Family Matters

Welcome to Life Steps' Project Family Matters. Project Family Matters is a program that combines independent and supported living, parenting and infant development services. We look forward to helping you become a successful parent in raising your baby or toddler to become a healthy, successful preschooler. This handbook, along with the parent handbook for the infant development project, is to help you understand the services and use them to your and your child's advantage.

How Project Family Matters Works to Support Parenting

If You Have Not Yet Had Your Baby

A Life Steps in-home parenting educator will help and support you in planning for your baby in the following ways:

• Organize doctor visits and follow through with doctor recommendations and advice.
• Develop a support system and make hospital arrangements.
• Gain understanding about the changes in your body and your emotions.
• Ensure that you learn what to expect during labor and how to manage labor and delivery.
• Prepare you for your baby by helping you decide which supplies to purchase.
• Learn about infant care, including how to feed, bathe and dress your baby and how to develop a sleeping/feeding schedule and play/bonding activities when your baby is awake.
• Learn about breast or bottle feeding and receive help with making a choice in what is best for the family.

Once You Have Your Baby

Your educator will help ensure that your support system works to help you in the ways you need it most. You may want help with:

• Establishing routines
• Breast feeding or other feeding issues like nutritional guidelines
• Meeting baby care needs
• Making sure the baby is safe and healthy
• Caring for your own health after delivery

While Your Baby is Developing

The Infant Development Parent Handbook will help you understand how that program works to make sure your baby learns and develops the skills appropriate for his or her age as the months go by. You will, in addition to the infant development services, get support with parenting concerns, including help with:

• Supporting your child's behavioral development
• Establishing good routines for your child
• Providing the right kind of supervision to help your child learn and to stay safe
• Continuing to provide a healthy, safe environment
• Coping with the daily challenges of parenting
• Learning how to communicate and play with your child
• Learning how to provide age-appropriate stimulation and experiences
• Helping you prepare your child for school and community experiences.

You and Your Educator

Your educator's role is to help you, the primary team leader and major influence in your child's growth and development, learn about parenting and child development. The ultimate goal is for you to take the lead role in your child's development. You will learn how to work with others to help your child prepare for preschool by age 3. Your child will benefit by being prepared to participate successfully with his or her peers in a school setting.

Your educator cannot assume any parenting roles, for example, babysitting, for you. The educator will do everything in your presence to help you learn how to be a good parent.

Other Information You Should Know About

Your other handbooks contain additional information that's very important for you to know. Please read these handbooks for information about:

• Your rights to confidentiality, appointment punctuality, respect, and changing services
• Our obligation to report child abuse, child neglect, self-abuse or threats of harm to others
• Attendance guidelines
• Hours of operation
• How to file a grievance or complaint
• How you can help us improve our services