Nurse Visits Focus on Early Childhood Development

Shimiria Bennett feels confident raising her daughter Jahari, thanks to the help she's received from a visiting nurse through the Nurse-Family Partnership.

To help improve the health, well-being and self sufficiency of low-income, first-time mothers and their children, The Duke Endowment is partnering with other private and public funders in a $42 million, seven-year effort to expand the Nurse-Family Partnership program in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Challenge

Successful early childhood development requires many facets of care: physical health and nutrition, mental stimulation and brain development, and a nurturing environment with stable parents. For low-income, first-time mothers, meeting all of the needs of a baby as it grows to school age can be an enormous challenge. Failure to meet those needs puts the younger generation at great risk. While many programs address some of the issues facing this population, few provide an effective, comprehensive approach with measurable results.

Response

Nurse-Family Partnership is a nonprofit, evidence-based, nurse home visiting program that improves the health, well-being and self-sufficiency of low-income, first-time parents and their children. From its national office in Denver, Colo., Nurse-Family Partnership works closely with "implementing agencies" at the state and local level to deliver a consistent, proven model for successful early childhood development.

Through the program, first-time mothers meet with a registered nurse early in pregnancy and regular nurse home visits continue through the child's second birthday.

Nurse-Family Partnership Goals

Improve pregnancy outcomes by helping women engage in preventive health practices, including obtaining thorough prenatal care from their healthcare providers, improving their diet, and reducing their use of cigarettes, alcohol and illegal substances;
Improve child health and development by helping parents provide responsible and competent care
Improve economic self-sufficiency by helping parents develop a vision for their future, plan future pregnancies, continue their education and find work.

While nurses target new mothers for home visits, they welcome the participation of fathers, and often help both parents improve their skills in money and debt management, communication, problem solving and decision making.

Expanding Nurse-Family Partnership in North Carolina and South Carolina

The Duke Endowment's Health Care and Child Care program areas are partnering with the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, The North Carolina Partnership for Children and Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina to expand the Nurse-Family Partnership program in North Carolina.

While one site was operating in Guilford County before this initiative, since July 2008 the program has grown to serve Buncombe; Cleveland; Mecklenburg; Pitt; Robeson; Rutherford, Polk and McDowell; and Wake counties.

In 2009, the program was launched in South Carolina, and serves Anderson; Berkeley; Charleston; Colleton; Dorchester; Georgetown and Horry; Greenville; Lexington and Richland; and Spartanburg counties. In addition to The Duke Endowment, funding partners include Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina Foundation, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness, The Children's Trust Fund of South Carolina, and the Administration for Children and Families.