Grantees

This grant will allow all expectant parents and parents with infants access to free birthing and parenting education, community resources and a network of social support.

OCPCC provides a range of supports to help all families get off to a healthy start, promote well-being, and build on family strengths. OCPCC serves more than 500 families each year and covers about 759 square miles of mountainous terrain with a population that has an average income level more than 10% below the poverty line. In our service region, parents have little access to resources given the rural nature of our community. Grocery stores are 30+ miles away, there is no public transportation and access to medical services is limited. OCPCC creates a safety net for the community with our supports and resources and we are in a unique opportunity to grow those resources and prevention services throughout our county.

Reading to Infants for a Healthy Start, is a program created to support parents in caring for babies from birth forward. The two high quality board books, "Sleep Baby: Safe and Snug" and "Calm Baby Gently," will be distributed to all new parents. The first book, "Sleep Baby: Safe and Snug" will be distributed at Birthing Units and from midwives to promote safe sleep practices through pictures and words, decreasing the likelihood of parents rolling over on babies during sleep. Secondly, "Calm Baby Gently" will be distributed at the time of the two week check up at Pediatric offices, Family Practices and Wellness Centers. This book is written not only to be read to infants but also to help parents learn how to safely calm baby.

The Rutland County Parent Child Center is implementating a pilot "Dads' Parenting Group" program. Our agency currently hosts a weekly daytime parenting education class that utilizes the Strengthening Families Protective Factor Framework. We recognize that there are limited spaces within our community however that specifically address or aim to empower fathers. This pilot program is designed to give dads in Rutland County a space to gain social connections and education that will support their journey through fatherhood and help them become more actively engaged within the community.

Help parents adopt a no-underage-use family policy with respect to alcohol and drugs, monitor their children's whereabouts, and to network with other parents.

Support the expansion of the Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Project specifically for middle and high schools and young fathers.

This is a pilot program developed by Reinbow Riding Center (RRC) in collaboration with Rutland Mental Health’s Early Childhood division. RRC is a PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) member center with PATH certified instructors. PATH is an international organization that teaches and certifies instructors to administer programs. The goal of this program is to provide prevention techniques to families via a therapeutic equine experience to those who have experienced significant traumatic stress. By focusing on the caregiver/child relationship our goal is to provide tools by which a healthy and mutually satisfying relationship can develop and be maintained. Our goal is to support the strengthening families initiative.

The Strong Families program will expand the VNA parent education and support group for at-risk mothers, which includes childcare and facilitated playgroups for their children. They anticipate serving an additional 8010 mothers by restructuring the program and going from 2-3 groups offered during the year.