Project Self-Sufficiency expands Nurse-Family Partnership program to include experienced mothers
NEWTON, N.J. (Sussex County) — Project Self-Sufficiency announced that its Nurse-Family Partnership home visitation program — long recognized for helping first-time mothers — is now available to experienced mothers as well.
Under the program, eligible mothers of all ages are paired with a registered nurse who visits them at home during pregnancy and continues through the child’s second birthday. During these visits, nurses provide support, education, and counseling on health, behavioral, and self-sufficiency topics, while also delivering food, diapers, clothing, and other essential resources for children.
The Nurse-Family Partnership was founded on the pioneering work of Dr. David Olds, professor of pediatrics, psychiatry, and preventive medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver, who sought to help young families get a better start in life. After extensive testing, the voluntary program officially launched in 1996 and now serves more than 54,000 families annually across the U.S., the Virgin Islands, and tribal communities.
Project Self-Sufficiency, based in northwestern New Jersey, operates three home visitation programs for young mothers and is the first agency in the state authorized to expand the Nurse-Family Partnership to experienced moms.
“Our goal is to improve pregnancy outcomes, and to assist parents with improving early childhood development, while helping the family to move towards economic self-sufficiency,” said Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of Project Self-Sufficiency. “The Nurse Family Partnership program has been proven to prevent maternal health issues and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect, and we are delighted to be able to offer this ground-breaking program to more families. All the home visitation programs offered by Project Self-Sufficiency are designed to empower mothers to be the best parents they can be.”
The Nurse-Family Partnership is one of the most rigorously tested programs of its kind. Studies show that participating mothers and children experience improved prenatal health, fewer subsequent pregnancies, higher maternal employment, better school readiness for children, and reductions in child abuse, neglect, and injury.
For more information or to enroll in the program, call 973-940-3500 or visit www.projectselfsufficiency.org.
