Healthy Families Arkansas
Healthy Families Arkansas is a voluntary home visiting program that provides free parenting support to pregnant and newly parenting families. We partner with families during in-home visits to provide guidance, education, and resources to help build strong foundations.
Our Healthy Families program is accredited through Healthy Families America® (HFA), which is one of the leading family support and evidence-based home visiting programs in the United States. We have been serving the area since 2012 and currently provide services in Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Marion, Newton, Searcy, and Van Buren counties.
What children experience in their first few years of life makes a big difference in how their brain will develop and how they will interact with the world as they grow.
Families
- 35% first time parents
- 56% two-parent household
- 12% had fathers involved in home visits
- 38% own their home
- 47% are high risk families
Primary Care Givers
- 47% were under age 21 when enrolled
- 45% are employed at least part-time
- 35% are homemakers
- 88% of mothers received a postpartum visit within 8 weeks of delivery
- 15% currently do not have a high school diploma or GED
- 40% without the diploma/GED were enrolled in or received their diploma while in the program
How We Support Families
- Home-based visits for your convenience
- Offer confidential, one-on-one support without judgment
- Listen to you and what you have to say
- Answer questions and share information about pregnancy, newborn care, child development, and other parenting topics
- Offer child development education that shows you what to expect and how to promote your child’s healthy growth
- Connections to community resources that can help meet your needs
- Opportunities to connect to other parents
- Support with setting and reaching your goals
- Provide breastfeeding support, safe sleep information, and car seat safety checks
- Once enrolled, families can choose to stay in the program for 3 years
Am I Eligible? How Can I Sign Up?
Could you or someone you know benefit from HFA home visiting services? Anyone may refer a family to HFA by contacting us or completing the Referral Form. Self-referrals are also accepted!
A family is considered eligible if:
- Mom is prenatal
- Baby is a newborn (3 months or younger)
- Meet at least one of the eligibility factors. We serve families with a wide range of challenges and determine eligibility based on each family’s unique situation. This program is NOT solely income-based.
If you aren’t sure about eligibility, just send in the referral and we’ll check!
CONTACT
Please reach out if you have questions about Healthy Families!
Melissa Smyth: HFA Program Manager – 870-448-6488 msmyth@ozarkopp.org
About Us
This program began in 2007 as Young Moms Healthy Families. Over the years, the goal of the program widened and the name was changed to Healthy Families Arkansas- Ozark Mountains to reflect that.
HFA-Ozark Mountains has three professionally trained staff members – Brandi Grillot, Alex Churches Ragland, and Melissa Smyth- who provide support for the families of Van Buren and Searcy counties.
Links
Live in a different county in Arkansas? Search for home visiting programs in your area!
https://www.arhomevisiting.org/programs/search-for-programs/
Learn more about Why Families Choose HFA!
https://www.healthyfamiliesamerica.org/families/why-families-choose-hfa/