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Family Stories

Why We Think Babies

It’s time to make the potential of every baby a national priority. See what families across the country say they need to thrive and share your story. What would you want our elected leaders to know about raising babies and toddlers today or the challenges of providing families with young children the support they need?

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Family Support

“Being a parent today is stressful, and parents need someone in their corner that can help and connect them with resources.”

– Laura Wagner (ID)

Laura is a single mom raising her son, Christopher, who has developmental delays. One of the biggest challenges for her was being far away from her family and support system. Laura doesn’t know what she would have done without the early childhood specialist who visited in her home, and the community of families she connected with through her home visiting program. They helped Laura navigate developmental evaluations, get connected with community resources, and advocate for her son’s medical needs. Today, Christopher no longer needs special services.

Paid Leave

“I could keep my job, earning barely enough to get by and missing out on critical time to nurture my baby – or I could stay home with him, giving up my job to live in poverty.”

– Jessica Rebeschini (IA)

When Karter was born, Jessica worked as a server and didn’t receive paid leave, sick time, or vacation time. Just two weeks after delivering her baby via c-section, she was forced to return to work, lifting heavy trays of food, working overnight shifts, and being on her feet for hours at a time. When Karter was 15 months old, he was diagnosed with a genetic disorder that affects his development. To ensure his strong and healthy development, Jessica often took unpaid leave so he could get the care he needed at therapy appointments. His parents want what’s best for him, but the cost of no paid leave to meet his medical needs puts a significant financial burden on their family.

Family Support

“Home visiting programs help first-time parents with the challenges families face.”

– Stefani Nazario (AZ)

After growing up in the foster care system and living far from her husband’s family, Stefani struggled as a new parent. When her youngest son, Casper, experienced developmental delays she was grateful for a local program that came to her home and explained what to look for – and how she could help him make progress toward crucial milestones. The support of her home visiting program empowered Stefani to actively promote her son’s healthy development, and ensured her family was connected to other support services and resources in the community.

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

“Our daughter struggles from early childhood trauma, which has a huge impact on our family and the social-emotional development of her baby sister.”

– Samuel Cox (WI)

Unfortunately, the adults in Maya’s early life struggled to keep her safe and meet her needs. As a young single dad coming out of that time, Samuel found very few resources available to help him and his daughter cope with the impact of that early trauma. Samuel’s family would have benefited from access to infant and early childhood mental health services, including trauma-informed child care, which could have supported Maya’s development during those critical early years. Samuel wishes more resources were available to families like his, to prevent lifelong developmental delays and mental health disorders from taking root.

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