BABY BEAR HUGS
Fact Sheet – Updated February 2011
Program Name: Regional Home Visitation Program dba Baby Bear Hugs
Address: 201 South Main Street, Yuma, CO 80759
Phone: 970-848-5274Fax: 970-848-0357
E-mail:
Web Site:
Colorado Charitable Organization Registration # 20033001625
501(c)(3) non-profit # 84-1311396
Mission: Promote positive parenting, enhance family strengths, and prevent abuse and neglect of
infants and children.
To the future! It is the goal of Baby Bear Hugs that all children will become productive, happy adults who give back to their communities and that they will have every opportunity available to them to fulfill their potential, develop assets that empower them to resist failure, and have strong supportive adults in their lives. To this end Baby Bear Hugs will provide support, parenting education, and connection to community resources to all expectant mothers and families with children 0 to 3 years old.
The parents of yesterday supporting parents of the future.
Because experienced parents have practical knowledge and wisdom they can pass along to new parents, using trained volunteer visitors along with paraprofessional visitors is a strength of the program. This neighbor-to-neighbor relationship offers peer support insuring that the program is not stigmatized. Visitors respond to the individual needs of the families, serving as a catalystto enable the families to seek help for themselves.
Goals:
Provide support to empower parents to solve their own problems and help reduce parenting stress.
Educate parents about child development, parenting issues, brain development, and a healthy life style including eating smart, being active, and elimination of second hand smoke.
Increase the parent’s awareness and access to community resources and the importance of early childhood education.
Activities and Services of the organization:
Programs of Colorado Bright Beginnings (Baby Bear Hugs is an “affiliate” of CBB):
-Program A: Prenatal to 12 months providing information on talking (interaction) and bonding with the baby, brain development, interactive “games”, community resources.
-Program B: 12 to 24 months focusing on language development.
-Program C: 24 to 36 months focusing on positive guidance and discipline.
Ongoing visits provided by paraprofessional visitors.
Nurturing Parenting Curriculum offered during Ongoing visits.
Nurturing Parenting Classes in selected counties.
Healthy Living: Eating Smart – Being Active Curriculum offered
during select Ongoing visits.
Ages & Stages developmental and social-emotional screenings.
Who We Serve: All expectant mothers/families, and parents of
children 0 to 3 years old in 9 Counties in eastern Colorado.
These counties (shown in yellow) are: Elbert, Kiowa, Lincoln,
Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, and Yuma.
In FY 2009-2010:
Families Received Volunteers:
884 Program A, B, & C visits 15 Provided Family visits
410 Families participating in ongoing visits 38 Performed other volunteer work
63 Families receiving mailings or one-time services 71 Advisory Committee members
84 Families participating in parenting classes 3,500 Hours of donated time
and/or support groups
Commitment of Leadership: The Board of Directors consists of 10 dedicated individuals who represent each county and a member at large. All Board of Director members are contributing members of the organization and donate their time to help with fundraisers and attend regular board meetings plus local,monthly Baby Bear Hugs Advisory Committee meetings. They help with program promotion and recruitment of families, as do Advisory Committee members. Each County has an Advisory Committee composed of representatives from community agencies, businesses, churches, schools, service groups, parents, and elected officials. This committee is a working committee providing guidance, outreach, and support for the program in each county.
Commitment to best practices and measurable outcomes, tools used:
Nurturing Parenting Classes are conducted in a classroom setting rotating among counties. The curriculum was incorporated into Ongoing home visits in 2008. It is an evidence based program.
To measure outcomes for the Nurturing Parenting Program the Adult Adolescent Parent Inventory (AAPI) pre and post survey is used. Results have shown clinically significant levels of change.
The Parent Stress Index (PSI) pre and post survey is used to assess reduction of parenting stress. Results have shown statistically significant levels of change.
A Community Resource Survey developed by the program is used to see if families are accessing resources. This survey shows that they are.
Client opinion surveys, community and agency surveys, and interviews of key agency personnel are utilized for overall program evaluation.
Ages & Stages, a developmental screening tool, is conducted with the parents as a way of teaching child development through observation; however, by scoring this instrument developmental delays can be detected and referrals made to specialists when necessary.
Although services are offered universally, 54% of the families served are low income.
Budget: For FY 2010-2011: $431,710
Funding (from 2009-2010):
Temple Hoyne Buell FoundationLocal Foundations
Helen K. & Arthur B. Johnson FoundationLocal county government
Tony Grampsas Youth Services (TGYS)Supportive Memberships
Colorado Children’s Trust FundFund raising events
Community organization donationsPrivate donations
In-Kind: Office space for county offices is donated to the program by various organizations and businesses. We have a formal collaborative relationship with Centennial Mental Health. We work closely with public health nurses, family centers, social services, and early childhood organizations sharing resources and referrals. Churches donate meeting space for board meetings, staff meetings, and parenting classes. Materials for trainings are often donated, and local businesses are very generous donating door prizes and food.
Highlights: Since its inception, Baby Bear Hugs has involved 741 visitors, served 2,991 families with ongoing visits, and provided resources and information for 8,125 families. There have been 6,176 Program A visits.