Programs that Help with Infant Development

Many programs are targeting at risk populations and providing early intervention and education services to prevent or offset later issues. Programs like Head Start and Early Head Start focus on school readiness and recognize that school readiness preparation actually begins before birth. Programs specifically addressing infant mental health and related issues are providing evidence based practices for assessment and early intervention services that can be modeled by states across the country.
Healthy Families America is a national program model started in 1992 and designed to help expectant and new parents. Participation is voluntarily and recipients receive home visiting and referral services. The goals of the Healthy Families program are:
• to promote positive parenting
• to enhance child health and development
• to prevent child abuse and neglect (Healthy Families America)
The Healthy Start Program promotes community based maternal and child health interventions with a particular focus on reducing infant mortality, low birth weight, and racial disparities in perinatal outcomes. Each Healthy Start project is mandated to develop a local consortium composed of neighborhood residents, medical providers, social service agencies, faith-based representatives and the business community. This consortium oversees the design and implementation of the local Healthy Start project (National Healthy Start Association).

In 1991, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funded 15 urban and rural sites in communities with infant mortality rates that were 1.5 - 2.5 times the national average to begin the Healthy Start Initiative. The program began with a five-year demonstration phase to identify and develop community-based systems approaches to reducing infant mortality by 50% over the five-year period and to improve the health and well-being of women, infants, children and their families (National Healthy Start Association). The National Healthy Start Association (NHSA) now has a membership of over 100 federally funded Healthy Start projects.

Common principles underlying the Healthy Start program include:
• Innovations in service delivery
• Community commitment and involvement
• Personal responsibility demonstrated by expectant parents
• Integration of health and social services
• Multi-agency participation
• Increased access to care
• Public education

Healthy Start projects address multiple issues, including:
• Providing adequate prenatal care
• Promoting positive prenatal health behaviors
• Meeting basic health needs (nutrition, housing, psychosocial support)
• Reducing barriers to access
• Enabling client empowerment
(National Healthy Start Association)