Children, youth & families

The Barre Local Health Office promotes the health and wellness of women, children and families throughout their lives. To do this we work with:


Women, Children and Families

  • We help women access health care for healthy pregnancies, and refer women and their partners to drug or alcohol treatment and quit smoking services.
  • We connect women with WIC Services for nutrition education for their pregnancy, postpartum period, and for nutrition education to support children up to age 5.
  • We help new moms become successful at breastfeeding by linking women to breastfeeding support services such as our WIC Peer Counselors. We encourage local businesses to become breastfeeding friendly.  
  • We offer training for new moms in many community settings on valuable topics like infant safe sleep.
  • We reach out to foster parents to share key public health messages on maternal and child health.

 

Strong Families Start at Home

Strong Families Vermont partner with the Department for Children and Families Child Development Division to deliver a comprehensive system of voluntary home visiting in Vermont. While there can be some variation regarding eligibility or length of service, all home visiting includes trained professionals  – nurses, social workers, child development specialists and more – who meet regularly with expectant parents or families with young children in their homes. Home visitors partner with parents to tailor services and resources to best meet the unique needs of each family. We work with families to:

  • Recognize and build on the strengths of the family, parents and children in the home.
  • Teach parenting skills and model effective techniques.
  • Promote early learning in the home with an emphasis on positive interactions between parents and children.
  • Provide information and guidance on a wide range of topics including breastfeeding, safe sleep position, injury prevention and nutrition.
  • Conduct screenings and provide referrals and connections to resources if necessary.
  • Connect families to other services and resources as appropriate.

 

Health Professionals and Child Care Providers

  • We support and outreach to health care and dental health care providers, home visiting nurses, our local parent-child center and child care providers to share current key messages on maternal and child health.
  • We promote Bright Futures, a national health promotion and prevention initiative that sets kids up for long and healthy lives.
  • We provide training on a variety of topics to birthing center nurses and home visiting nurses.
  • We provide education and technical assistance to child care providers.

 

Local Highlights

We serve on teams dedicated to protecting the health and safety of children and families. We collaborate with local health care providers, hospitals and partner organizations to create systems that improve access to care, such as:

Breastfeeding Coalition of Central Vermont

The Breastfeeding Coalition of Central Vermont is a partnership between our local health office and community partners such as Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Central Vermont Medical Center, Good Beginnings, and WIC. This coalition provides information to the community through:

  • breastfeeding awareness
  • prenatal breastfeeding classes
  • educational resources for partners and families to support breastfeeding
  • information to employers so women can return to work and continue to breastfeed.  
Breastfeeding Friendly Employers

Our local health office also supports breastfeeding in the community. We collaborate with workplaces to make them more accessible to breastfeeding moms. Through things like a Breastfeeding Friendly Employers grant, local employers are able to create private lactation spaces within their workplaces.

Contact Deborah at 802-476-0155 if you would like to become a Breastfeeding Friendly Employer.

Children's Integrated Services

Children's Integrated Services Coordinator (802) 262-3292 X 120