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 Program at U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria offers a dynamic program, and enrollment is open to any family that has children 4 years old or younger. The program is staffed by two licensed clinical social workers and a registered nurse who plan and lead programs as well as make regular home visits to the program's participants.

The program is voluntary, and home visits are available to families for any needs related to pregnancy, childbirth, delivery, breastfeeding, newborn care, assessment for post-partum maternal depression and help with home organization. Home visits are also available for help with the issues of toddlerhood: toilet training, discipline and other issues typical to that age.

Its main mission, as part of the Family Advocacy Program, is to reduce the potential for child and/or spouse abuse, isolation, maternal depression and stress caused by being in a foreign country with no family or friends nearby.

Special Programs

• Safe Harbor is a seven-week support group for mothers with children younger than 1 year old. It is offered three times a year.
• Baby Boot Camp is an all-day childbirth and delivery workshop for both parents. It is offered three times a year.
• Individual breastfeeding support is available as needed both in the home and in the office.
• Infant Massage is a four-week program for babies under the age of 6 months to help with bonding. It is offered three times a year.
• Kids Konnection is a twice-weekly playgroup for moms and children under the age of 3; its purpose is support and socialization for both moms and babies.