Left photo: Brittany Neeb and daughter Maliha Ann Neeb, 8 months, of Ocean City enjoy fun out of the sun in the Cape May County Zoo’s shaded picnic area at the Healthy Families graduation.
A graduation ceremony and Teddy Bear Picnic marked the completion of a parenting and child abuse prevention program by a dozen local families in Cape May County on June 8 at the Cape May County Park and Zoo.
The free and voluntary program, titled Cape May Healthy Families TIP (TANF Initiative for Parents), provides information on health care education, literacy and parenting tips to parents with young children. Cape May Healthy Families TIP is led by Holy Redeemer Health System and is a program of Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice of New Jersey.
Local parents and delighted children wearing commencement caps and carrying stuffed teddy bears joined Cape May Healthy Families TIP staff in a celebration of their newly refined parenting skills at the outdoor event.
“To prepare for the job of parenting, program graduates work closely with Cape May Healthy Families family support workers and learn parenting skills that all mothers and fathers can benefit from. I would encourage all eligible first-time parents to enroll in the Healthy Families program,” said Healthy Families program director and supervisor Peggy Smith of Holy Redeemer Health System.
Since July 1996, Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice of New Jersey has operated Cape May Healthy Families TIP for local families. The program is one of two Holy Redeemer affiliated Healthy Families chapters in the State of New Jersey. Currently about 115 Cape May County families receive assistance from the Healthy Families Cape May chapter.
Healthy Families participants are referred from county agencies and eligible to participate for up to three years, but participation is voluntary.
Family support workers work with each family to ensure support for both the parent and child. Healthy Families workers meet with parents for about an hour each week to offer lessons on normal growth and development.
Parents learn about infant sleeping patterns, breastfeeding, nutrition, the dangers of smoking around a newborn and ways to play with a child to encourage learning.
Holy Redeemer Home Care is the largest nonprofit provider of home health and hospice services in the state of New Jersey.
For more information call 1-800-818-4747 or go to www.holyredeemer.com
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