Square One Awarded $7 Million from Children’s Trust of Massachusetts

SPRINGFIELD — Thousands of families in Springfield will continue to benefit from Square One’s Healthy Families program, thanks to a grant award from Children’s Trust of Massachusetts totaling $1.4 million per year for the next five years.

“Square One is proud to continue to provide this vital service to families throughout Greater Springfield and to serve as a model for other programs around the country,” said Melissa Blissett, Square One’s vice president of Family Support Services. “The program encapsulates our mission, and with the success we have achieved since program inception in 2010, we are eager to continue the important work we have been engaged in with parents, their children, and their extended families.”

Healthy Families is a home-based family support and coaching program that supports first-time parents to help them create stable, nurturing environments for their children.

The program matches parents with trained professionals who visit families’ homes to provide support during pregnancy and the child’s first three years of life. Home visitors teach parents about proper baby care, promote nurturing and attachment, practice effective parenting skills, and ensure parents have a solid understanding of healthy child development. They also counsel parents on achieving personal goals such as going back to school or securing a job.

“Our goal in everything we do is to position our children for success in school and beyond,” Square One President and CEO Dawn DiStefano said. “In order to be successful in this goal, we know that we have to focus on the whole family and the challenges endured by both children and their parents. Our Healthy Families program enables us to take on this holistic approach to serving our community.”

Parents can sign up for the program as early as during pregnancy and continue up to the child’s third birthday. Square One’s professionally trained home visitors and supervisors work with the participating families to help tackle the challenges that parenting can bring on, find resources in the community, and support parents as they work to achieve personal goals such as completing school or finding the right job.

To for more information, visit www.startatsquareone.org or call (413) 732-5183.