Family Connects

Family Connects Essential Connections for Each and Every Newborn

Ninety-five percent of families recognized at least one need during their home visit. This is why Family Connects is act...
04/23/2026

Ninety-five percent of families recognized at least one need during their home visit. This is why Family Connects is actively engaging with HRSA and various home visiting models in Washington D.C. to discuss the reauthorization of MIECHV. The goal is to enhance the impact of Family Connects by providing comprehensive support to families, including high-quality referrals to longer-term, targeted, and intensive home visiting services.

IF families are connected to resources, and guidance early on …THEN they’re better equipped to manage stress, navigate u...
04/23/2026

IF families are connected to resources, and guidance early on …

THEN they’re better equipped to manage stress, navigate uncertainty, and respond to their newborn’s needs with confidence.

WHEN families feel connected — to community, to professionals, to one another …

THEN they have the resilience and emotional strength to weather challenges as they come.

And IF communities invest in universal at-home nurse visits like Family Connects …

THEN every family has a foundation of connection that promotes wellbeing, protects against crises, and supports healthier outcomes for children.

Connected families don’t avoid challenges, they’re just better prepared to meet them.

Pass it on.
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Postpartum depression isn’t a family issue; it’s a public health issue.CDC research shows 1 in 8 women experience sympto...
04/22/2026

Postpartum depression isn’t a family issue; it’s a public health issue.

CDC research shows 1 in 8 women experience symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) after giving birth.

And symptoms affect everything from emotional well-being, the ability to care for oneself, and the early interactions that shape a baby’s development.

Thankfully, the right support at the right time can make a difference. Family Connects universal at-home nurse visits that give the parents of newborns:

- A safe, confidential space to talk about emotional well-being
- Screening for postpartum depression symptoms
- Guidance on what’s normal and when to seek help
- Referrals to trusted mental health and community resources
- Support that strengthens early parent–child bonding

When we support maternal mental health, we support families, communities, and long-term child outcomes.

PPD is affects new parents universally. Support should be universal too.
Learn about the Family Connects model at FamilyConnects.org
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Home visiting works—because it meets families where they are. This National Home Visiting Week (April 20–24), Family Con...
04/20/2026

Home visiting works—because it meets families where they are.
This National Home Visiting Week (April 20–24), Family Connects is joining communities nationwide to recognize the power of evidence-based, nurse-led home visiting to support families with newborns during one of life’s most critical transitions.

Research shows home visiting helps families navigate:
• Maternal physical recovery and mental health
• Infant feeding, sleep, and development
• Safety concerns and social isolation
• Access to health care and community resources

Through the Family Connects Model, registered nurses visit families shortly after birth to identify strengths, screen for needs, and connect families to care—before challenges escalate.

Early support isn’t optional. It’s essential infrastructure.

👉 Read our full National Home Visiting Week press release to learn more.
https://familyconnects.org/2026/04/20/national-home-visiting-week-meeting-families-where-they-are/

04/20/2026

Balancing it all while caring for a newborn is a lot.

Between feeding schedules, rest (or trying to rest), work demands, house tasks, and simply adjusting to a new family member in the home—life can feel completely upside down.

That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It means you’re doing something BIG.

When families have:

- Someone to listen.
- Someone to check in.
- Someone who can help make sense of it all.

The whole household benefits.

At Family Connects, we’re here to walk with families as they find their new rhythm— Because no one should have to balance it all alone.

Learn more at FamilyConnects.org
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Congratulations to our April Employee Award Winners! 🎉As we celebrate the month of April, we’re proud to recognize the h...
04/17/2026

Congratulations to our April Employee Award Winners! 🎉

As we celebrate the month of April, we’re proud to recognize the hard work and dedication of our standout team members. Join us in celebrating these incredible employees for their well-deserved awards!

04/16/2026

Watch Family Connects Board Member Michele Benoit-Wilson elevate the effectiveness of postpartum nurse visiting at the North Carolina # Proclamation Signing alongside , Natalie Murdock , and Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch.

Because providing access to postpartum healthcare for all families is universally something we can get behind.

The right support at the right time.

Join the movement at familyconnects.org


And we do it for moments like this. Because brains are built at the speed of 1 million neural connections per second. Wh...
04/16/2026

And we do it for moments like this.

Because brains are built at the speed of 1 million neural connections per second.

When parents are supported and can manage their day to day without feeling overwhelmed, and they can do what they do best: create positive nurturing environments when their children can thrive.

Support strengthening families like our future depends on it.

Because it does.

FamilyConnects.org

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In honor of American Sign Language (ASL) Day, we’re proud to highlight our ASL recruitment video created to support acce...
04/15/2026

In honor of American Sign Language (ASL) Day, we’re proud to highlight our ASL recruitment video created to support accessibility in home visiting.

Developed in response to feedback from our Family Connects New Jersey partners, this tool helps ensure deaf and hard of hearing caregivers can fully engage with services. In collaboration with Language Services Solutions, LLC, we partnered with Yuri Johnston, an interpreter from within the Deaf community, to ensure the translation is accurate, culturally respectful, and rooted in lived experience.

We’re grateful to our partners for helping us continue building more inclusive and equitable ways to connect with every family.

Watch the video here: https://familyconnects.org/2025/05/20/new-asl-recruitment-video-now-available/

Parental stress doesn’t just affect parents, it shapes the wellbeing of the entire family. And the data shows just how s...
04/15/2026

Parental stress doesn’t just affect parents, it shapes the wellbeing of the entire family. And the data shows just how serious that it can be.

Here’s the hopeful part: When we reduce stress by providing parent support, everyone benefits.

- More positive parent–child interactions
- Stronger emotional bonding
- Better infant developmental outcomes
- Improved parental mental health
- Greater stability in the home environment

Family Connects can help make this possible. Through universal at-home nurse visits, we support parents early by offering reassurance, guidance, and connections that strengthen protective factors for both parent and child.

We. Can. Do. Better.

Because lowering stress doesn’t just lighten the load: It transforms the foundations of the entire family.
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Honoring Black Maternal Health Week, April 11-17, and the theme “Rooted in Justice and Joy.” We’re committed to supporti...
04/14/2026

Honoring Black Maternal Health Week, April 11-17, and the theme “Rooted in Justice and Joy.” We’re committed to supporting families with equitable, compassionate care—because every mother deserves to feel seen, supported, and valued.

By meeting families where they are, Family Connects helps ensure every parent has the tools and care they need to thrive.

Early childhood development doesn’t begin in a classroom—it begins at home. During the Week of the Young Child® (April 1...
04/13/2026

Early childhood development doesn’t begin in a classroom—it begins at home.
During the Week of the Young Child® (April 11–17), Family Connects is joining early childhood leaders nationwide to highlight a foundational truth: supporting families early is one of the most effective ways to help young children thrive.
The earliest years—birth through age eight—lay the groundwork for children’s:

• Brain development and learning
• Physical and emotional health
• Social-emotional skills
• Long-term educational and economic outcomes

Through Family Connects nurse home visits families with newborns receive early guidance, mental health support, and connection to community resources—at the very moment development is most sensitive to environment and care.

When families are supported early, children are better positioned to thrive.

👉 For more details, read our full press release.
https://familyconnects.org/2026/04/13/week-of-the-young-child-building-strong-foundations-early/

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Connecting Every Child to a Healthy Future

The earliest months of human life are foundational for later development — including social, emotional, and brain development — with the physical and mental health of the mother playing a critical role. Too many families of newborn infants have unmet needs that keep them from achieving successful outcomes for their children, and most communities are not organized in ways that identify and serve these families effectively.

Family Connects International offers an evidence-based model that combines engagement and alignment of community service providers with short-term nurse home visiting beginning in the first month after birth. The Family Connects model is designed to be delivered to all families with newborns, free-of-charge.

Through an ongoing randomized controlled trial evaluation, this model is proving to have a positive impact on increasing family connections to community agencies, improving the parent-child relationship, reducing incidence of postpartum anxiety, reducing the use of emergency health care, and reducing the number of investigations for suspected child maltreatment.

We work with a variety of communities, hospital systems and agencies across the country who want to implement this effective model at a local level. For more information about implementing Family Connects in your community, contact us at familyconnects@duke.edu.