bank access to home visitation and free diapers, the McNabb Center is making a lasting impact in the lives of children by providing one-on-one parenting training. Another benefit for parents who are eligible for receiving these free parenting sessions is they take place where they live.
This post is brought to you by McNabb Center and Amy Box Fellhoelter.
The benefit of seeing moms and dads in their own homes is “when we are in their environment, we learn a lot more about baby proofing and baby equipment, and things like food scarcity…it also puts them at ease to talk with us. McNabb Center shows individuals how to become better parents…it breaks the cycles of poverty, abuse and neglect,” added Stephanie Rollins, Services Coordinator of Healthy Families East Tennessee. “We make sure every family has a crib, or a safe place for their baby to sleep, a good car seat and dry diapers.” Home visits allow staff to notice if a child needs any early intervention or support services for a diagnosis.
If it is not possible to meet parents in their own homes because of safety reasons or lack of housing, staff members will meet them elsewhere like at a park or library. A nineteen-year-old who was pregnant and homeless became a client through a health department referral. “She had aged out of foster care and was living under the bridge. I met her there for home visits until I found her housing. She later began volunteering at Goodwill and works there now, and owns a car and a home, and is doing well,” shared Rollins.
Sometimes the need for services is generational. One mother who went through the program recognized it years later at a diaper give-a-way event in Oak Ridge and encouraged her two daughters to sign up. “She remembered the emotional support she received and how the curriculum taught her parenting tools as a new mother,” said Cindy Starr, Healthy Families Family Support Specialist for Loudon County. The mother’s oldest daughter, who learned about the McNabb Center services for her autistic child, shared it with her father because his partner was pregnant. They joined the program and she received referrals for extra assistance since she used a wheelchair.
“I remember one of our clients, William Large, would tell me that he never forgot when I came to his house because we always did something fun,” said Rollins. As one of the children served in Healthy Families, he has since graduated college, enlisted in the Navy and works as a recruiting officer in Georgia. Healthy Families staff introduces other programs of support to clients such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters, which Will became part of in 2009. Through that program, he was a Little Brother of Bob Kesling whose impact changed his life. William expressed his heartfelt gratitude toward Bob saying, “Without you, I don’t know where I would be today and I can never repay you for that.”
“We tailor the program toward them and we love that we can choose from several curriculums so each family is served based on the family’s needs,” said Rollins. McNabb Center staff also uses evidence-based tools to screen families for developmental delays, mental health issues and risk factors for child abuse and neglect.
The McNabb staff and client interactions are relationship-based and start weekly in the home. The program provides age-appropriate child development curriculum, activities to promote brain growth and development and positive parenting skills to create strong parent-child bonds. Starr states, “Early, nurturing relationships are the foundation for lifelong, healthy development.” Healthy Families supplies effective discipline techniques, kindergarten readiness education, resource referrals and strategies to increase home safety for children too.
The program creates parent groups and events in the community as well. “We do these groups because we want the moms to bond together and not feel alone on this journey. They come from different backgrounds, and different ages … some are raising their grandchildren, but together they form strong friendships,” adds Starr.
As part of Healthy Families America, this accredited program is for expectant parents and those who have a child three months old or younger. In addition to the child’s age, “One criteria is families have to be low income so a family resource specialist will take a family assessment and evaluate the family’s financial history,” said Rollins. The program remains free for military parents, teen moms, medically fragile children and families who meet certain risk factors. Once a family is eligible for the program, the McNabb Center provides services as needed until the child turns five years old or begins an educational program like preschool or kindergarten.
The McNabb Center’s Healthy Families program is the premier home visiting model for Prevent Child Abuse America. It employs 40 McNabb Center personnel who are currently helping 430 families in eleven counties.
To refer someone to Healthy Families, complete the referral form or on the McNabb Center website at: Healthy Families Request – The McNabb Center. To learn when the next diaper event is scheduled, or for more general information, call 865-329-5808, or visit mcnabbcenter.org or healthyfamiliesamerica.org.
We are now accepting toy donations for our Dear Santa program! This program collects toys, clothing and hygiene items for our clients, including those in the Healthy Families program, who have the greatest need and the least amount of resources. Dear Santa gifts fulfill the holiday wishes of our clients and their siblings! If you would like to donate items, sponsor a child’s wish list, host a toy drive, or buy from our Amazon toy wish lists, contact Amy Fellhoelter at (865) 637-9711 ext. 1155, email [email protected] or visit Dear Santa | Helen Ross McNabb Foundation
