This summer at Children’s Friend, we celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Nurse-Family Partnership program, serving pregnant first-time mothers. This nationally recognized model has more than four decades of research that consistently proves that Nurse-Family Partnership succeeds at its most important goals: keeping children healthy and safe and improving the lives of moms and babies.
On July 18th, 2010, we began to implement the evidence-based nurse home visiting program with a goal of reaching 100 families in Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls. One of our 1st graduates from the program was a refugee who spent two years engaged, learning everything about living in her new country. She graduated high school, learned the English language, and had a healthy baby.
As the 10 years have progressed, we have seen young women follow their dreams and achieve their goals. Some have gone to college, others got married, and some went on to technical careers. They have transformed their lives and have created better futures for their children.
We have worked with school systems, doing visits at the local high schools to keep young women motivated in school. We have helped young girls obtain life skills and provided education regarding their health and their child’s health and development. We have taught young women to advocate for themselves and to navigate state systems. We have been privileged to service these young women, understanding their life experiences while giving them the opportunity to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
The Nurse-Family Partnership program truly changes the lives of young women. The program has given the nurses and me the opportunity to live the mission of Children’s Friend, helping the most vulnerable children and families.
We are now a state-wide program, serving almost 200 families at any given time and have doubled the size of our original team.
Congratulations to everyone who worked to make our dream of expansion a reality and thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years.
Maria Chionchio RN, BSN
Nurse-Family Partnership Manager