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NEW YEAR. NEW BABY
With the new year come new beginnings. Thanks to the
Affordable Care Act, some would-be parents are taking that
idea literally, now that maternity coverage is part of individual
health care plans.
That got me thinking about what it's like to have a baby
now versus when I had my daughter six years ago. Granted,
the ability now to share parenting-related stories via Facebook
is a bonus. Even so, there has been a small explosion of brain
research and early childhood development research in the past
few years. New parents now have access to research that shows
the first three years of a child's life are much more important
than had been thought. Plus, here in Athens, we have mama-
baby yoga classes, rhythm and movement classes and more for
mal parenting classes thanks to several enterprising moms in
town. Or, jump back on Facebook to join one or several groups
set up for new parents.
Know, too, that this research and support isn't limited to
parents of a certain income level. That was my first fear when
thinking about resources for new parents???it's one
thing to want to take your baby to a yoga class, but
if you've never been to yoga yourself, or are short on
cash, are you out of luck? Not necessarily.
Lessons Learned
Clarke County's high poverty rate is a double-edged
sword in this area. Yes, we have multi-generational
poverty that makes it difficult for a child to attain a
higher level of education than his or her parents. But
there are several forces at play to help counteract this.
Mainly, we have agencies such as Flead Start, Prevent
Child Abuse Athens and Children 1st that help spread
the gospel of talking and reading to your baby. As a
bonus, each of these agencies also works with parents
to get them back on track with their own education or
employment. (To get more details on their programs,
call 706-357-5239 for Head Start, 706-546-9713 for
Prevent Child Abuse Athens and 706-369-5670 for
Children 1st.)
Head Start is federally funded and operates through
the school district, Children 1st is a service of the
state-run Public Health Department, and Prevent Child
Abuse Athens primarily relies on grants and local dona
tions. Each of these agencies looks at raising children
from a holistic view. For example, working with the
parents' issues is just as key to working with the new
baby. Home checkups are key as well.
Mary Hood, executive director of Prevent Child
Abuse Athens, says its Healthy Families program incor
porates the latest research on brain development in
what it teaches new parents. The agency gets referrals
from lots of places???hospitals, school social workers,
doctors and other agencies???and works a lot with teen
mothers or new moms who aren't getting a lot of support from
their families.
The Healthy Families program is one example of how the cli
mate has shifted. A decade ago, you were likely to get a visit
at the hospital, and then later a phone call, from a volunteer
with PCAA as part of its First Steps program. (I still vividly
recall the lovely older woman who called me, as I was nearing
home from a 45-minute commute as my four-month-old slept
in the back seat, thinking how nice it was that she thought to
call.) But the program mainly just checks in with new parents
to make sure they're OK, while Healthy Families visits the par
ents in their homes to share parenting tips and methods that
will better prepare the entire family for what's ahead.
Hood says that, along with some parenting classes PCAA
offers, the First Steps program, which started more than 10
years ago, needed to go a little further for some families. "We
have been over [at the hospital] more than 10 years, maybe
15, and we recognized then that First Steps, as great of a
program as it was, some parents needed a little more sup
port," she says. "So the home visits grew from the First Steps
program."
The grant that keeps the program going and serving 900
families a year also reflects the long-term success of teach
ing families new options for parenting methods. "It's based
on the research that shows if we invest in these children and
their families early on, we can change the trajectory that says
the child is going to follow in the same pattern as the mom,"
Hood says. "Many times, that mother's level of education is an
indicator of where the child is headed. Right now it looks like
a really good investment."
This month also marks a new beginning for PCAA's program,
which begins working with dads at the Clarke County Diversion
Center (work-release program). This gets fathers more involved
in parenting lessons, too.
More than Mental
It's not just the emotional resources that have expanded in
recent years???physical resources have, too. Specifically, there
are more places to get stuff for you and your baby.
That's because unless you knew someone who was your
size and already had a baby, your only resource for maternity
clothes was one store at the mall. Yes, they have nice things
there, but not everyone has $40 for a pair of pants. So thank
goodness for a mini-explosion of consignment stores that have
a selection of wardrobe staples. One of my favorites is reBlos-
som Mama Baby Shop (220 N. Milledge Ave.; 706-549-8900).
Not only can you find gently worn maternity and baby clothes
(and toys), but the shop also hosts parent get-togethers and
educational groups. For example, check out the Early Learning
and Care Fair, 10 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Jan. 18, for the
chance to meet with representatives from local daycares and
preschools.
Keep in mind, too, that in the past five years, there's also
been a mini-explosion of activities for new moms (and dads)
and babies. Several yoga studios, along with reBlossom and
Arrow, have yoga classes that are baby-friendly. Treehouse
Kid and Craft has "baby sensory" classes for small toddlers.
The YMCA is starting basketball for toddlers. And all these are
in addition to the Athens Mothers Center, which has met on
the Eastside for decades, and regular parenting-style classes
offered at the two local hospitals.
I'm not sure if it's this generation of parents, an expan
sion of research or simply the perfect storm of a DIY-fueled
economy that has spawned a renewed focus on early parenting
skills, but it's all a welcome addition to our community. Let's
hope the kids entering kindergarten in 2018 are the best pre
pared yet.
Kristen Morales
Kirrena Gallagher says the home visits she received through Prevent Child Abuse
Athens when her first son was born helped teach her to focus her priorities and
make goals. Today, she has two boys, Malachi, 10 (left) and Caleb, 7, and is happy
with where she is in her life.
8 FLAGP0LE.C0M-JANUARY 15, 2014
KRISTEN MORALES