Pregnant Women and New Parents Can Get Help at Project Self-Sufficiency

 

Parents of infants and toddlers, or those who are pregnant with their first child, are invited to receive advice and support from a certified nurse or family support worker through Project Self-Sufficiency.  The agency offers a range of family support programs to income-eligible families in Sussex, Warren, and Hunterdon counties.  The programs are free, voluntary, and confidential.  Those who register and complete their first consultation can receive a $50 Shop Rite gift card. To find out more about the family support programs offered at Project Self-Sufficiency, call 973-940-3500 or visit www.projectselfsufficiency.org.

 

Participants in the agency’s family support programs receive free parenting tips, baby items, information about childhood health, childhood development assessments, and other topics from certified nurses or family support workers.  The programs combine one-on-one discussions with educational outings for mothers and children to help parents boost literacy levels, address health issues, and help prevent potential developmental delays.  Women who are pregnant or parenting infants, as well as those with children up to the age of five are eligible. 

 

Three different family support programs are offered by Project Self-Sufficiency; placement in each program is dependent on the client’s location, pregnancy, and other factors.  The Healthy Families program is open to at-risk single parents, teen parents, and two-parent families.  Services are offered during pregnancy and are available until children are three years of age in Sussex and Northern Warren Counties.  The Nurse Family Partnership® program at Project Self-Sufficiency offers home visits to pregnant women who are expecting their first child in Sussex, Warren, and Hunterdon Counties.  Nurses assist participants throughout the pregnancy, immediately after birth and during infancy and early childhood.  The Parents as Teachers program is designed for women in Sussex and Hunterdon Counties who are parenting an infant or child up to the age of five.

 

Esmeralda Guzman has received help with parenting skills, child development education, and other issues from a Family Support Worker.  “Project Self-Sufficiency is a second family which is there when I have needed it the most, offering me not only support with supplies, but also giving me the tools to motivate myself, see my value as a human being, and care for my family.”

 

Mothers also can meet regularly with other women in similar circumstances by attending monthly gatherings held at Project Self-Sufficiency.  Participants receive the latest information about household safety, parenting, health and wellness, and other topics, while enjoying lunch and engaging in craft projects and fun activities with their children.  Mothers can also take advantage of the other programs and services available to families at the agency.  Transportation to the monthly meetings is available to women in need.