Page 14 - Desert Lightning News 5-6-16

14
AF New Parent Support Program helps families care for infants, toddlers
Prerana Korpe
Air Force Surgeon General Public Affairs
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AFNS)
-- Vital to children’s health is devel-
opment, which occurs in the early
years from birth to age 3.
As newborns grow into infants
and infants become toddlers, they
go through a series of developmen-
tal milestones such as first words,
first steps and skills to wave “hello”
or “goodbye.” The needs of children
-- physical, social, emotional and
educational -- affect how they de-
velop and learn, speak, behave and
even play.
The Air Force New Parent Sup-
port Program provides information,
support and guidance to parents as
they care for their newborns, in-
fants and toddlers. The program
helps military families learn about
the growth and development of in-
fants and toddlers, to prepare for
the changes that come as a baby is
born, grows and develops.
“Our children really are a pre-
cious resource,” said Margaret
Walker, director of the Air Force
Family Advocacy Nursing and New
Parent Support Program. “It is rec-
ommended parents get involved in
the New Parent Support Program
to learn about caring for (their
children) to maximize their growth
and development.”
Funded by the Defense Depart-
ment, the program is available free
of charge to beneficiaries eligible
for care in military treatment facil-
ities, including those who are ex-
pecting a baby, planning to adopt
a baby between the ages of birth
to 3 years or have children in the
home between the ages of birth to
3 years. Program services include
information and education related
to pregnancy; labor and delivery;
infant and toddler care, safety,
growth and development; parent-
From INTERNSHIP, Page 8
ing with a degree in recreation ad-
ministration from Middle Tennes-
see State University in 2013.
Her father, Jesse, is a retired Air-
man who works as a security forces
squadron’s information technology
manager at Arnold Air Force Base,
May 6, 2016
www.aerotechnews.com/davis-monthanafb
Master Sgt. Joseph Molzen, assigned to the 107th Security Forces Squadron at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, N.Y., sees his newborn daughter for
the first time. Molzen was one of more than 30 Airmen from the 107th SFS to return from a six-month deployment to Southwest Asia, Feb. 4-5, 2016.
ing skills; couple communication;
and stress management.
“What we find when we pro-
vide services to this population of
families -- new parents or expect-
ant -- is that it is such a very posi-
tive time in the family’s life. There is
so much expectation and hope for
the future,” Walker said. “Families
are really open to information and
support. Parents want to be the best
they can be in this new job, which
can be really challenging, especially
for military families who may be
separated from their own families
and support systems.”
The Air Force New Parent Sup-
port Program is a component of
the Family Advocacy Program and
is staffed primarily with registered
nurses and augmented by medical
social workers. Support and guid-
ance offered through the program
focuses on growth and develop-
ment, care, safety and feeding (in-
cluding during the prenatal time-
Tennessee.
She went online and found MEIP.
She applied, was accepted and com-
pleted an internship at Joint Base
Charleston, South Carolina, in 2013.
“It narrowed down my focus and
set me on the path,” Humberd, 26,
Facebook.com/DesertLightningNews
frame) for families with newborns,
infants and toddlers. The program
provides information on the typical
development of a baby from birth
onwards and the importance of cer-
tain types of support necessary for
an infant’s healthy growth.
The program’s enrollment pro-
cess begins with assessment of a
family’s unique circumstances.
Families can request specific in-
formation to assist in the new par-
ent journey. Services provided are
based on the assessment and fam-
ily’s requests and may include re-
ferrals to community or other local
services that are appropriate for
prenatal families and families with
young children. These services may
include breastfeeding classes, car
seat checks or the Women, Infants
and Children Program.
Certain program services can be
provided right at home. For exam-
ple, program staff can provide infor- tary OneSource, select “New Par-
mation to help an expectant family
said of the internship. “I tell ev-
erybody about it, especially if you
want to work with children and
youths and want to learn about the
military and travel.”
Humberd is now the outdoor
recreation manager at Arnold AFB.
“It developed her professionalism
Desert Lightning News
(U.S. Air National Guard photo/Staff Sgt. Ryan Campbell)
set up their home nursery and baby-
proof the home.
To get started with NPSP, families
should contact the installation Fam-
ily Advocacy Program office and ask
for a referral to the program. Walker
advises that the program has some-
thing for everyone, whether they’re
newly expectant parents or a family
that already has several children.
“It is such a privilege to be invited
to be a part of the new or expectant
parents’ experience -- to help them
learn to better take care of them-
selves, support their partners and
take care of their new babies as they
grow and develop,” Walker said.
“We provide support for parents as
they care for their young children in
a military family setting.”
The New Parent Support Pro-
gram is available at most Air Force
bases. To find out more, visit Mili-
ent Support Program” and enter the
name of your installation.
and maturity,” said Banfield, who in-
terviewed Humberd for the intern-
ship. “I’m not going to say it was a
night-and-day difference because she
was mature when she went through
her orientation. Now she has her
own staff, and you can definitely tell
the passion she had about it.”