New-parent program at SFCC gets infusion of $400,000

Foundation grant will help expand training at First Born Home Visiting sites statewide

A statewide program for new parents that is based at Santa Fe Community College has received a $400,000 grant from the nonprofit W.K. Kellogg Foundation to help expand its reach over the next two years.

First Born Home Visiting, established more than 20 years ago in Grant County to provide support, coaching and medical screening services for pregnant mothers and families with new babies and children up to age 3, became headquartered at the community college’s Early Childhood Center of Excellence nearly a year ago. It is part of what is now a broader initiative to improve child well-being in a state that has consistently ranked last in recent years when it comes to economic and education measures.

The state has sharply increased investments in home-visiting programs since 2013, from about $2 million to more than $20 million in fiscal year 2019. The proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes another $2 million to continue expanding home-visiting programs.

First Born now offers services in 20 counties, 10 pueblos and the Navajo Nation. With the Kellogg Foundation funding, the college says in a news release, it will be able to offer additional training and technical assistance for established First Born sites and startups statewide.

“We have really low outcomes for children,” said Jennifer Duran-Sallee, director of the Early Childhood Center at SFCC. “It’s really important for us to have a huge preventative arm. If you can help a new mother, a new father, we will be able to change the outcome of the child for their entire life.”

The grant comes at a critical time, Duran-Sallee said, when the program has just expanded into three new counties. The money will help support those who are passionate about improving childhood development, she said, and provide an “ability for people to move forward in the workforce.”

Part of the First Born model is to provide in-state worker training, which makes the

program more cost-effective, she said, adding that sending someone out of state for training in home-visiting work can cost up to $8,000.

In addition to increasing the health and wellness of women who are pregnant for the first time, First Born offers resources for new parents, including those adopting their first baby.

Once an infant is born, Duran-Sallee said, First Born continues to assist parents in maintaining “skills they may not feel comfortable with,” such as breastfeeding, and it offers a safe space to ask questions about child development and parenting. Workers in the program, who include medical professionals, provide health and developmental screenings, referrals for a range of services, education about building nurturing relationships with babies and toddlers, and information about child safety.

First Born’s approach is a “proven success,” Lt. Gov. Howie Morales said in the news release.

“Coaching first-time parents to do better on all the complex issues of their children’s wellbeing really works. Our families and communities will be stronger as result of this grant,” Morales said.

For Duran-Sallee, one of the most noteworthy of First Born’s efforts is its service to pregnant women with depression. She called the issue her “heart of hearts … the reason I do the work I do.”

Helping a depressed mom, by providing resources such as therapy and education, can “impact the child forever,” she said.

Data from a 2018 First Born report shows 98 percent of families with First Born services were free of child abuse and neglect, 95 percent of pregnancies were drug-free and 100 percent of families felt more confident about raising their children because of the program.

“Once we invest money, by increasing how may families we serve on a state level, First Born will continue to grow,” DuranSallee said. “We are really excited and extremely grateful.”