CHIP Outreach to New Moms
Imagine having a personal support system with your new babe when you come home from the hospital! NRCA’s Children’s Health Improvement Partnership (CHIP) can help with that.
CHIP Outreach Specialist, Shelby Kelley, meets new moms on-site at local hospitals to provide information about CHIP. Kelley noted, “CHIP has Family Educators and Registered Nurses that go into the home and help parents of young children take a proactive approach to their child’s health and development as well as their own health and family stability.”
Birthing center staff at Carilion New River Valley and Lewis Gale Montgomery contact Ms. Kelley when they feel a family could use the extra support and parent education. Ms. Kelley meets new parents at the hospital to provide an incredible array of information about CHIP and other programs, parenting, safe sleep, and other developmental information. Each kit includes a beautifully handcrafted baby blanket. There is no obligation after the hospital visit. Parents receive the information and gifts regardless if they enroll in CHIP just for letting us introduce them to the program.
Parents always receive a new book for the baby. Think a baby is too young to reap the rewards of reading? Think again. Research shows it’s never too early to start reading books to a little one. While a newborn doesn’t understand what you’re saying, they can still begin to pick up the rhythm, tones, and inflections of your voice. There is a direct link between how many words a baby hears each day and language skills. Research shows that the more words a baby is exposed to the better prepared he or she is to eventually start reading on his/her own.
CHIP continues to provide a book to each family at every home visit. That can be over 3,000 books each year. If interested in donating books to CHIP, contact our CHIP office at 540-394-3255.
CHIP isn’t just for baby, but for the whole family! CHIP empowers enrolled parents to become confident parents who act as advocates for their child at their most critical stages of development. CHIP’s family strengthening services increase family self-sufficiency, improves parenting skills and prepares children to enter kindergarten.
Enrolled families are encouraged to establish and attain goals, further parental education levels, work with their children to build literacy and reading skills, achieve appropriate developmental milestones and provide kindergarten preparedness. Family Educators also provide home safety assessments, refer families to community resources and provide essential transportation to maintain scheduled appointments. CHIP Nurses also ensure that children receive and complete recommended immunizations, well-child visits, lead screenings and developmental interventions by kindergarten entry.
Addressing child and parent challenges simultaneously strengthens families and places them on firmer ground. This gives children a more solid footing from the start, greatly improving their chances of charting a better course. CHIP supports children and families through a two-generation approach…changing lives two generations at a time.
CHIP partners with Giles Early Education Project to provide a bonus gift for new Giles eligible families. Tina Freudenberger provides a gorgeous quilt with the baby’s name embroidered on it. Eileen Bostic includes her crocheted newborn ensembles. Penny Livesay of Open Book donates THE NIGHT YOU WERE BORN book. All delivered by CHIP’s Shelby Kelley to Giles new parents.
