Nurturing Parenting
Nurturing Parenting is a national home visiting program recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as a proven program for the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. The Nurturing Parenting Home Visiting program is a voluntary in-home, family centered trauma-informed program designed to build nurturing parenting skills while meeting each family’s specific needs. The nurturing philosophy of non-violent parenting focuses on the development of empathy, self-worth, self-awareness, empowerment, disciplining with dignity, family roles and age-appropriate expectations of children's development. Services are provided primarily in the home and through group sessions. Home visits are typically 90-minutes and occur at least monthly. Visits include parenting lessons, assessments, evaluations, home practice assignments, and direct modeling of nurturing parenting skills with the parent and child(ren).
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Childhood, supports contracted Nurturing Parenting programming in 7 regions of the state that include 61 counties. Services are offered at no charge to eligible families.
- Geographic Availability/Contact
- Eligibility/Additional Information
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- Eligibility: A family must have a prenatal woman or a child under the age of three (3) years in the home;
- Have a household income under 185% of poverty as defined at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty; and
- Meet one of the following requirements (listed in the order of priority):
- Referred by Children’s Division as being “at risk” for physical, emotional, social and/or educational abuse/neglect;
- A family referred as a result of a Newborn Crisis Assessment;
- A family whose child is in the custody of the Department of Social Services Children’s Division and is actively working towards reunification;
- A family who is living in a shelter or temporary housing;
- Teenage parenting;
- Unemployed, but may be receiving Temporary Assistance or other income;
- Employed 40 hours or less per week; or
- Participating in an education, job training program, and/or rehabilitation program
- Frequency-Intensity of Home Visit: Visits are typically 90-minutes and occur at least monthly.
- Caseload per home visitor: Maximum 25 families per home visitor.
- Family Supports:
- Providers offer a Parent Café opportunity to enrolled families in every region throughout the state to allow for the opportunity for parents and caretakers to connect with one another and build positive support networks.
- Providers offer enrolled families incentives specific to each family’s needs including, but not limited to, diapers, wipes, books, health/safety items, developmentally appropriate toys, gas cards, clothing, etc.
- National Model Information