Healthy Parents & Babies Program Details

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Services to Pregnant People

Healthy Parents & Babies pairs expecting parents with doulas who provide coaching during pregnancy, birth and the first few weeks of life.

Our doulas help:

  • Develop healthy prenatal routines
  • Prepare for a successful pregnancy and labor and delivery
  • Establish strong attachments between you and your baby

Once your baby is born, a transition from doula to home visitor helps your family continue building a strong relationship with your child and creates a safe and stimulating home environment.

At-Home Visits With Families

Home visitors from the Healthy Parents & Babies program help your family build a foundation for success through individual home visits centered around your child’s development. This strong foundation provides a safe and nurturing environment for young children to develop essential academic, social and emotional skills that will prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.

Our home visitors help:

  • Provide weekly 90-minute home visits, at home or in your area, with individualized lesson plans specifically for families
  • Offer parents educational activities that help establish learning habits to stimulate their child’s brain development
  • Help develop healthy eating routines for families
  • Ensure families are connected to health services

Community Resources

In addition to doula and home visiting services, Healthy Parents & Babies provides the following supplemental supports to families:

  • Prenatal groups, parent meetings and trainings
  • Events to socialize and interact with other children and parents
  • Literacy events
  • Male involvement groups
  • Limited transportation assistance
  • Services for children with diagnosed or suspected disabilities

Healthy Parents & Babies is an inclusive environment that helps families navigate the eligibility requirements for Early Intervention in the Chicago Public Schools.

Baby boy laying on mothers chest

Program Eligibility

We serve families prenatally through birth, and up to age 3 for their children, in Illinois. Persons must be pregnant to qualify for doula services, but can be of any age and at any stage of their pregnancy. Parents can qualify for our home visiting services at any point post-birth through the age of 3 for their children. Participation is not limited to first-time parents or new participants, but everyone must meet Early Head Start income eligibility guidelines.

Learn More

Our Head Start and Early Head Start community-based agencies provide comprehensive supports—including early learning, nutrition, home visiting, health and wellness services—that address the immediate needs of families, while also helping them plan for future success.

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Our Head Start and Early Head Start community-based agencies offer children and families:

  • Social and emotional learning: A safe and nurturing early learning environment that promotes cooperation, collaboration, and social development in children
  • Family support services: An assigned family support specialist who assists you with identifying and accessing medical and dental services, ensuring your child is up-to-date on their health and immunization requirements, developing parent-child goals, and providing you resources and referrals to support your goals
  • Diverse learner assistance and support: Guidance for navigating the eligibility requirements for Early Intervention and for coordinating diverse learner services through your local public school district
  • Leadership development and engagement: Opportunities to take on leadership roles in parent committees and policy councils

Educare Chicago was founded by Start Early in 2000 as an innovative early learning program serving infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their families on Chicago’s South Side.

Educare pairs the latest research with intensive family engagement to promote school readiness and help families work towards their goals. A pioneer and innovator in early childhood education from the very beginning, Educare Chicago has inspired the development of the Educare Learning Network, a nationwide network of birth-to-age 5 schools.

Visit EducareChicago.org