HEALTHY START
Did you know that reading and singing to babies today helps them with learning to read in the future? Or that cuddling a newborn helps his or her brain to grow? There are lots of ways you can help your child be healthier, safer, and better prepared for a lifetime of learning.
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Get Great Support
Kent County Healthy Start gives mothers and fathers the support and encouragement they need. Our goal is to make sure you’re getting the most out of your child and your child the most out of life!
Receive encouragement from our parent coaches over the phone, or we can come to your home. Healthy Start also provides helpful brochures, online resources, and a survey known as the Ages and Stages Questionnaire to make sure your child is on-track and making good progress. Any parent in Kent County with a child under three months old is eligible to sign up for Healthy Start.
What Healthy Start Parents Are Saying
“I would recommend this program to anyone – even if you think you already “know it all.” Because, once that bundle of joy arrives, everything you “think” you know goes right out the window.”
“This program was helpful for me as a first-time mom since I had read all the books but still felt unprepared. It allowed me to ask questions of another mom and hear practical advice or feedback. It was also very convenient.”
“Wendy, my family support worker, has been a big help. I’m still wondering what would happen if she wasn’t my worker. I get a lot of help from her.”
A Lifetime of Results for Your Child
Healthy Start is about strengthening the bonds between parent and child. And it’s working. Last year:
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1,084 were families served
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98% of children surveyed by Healthy Start were on-target developmentally
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100% of parents reported improved understanding of parenting and development
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87% of children received their immunizations on time– outdoing the Kent County average of 77%
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Nearly 3,000 community referrals were made to families active in Healthy Start.
for our Healthy Start program as soon as your baby is born. It is free for families living in Kent County. For more information, please call (616) 454-HOPE (4673) or email healthystart@familyfutures.net.
Healthy Start is accredited by the national Healthy Families America association, meaning our program meets the necessary standards of their evidence-based home-visiting program model.
Support Healthy Start
Join us in providing great support to parents in Kent County by contributing to our Healthy Start program today. Your generous support will touch lives at a time when they need it most.
Volunteer
Volunteers are integral to building brighter futures here in Kent County. To find out more about our next training opportunity, please call (616) 454-HOPE (4673) or email healthystart@familyfutures.net
Partners
It takes an entire community to protect children and support families. Those helping us create a better future include:
- Arbor Circle Corporation
- Catholic Charities of West Michigan
Funding
Our funding is provided in part by:
- Kent County
- Network180
- United Way
- Amway Corporation
- Care Source Foundation
- Private Donations
- Michigan Department of Human Services