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.

The New Parent Support Program is a service for families who are expecting a child or have children under the age of 4. The program is designed to meet the needs of expectant active-duty military service members, their spouses and other dependents.

It offers comprehensive, early intervention services that include maternal and infant health education, parent and child bonding techniques, positive parenting practices, child development and child safety education. NPSP home visitation enhances a military family's quality of life by empowering them to meet the challenges of parenthood while maintaining a military lifestyle.

The New Parent Support Home Visitation Program (NPSHVP) is a free support service program designed to meet the needs of expectant active-duty military personnel, their spouses and those families with children under the age of four. The program is to provide prenatal and parenting skills education to active-duty service members and their families.

NPSHVP's primary goal is to enhance their quality of life by empowering parents to meet the challenges of parenthood while maintaining a military lifestyle. The program offers a variety of services, including prenatal health and nutrition consultation, breastfeeding education, early child development education, parenting skills and home visitation services. The NPSHVP consist of a team of professionals providing supportive and caring services to military families with new babies. In the program, new Moms and Dads can be referred to community new baby programs and are eligible to participate in a voluntary home visitation program, free of charge.

By participating in NPSHVP, you will learn how to bond with baby, child-proof your home for baby's arrival, and stages of child development. Skills, strategies, and techniques will be taught to promote the growth and development of your child as well as learning how to balance demands of caring for your child, yourself, and your family.

For more information please visit https://ffr.cnic.navy.mil/Family-Readiness/Fleet-And-Family-Support-Program/Counseling-Advocacy-and-Prevention/New-Parent-Support/ 

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.

Contact your local Fleet and Family Support Center 540-653-1839 to find out more about the New Parent Support Program home visitation and related resources in your area. If a home visitor is available, they will screen your family and determine what resources would be the best fit. If a home visitor is not available, the FFSC can offer information and referral resources in your community.

For more information, visit the New Parent Support Program website for a program overview.

The Navy’s New Parent Support Program team includes educators with experience in maternal and infant child health, child development, obstetrics-gynecology, pediatrics, and other public health professions.

All home visitors, in accordance with Department of Defense Instruction 1402.5 and PERS letter 1754 Ser 660/173, who have regular contact alone with children younger than 18, undergo a criminal background check.

Military parents face challenges that many civilian parents never have to deal with. Military families live on or near their installation and are often far away from family and civilian friends who would normally support them in times of need and give them advice on how to deal with parenting issues. Our Fleet and Family Support Center does not have a dedicated New Parent Support Program position on staff. If you would like more information on new parent support in the Indian Head community, contact the FFSC at 800-500-4947, 540-653-1839 or DSN 312-249-1839 for referral to a participating installation.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children is an example of new parent support in the local community. Call 301-609-6900.