Have kids? Think back to those few months before your first, when you were most likely inundated by your own doubts, fears and questions. You probably wondered if you would be a good parent. You probably wondered how your parents knew what to do, or when, or how. The fragility of your baby-on-the-way terrified you, maybe secretly, maybe not so secretly.

Don’t have kids? Think about how you would feel if you did.

This sort of uncertainty is faced by most, if not all, parents-to-be. One does not make the transition from individual person to responsible, educated parent overnight. But what if, in addition to that uncertainty, you had no support, no financial resources, no help? This is the situation that many are in when they come to Denver Health’s Nurse-Family Partnership program.

Founded several decades ago by Dr. David Olds in New York, NFP is an amazing resource that can now be found in many cities around the country. Its clientele is typically broke, young, single, and seeking free education and support from home-visiting nurses to help them through pregnancy, caring for a newborn, and raising a child to his or her full potential. Now a professor of pediatrics, psychiatry, and preventative medicine at the University of Colorado Denver, Dr. Olds tested the program in New York, Memphis, and Denver and found that it resulted in healthier pregnancies, well-adjusted children, and even happier, more successful parents. The magic behind the program? Innovator’s Peak sat down with Rosie Soto, a nurse at Denver Health’s NFP program for six and a half years, to find out.

Innovators Peak: Preparing someone who’s never raised a child for parenthood is a very daunting endeavor. How does Nurse-Family Partnership accomplish that?

Rosie Soto: Nurse-Family Partnership is an evidence-based program that’s been around for 36 years. It’s client-centered, supporting first-time moms and what they want to learn. We do not have our own agenda or force our own opinions. We ask, “What do you already know and what would you like to learn more about?”

IP: Can you give a little backstory on the founding of the organization? Was there a specific catalyst for it?

RS: This specific NFP sits within Denver Health, so it’s part of a larger program. Dr. Olds founded the program in 1977 in Elmira, New York, and he eventually started to trial it in different cities. At the time he was working in day cares as part of a student program. He realized that by the time kids got to that point, at three or five years old, it was too late to change the patterns and routines that had already been established. He thought that if you could get to mothers while they were still pregnant you might be able to make a difference. The kids he saw needed a change in their lives, but it needed to have already happened.

IP: How is NFP supported financially?

RS: In this particular program at Denver Health, it’s supported through the Colorado Nurse Home Visitor Program at a state level. At a federal level, we’re supported by the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. Locally, individuals can donate directly to Invest In Kids, which helps run the program in the state of Colorado.

IP: As someone who’s seen the program in action, what do you think makes NFP so successful in transforming everyday people into amazing parents?

RS: It all comes down to the relationship between the nurse and the client or family. We’re with these women for two and a half years, so from the time they find out they’re pregnant until their baby is two. We’re the one consistent person who comes to visit every two weeks; someone they really trust and know is on their side. We aren’t necessarily there to tell them how to do something; rather, we support them in everything they’re going through.

IP: Can you tell me the story of a family that’s really touched you, and why?

RS: You can’t really pick one! But it’s a certain type that really gets to me: a young woman who hasn’t had a great life, who probably wasn’t parented well herself. She doesn’t have many options and often feels kind of stuck. When you can help them see the power they have, you can help them decide what kind of mother they want to be, especially when it comes to advocating for themselves and their children within the local government and school system. That, to me, is the best. I may not be able to change the other circumstances in their life, but helping them see that they can be these great advocates for their babies is truly powerful.

You can support the good work that Nurse-Family Partnership (1900 Grant Street) does by donating at https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/NurseFamilyPartnership. 

by Kerry Gallagher