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 The
effort to organize neighborhood "Circles of Caring" started
with funding in 1996 from the Carnegie Corporation of New York,
which selected Boston as one of twelve "Starting Point"
sites to promote the health and well-being of children birth to
three. The City of Boston along with Partners Health Care and Brigham
and Women's Hospital provided matching funds for FNC to pilot a family
support system for families with young children in Dorchester.
In 1997, the Massachusetts Department of Education awarded FNC's
Boston partnership a "Family Network" grant that allowed
us to develop "Welcome Baby" as an outreach
strategy for reaching parents with new babies, as well as spread
organizing activities beyond Dorchester and expand Boston's Family
Network into Allston-Brighton.
Later, through a partnership with Reach
Out and Read, FNC was awarded funds from the Mabel Louise Riley
Foundation to enhance Welcome Baby by adding a literacy promotion
component.
Welcome Baby celebrates the birth of a baby, providing the family
of the newborn with a beautiful basket full of gifts as well as
valuable parenting information, safety items for the home, books
to promote early literacy, and a community resource directory to
link them to a variety of community supports. The program supports
new parents at a critical time in their family's development, increasing
their knowledge about what to expect and where to go for help, and
links them to needed neighborhood resources.
In addition, Welcome Baby revitalizes neighborhoods by involving
organizations, businesses, and caring individuals in gathering donated
items, assembling gift baskets, and decorating cards to welcome
the new baby. This strategy of involving the community-at-large
works well and allows seniors, school aged children, and others
to be a part of creating the 'village' that will raise healthy children.
FNC began working with Dorchester
CARES in 1997 to develop and pilot the Welcome Baby Home Visiting
Program. Together, we worked with neighborhood residents and other
community partners to define and develop this innovative outreach
strategy to parents of newborns in targeted Dorchester neighborhoods.
Over the years, we have worked together to develop and expand the
program to serve all Dorchester families who have newborns and currently,
through the Dorchester CARES coordinating staff and homevisiting
team, families from a variety of ethnic and cultural groups receive
Welcome Baby visits and get linked to many community programs and
resources.
Beginning in 1999, FNC began working in other Boston neighborhoods
to spread the lessons learned and successes of the Welcome Baby
program. Over the past several years, FNC has worked with Roslindale
and Allston-Brighton community partners to spread this unique and
valuable program to families with newborns in these two target neighborhoods.
Welcome Baby has served as a model family support, home visiting,
and literacy promotion project for many groups across the state.
See how you can GET INVOLVED in
helping to promote healthy children and family literacy.
The Family Nurturing Center also works with Dorchester neighborhood
organizations and parents to provide:
- Nurturing Program training
and consultation
- Infant Massage Instruction
- Parent/Child Playgroups
- Fatherhood Advocacy
- Trainings for professionals
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