Partnership between Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital and Smart Beginnings Eastern Shore equips parents with the tools they need to foster early childhood development.
ONANCOCK, Va.– Babies don’t come with instruction manuals, but through a local Smart Beginnings Eastern Shore (SBES) initiative, new parents can count on extra support to help their baby thrive.
The first years of a baby’s life are the most vital for the formation of the brain’s core architecture – the foundation upon which sits a child’s health, behavior and ability to learn. On the Eastern Shore, due to high levels of poverty and other associated risk factors, many parents have a harder time exposing young children to the experiences needed for the best possible cognitive, physical and emotional development.
To help mitigate these risk factors, Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital has partnered with Smart Beginnings Eastern Shore to provide a “Go and Grow Starter Pack” to the estimated 500 new parents leaving the hospital this year with a newborn.
The first “Go and Grow Starter Pack,” a diaper bag filled with carefully curated materials to help new parents in the earliest months of their child’s life, was distributed to parents this summer.
“We are thrilled to partner with the hospital because that is the place to catch families early, right at the beginning,” said Linda Schulz, PhD, Chair of Smart Beginnings Eastern Shore. “We’re in a special situation on the Eastern Shore, as a lot of rural communities are, in that there is only one hospital here that serves most of the population. Here, we are able to capture every single new parent that gives birth on the Eastern Shore.”
The “Go and Grow Starter Packs” are presented before discharge to new parents by nurses from the Mother/Baby Unit, who received special training to provide an overview of the materials, according to Ann Pruitt, RN, Director of the Mother/Baby Unit at Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital.
“Our goal is to encourage parents to interact with their babies in ways that will promote early cognitive, social emotional and physical skills that will start them on the path to be ready for school by age five,” said Schulz.
The “Go and Grow Starter Pack” includes the following items, valued at $46 per pack:
· a brand new diaper bag filled with important information about how to promote a child’s health and development, including a directory of early childhood services on the Eastern Shore.
· a list of recommended mobile and tablet apps to learn more about early childhood development.
· two developmentally appropriate children’s books and information on the importance of reading to children from birth.
· supplies to help new parents promote their children’s physical health, including a Sleep Sack Swaddle Sleeper to encourage safe sleeping, and an infant dental kit to promote early dental health.
· an invitation to participate in a closed Facebook group to stay connected to fellow new parents over the course of their baby’s first year because, as Shultz said, “I’ve always believed new parents need other new parents to connect with.”
Materials are available in English, Spanish and Haitian-Creole.
“Patients love the diaper bags and are very grateful for all the items in it,” Pruitt said. “Our nurses are equally delighted to help educate the moms about the bag, its contents and the Smart Beginnings organization, not to mention providing safety guidance for the newborns. We want to help new parents provide the very best start in life for their baby because then everybody wins: the parents, the baby and our community.”
Funding for the project – $23,000 – was provided by the Eastern Shore Community Foundation, regional and local Rotary Clubs and individual donations.
The SBES Parent Engagement Committee and Coordinator Roberta Newman implemented the project with guidance from early childhood experts from Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital, Eastern District Health Department, Parent-Infant Program on the Shore, Head Start, Migrant Head Start, Eastern Shore Rural Health, PNC Bank, the Eastern Shore Public Library System, Child Care Aware, Eastern Shore Community College, and the Northampton and Accomack County Departments of Social Services.
“This program is truly a demonstration of community groups working together in a really productive way with the hospital to promote the health and wellbeing of the entire population here on the Eastern Shore,” Schulz said.
About the Author
The “Go and Grow Starter Pack” includes the following items, valued at $46 per pack:
· a brand new diaper bag filled with important information about how to promote a child’s health and development, including a directory of early childhood services on the Eastern Shore.
· a list of recommended mobile and tablet apps to learn more about early childhood development.
· two developmentally appropriate children’s books and information on the importance of reading to children from birth.
· supplies to help new parents promote their children’s physical health, including a Sleep Sack Swaddle Sleeper to encourage safe sleeping, and an infant dental kit to promote early dental health.
· an invitation to participate in a closed Facebook group to stay connected to fellow new parents over the course of their baby’s first year because, as Shultz said, “I’ve always believed new parents need other new parents to connect with.”
Materials are available in English, Spanish and Haitian-Creole.
Sounds like a liberal [expletive] dream.
$46. but every single non-birthing patient with coverage will be charged $460.00 to ‘cover the costs’.
Sad, isn’t it Mr. Boggs that most of this would have been supplied by the new parent’s neighbors or family but Liberalism has well and truly replaced that support structure with ever increasing big government.
Hey, how come I can’t find any antique ‘go and grow’ starter packs from the 19th century in Gaelic, Polish, Russian, German, Italian etc…..??
WHAT!!!???!!! You mean my ancestors were expected to LEARN ENGLISH????
OH THE HORROR!!!!!!
It made me sick to my stomach when I read the list. These people are sick…at tax payer’s expense.
1. A job
2. Common sense
3. Love
4. Attention
5. Selfless dedication
6. Maturity
7. An education
8. Parental responsibility
These items,which cost less that $23.000, are what is needed to promote proper child development. The cost per child is minimal while the return on this special investment is endless.
You left out the most important ‘items’….
1) God.
2) A happily married Mother and Father.
Just a couple of points here:
1. Here’s Merriam -Webster’s definition of Liberalism https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liberalism
2. Riverside Shore Memorial isn’t the government and neither is the Eastern Shore Community Foundation. In fact why don’t you check them out and see what they do – https://www.esvcf.com/ The money is from donations
3. The packet goes to all new parents, rich ones too. There’s a good possibly your first generation of ancestors didn’t speak English either.
4. Tax payers money? That’s become a default like “Have a Nice Day!” See #2.
5. No one actually will get charged – how about that.
6. If the $46 investment saves a life, prevents an unnecessary trip to the ER or helps provide a foundation for a healthy life it’s money well spent.
Maybe what should happen is the Big Bad Government should create a test before individuals are given access to the internet
‘Maybe what should happen is the Big Bad Government should create a test before individuals are given access to the internet’……but if that were enacted, you would not be able to post. What is a tkenny? Is that e-bonics?
Humans spend more time picking out cars than they do considering the implications of having a child. They think nothing of passing on poor genes that will, ultimately hurt their offspring at some point in their lives….just so that they can have a child. I saw a family of midgets, last year at Ikea. The mother and father thought nothing of having 4 kids…all midgets. They thought nothing of putting those kids through the hardships that they have struggled with. There is a commercial for St Jude’s showing a young boy with no arms. They showed his mother, she had no arms either. That is utter child abuse to bring a kid into this world with no arms after you know how hard it is to struggle without them. Look at the amount of unwanted kids and pets out there. Child and Pet worship is a full blown crisis at this point….both show their bad behavior on a daily basis, as they have no discipline in their lives.
Jesse, are you one of those stereotypical Southern boys?
“Is that e-bonics?” was that some kind of racial insult you were trying to throw around? Just because you can’t figure out tkenny?
What hardship and struggles are those two little people going through? Did they tell you they had hardships? Maybe their only hardship and struggles are dealing with people like you. Who somehow feel superior to them just because you look like everyone else.
Please, Jesse, please tell us you have no children because your poor genes should stop with this generation. What’s next Jesse, only blue eyed, blond hair people can have off-spring?
As everything designed for human use is designed for humans between 5-6 foot tall, being 4-5 foot tall or less is a severe handicap. The midget father could not reach the credit card reader at the register. You do not need to have cancer to know it kills.
You ask me ‘What hardship and struggles are those two little people going through?’
That is a question only a ‘Mental-Midget would ask.
#1. No one has used the classical definition of liberalism since you lefty’s gave us the 60’s.
2. Are you really suggesting that RSM doesn’t take Federal funds? Really? And the ESCF is mostly funded by the Norfolk Foundation, which also takes advantage of Federal monies and the tax code.
3. Oh, those narsty rich folks………who pay the majority of the taxes that keep the area afloat. And yes, my ancestors came here without English but INSISTED ON LEARNING IT and refused to be catered to in their OLD language.
4. Just shows your ignorance regarding matters financial. Just like #2.
5. Derp. Each and every OTHER patient will have to pick up the cost. See MY #4.
6. Uhh, more than likely the first item on their list will ENCOURAGE more unnecessary trips to the ER(which is used as primary care by so many) costing those darn RICH taxpayers!!!! Darn them to hell!!! to pay more………..or, move and pay less.
But yes, I agree that some should be tested… and when found wanting, should be kept safe……….for their own good, of course.