Create Brighter Futures For Babies
Each year hundreds of children in Kitsap County are born to first-time parents experiencing social and economic barriers to health and wellness. This is why Healthy Start Kitsap provides support for Kitsap County's Nurse-Family Partnership, an evidence-based program that succeeds by having specially educated nurses (including a bilingual English/Spanish nurse) regularly visit first-time mothers at home and in the community, from early pregnancy through the child's second birthday.
These new parents benefit by getting specialized care and support during pregnancy and their nurse becomes a trusted source on everything from child safety to taking steps to provide a stable, secure future for their family. Through gained skills, confidence and hope, these young parents are empowered to successfu parent, become economically independent and create the lives they want for themselves and their children. Through this partnership with families, NFP results show 48% less likelihood to suffer child abuse and neglect and children 67% less likely to experience behavioral and intellectual problems at age 6. Your support of Healthy Start Kitsap makes you a partner in positively changing the lives of children in our community.
A Nurse-Family Partnership
Jessie knew that she wanted something different for her child than what she'd experienced growing up in a home filled with aggression and domestic violence, which resulted in her struggles with ongoing fear, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Jessie's biggest hope was for her child to grow up in a loving and supportive environment, where feelings were considered normal and allowed to be expressed in a safe way. At the end of the program, after partnering with her nurse in regular visits over the last 2 ½ years, Jessie shared, “I felt relief after our first meeting. I knew I would have someone to explore all the many new things to learn. I realized I wasn’t going to be alone in exploring how to parent, how to support consistent positive behaviors, and how to set boundaries to protect my child.” With greater confidence in her parenting and feeling more prepared for the journey ahead, when asked what she hoped for her little one’s future, Jessie noted, “a sense of safety, feeling loved, valued and heard". For herself, “to feel valued, respected and to have stability”.