As we lead up to our 30th anniversary on April 16th, we’re excited to launch our #30for30VoicesofImpact campaign, featuring stories from our partners, programs, and staff! Get to know the voices working towards a stronger and more supportive early childhood ecosystem here in Durham.
Nestled in downtown Durham, the Center for Child and Family Health has been providing comprehensive early childhood support to families since 1996. Focused on preventing and treating childhood trauma, the Center’s programs include Healthy Families Durham, partially funded by Durham’s Partnership for Children.
Healthy Families Durham offers intervention services through long-term home-visiting for children needing extra social support. During these weekly home visits, community resources are shared with families, support is provided through the Parents as Teachers curriculum, and parents create their own goal plans. The program is designed to improve parent-child interaction and child social-emotional well-being, promote parenting skills, enhance child health and development, increase school readiness, support family self-sufficiency, and reduce risk for child maltreatment. The Center also offers home visiting through the home-based Durham Early Head Start program.
Currently, Healthy Families Durham serves about 120 families across the county. Additional services include Child Parent Psychotherapy: a one-year trauma-focused intervention on parent-child relationships, and Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch up: a brief 10-week intervention for parents and children 6-24 months old.
Tomeika Watson, Director of Early Childhood Prevention Programs, began her career at the Center for Child and Family Health 23 years ago. She started as a family support worker then program manager and now leads the Center’s early childhood prevention programs. Her passion for her work is apparent in the way she talks about the Center and the critical work Healthy Families Durham does. “We’re a small part of people’s lives, but it has a big impact. We normalize what parenting is, walking with families in that process and being a nonjudgmental support for them,” she said. Tomeika also mentioned it brings her joy to help families in the community. “It’s special to witness the love and resilience we see here in Durham.”
To learn more about Healthy Families Durham, visit: https://www.ccfhnc.org/programs/healthy-families-durham/
Written by: Kristen Luft, Community Awareness Manager
