New Parent Support Program

The New Parent Support Program is a team made up of nurses, social workers and home visitation specialists who offer support and guidance by helping parents:

• Build strong, healthy bonds with their infants and toddlers that will lay the foundation for their social and emotional development
• Manage the demands of parenting, especially when impacted by deployments and other military operations
• Remain flexible and responsive when navigating daily life
• Build a strong support network
• Respond to infant and toddler behavior sensitively and be attuned to their developmental needs
• Find services in the local community in time of need

Learn more about the New Parent Support Program and contact your installation New Parent Support Program office to find out what’s available at your installation.

New Parent Support Program staff are child development professionals, including registered nurses, clinical social workers, and para-professionals trained in the delivery and practice of established home visiting models. The program is supervised and monitored at the installation level by the Family Advocacy program manager.

The program is available to military families who are expecting a baby or have children age 3 or younger. Marine Corps eligibility includes families with at least one child under 5.

Contact your installation New Parent Support Program office or Family Advocacy Program office.

The New Parent Support Home Visitation Program is specially designed to provide support and education in developing positive nurturing parenting skills on a prenatal and postnatal basis. The program not only helps empower service members to meet the challenges of parenthood and their military lifestyle but also promotes family resiliency. The prenatal program focuses on ensuring a healthy pregnancy along with looking at some of the social, emotional and physical adjustments that go along with becoming pregnant and ultimately the changes in lifestyle that will ensue once the baby is born. The postnatal program provides parents with the tools to make healthy choices in parenting their children and challenges them to look at their own attitudes and beliefs which influence their parenting styles. The services offered are at no cost and are provided on a voluntary basis through the Fleet and Family Support Center.

Individuals interested in services are required to complete the Family Support Survey to assess the families' needs in order to participate in the program. This can be completed during the weekly OBGYN prepared childbirth class at the Naval Hospital, through the Family Medicine or directly with the New Parent Support Home Visitation Program. Referrals are also often provided through the OBGYN Clinic, Mother Baby Unit, Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, Mental Health Department, Counseling Division of the Fleet and Family Support Center, Chapel, and different Commands. Once a family is enrolled in the New Parent Support Home Visitation Program, home visits will be scheduled to meet the needs of the individual family (usually on a weekly basis). Home visits give parents the opportunity to add tools to their "parenting toolbox" that will help them meet the challenges of being a parent in a positive manner. The Nurturing Parenting Program used by the New Parent Support Home Visitation Program is a home-based program that offers a curriculum comprised of prenatal sessions and post-natal sessions for Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers. The curriculum is intended to be tailored by the New Parent Support Home Visitor to meet the family's needs based on the family's assessment results and their interests.

Each family is provided a copy of the Parent Handbook which covers a variety of activities and information. The Home Visitor and participant(s) determine together which sections should be the focus so that the curriculum is designed to meet the parents' needs. Opportunities for both parents and children to practice the skills presented and have fun are also provided during the home visit. Home visits are usually one and a half to two hours in length. 

The New Parent Support Home Visitor may refer expectant and new parents to available resources, both on and off the installation, to best meet their needs. Participat­ing families may need counseling, financial education, and/or assistance meeting concrete needs such as food, clothing, and utilities. Individual commands, the Medical Treatment Facility, Mental Health, Educational and Developmental Intervention Services and Pediatrics along with the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society are among the Navy resources most used by the New Parent Support Home Visitation Program. There are also, however, numerous community resources which the New Parent Support Home Visitation Program works closely with, for example: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children - better known as the WIC Program, Department of Public Health and Social Services, and the Attorney General's Office.

The New Parent Support Program is offered through the Guam Fleet and Family Support Center, Building 106.  Please call 671-333-2056/57, Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., for more information.