Homebased Option
EHS Expectant Mother Option (Prenatal)
Homebased option offers educational and family enrichment opportunities in the comfort of the family's home. An Advocate/Teacher will make weekly educational visits to your home and provide bi-weekly socializations in one of our centers. Socializations allow children and parents to engage with other families.
Home-based prenatal options for expectant mothers. When enrolling in this program, the expectant mother is assigned a home-based teacher who uses the Parents as Teachers Curriculum to educate the mother about her pregnancy and what to expect once the baby is born.
Appropriate support for emotional well-being, nurturing and responsive caregiving, and father engagement during pregnancy and early childhood is needed. The visits are scheduled with the mother and last about an hour and a half. The mother is also offered a prenatal and postnatal visit from a registered nurse employed by Meritus Hospital.
Once the baby is born, it is enrolled in the home-based program, and the family receives weekly visits from a home-based advocate or teacher using the Parents as Teachers Curriculum. While enrolled, the mother will receive two visits per month from a Home-Based Advocate or teacher, each consisting of a lesson from the curriculum.
The Homebase Advocate/Teacher will discuss with you and provide materials on:
• Prenatal and Postpartum recovery
• Education and services that address fetal development
• The risks of alcohol, drugs, and smoking
• Nutritional counseling
• Food assistance
• Oral health care
• Labor and delivery
• Mental Health Services; Parental depression
• Infant care and breastfeeding
• Safe sleep practices
• Substance abuse prevention and treatment
• Emergency shelter or transitional housing in cases of domestic violence