5.10
Prenatal Services
Prenatal women are prioritized and enrolled in Head Start while still pregnant, with the expectation that once born, their infant child will be enrolled in an Early Head Start program.
Home visitors will ensure that the services described in the related performance standards are offered to all enrolled prenatal women. Fathers are also invited to participate in home visits and will receive education and support during the pregnancy.
Prenatal Timeline
Head Start provides resources, education, and assistance to the expectant mother from the time of enrollment through delivery and beyond. The timeline below depicts the process of how we work with the mother and child.
It is important to make contact with expectant mothers earlier in the pregnancy in order the get them enrolled and ensure a more complete experience and coordinate where the infant will attend. If enrolled later in the pregnancy, it is more difficult to find a place for the child within the program.
[Image: PrenatalTimeline.]
Prenatal Enrollment
Unlike a regular child enrollment, we enroll the expectant mother and keep a file for her. Then, when the child is born, we create a child file and complete the standard enrollment procedures for the child.
For more information on prenatal enrollment, refer to Prenatal Enrollment
Prenatal Home Visits
During the expectant mother’s pregnancy, Home Visitors plan and hold prenatal home visits with the mother in order to:
- Ensure the mother has access to an ongoing source of continuous health care
- Help the mother access resources, such as oral health care or food assistance
- Provide information for the mother based on her needs
- Set up a Family Partnership Agreement and Individualized Transition Plan (ITP) for the child
- Perform a baseline assessment for depression to begin monitoring for post-partum depression
For more detailed information on prenatal home visits, refer to Prenatal Home Visits
The Postpartum Visit
Within the first two weeks of birth, the Home Visitor schedules a postpartum home visit with the mother as well as the Registered Nurse and a Mental Health Specialist. During the postpartum visit, the staff will cover a variety of topics, such as: safety, infant and well-child care, referrals, nutrition, family relationships, postpartum depression, and family planning.
For more detailed information on postpartum visits, refer to Postpartum Visit
References
Related SOPs: