In an effort to provide timely information to as many local families as possible, the Healthy Families Partnership has produced a developmental newsletter titled Healthy Stages. In 28 well-designed issues, Healthy Stages provides parents with information on child growth and development from the second trimester of life up through high school graduation. Early issues focus on developmental milestones, age-appropriate activities, doctor-patient relationships, advice for dads, immunization schedules, nurturing and safety tips and ways to tap into community resources. Later issues also address school success, the role parents play throughout a child's school career and the evolving relationship between a child and his parents as he progresses from kindergarten to high school graduation and beyond.

order the 28 issues of Healthy Stages

Non-Hampton City Residents may order single subscriptions here

The newsletters are circulated at timed intervals throughout a child's first 18 years of life. With each mailing, parents receive the Healthy Families Bulletin, which provides information on forthcoming community events that offer either educational opportunities or fun activities for parents and children. A parent comment line is also available for parents to share ideas, suggestions and questions.

Parenting Newsletter Goals

The content of the Healthy Stages newsletter is designed to:

Educate parents on appropriate well-child care and child development issues;

Enhance parenting skills and parent-child interactions; and

Increase parents' knowledge of and access to resources that meet their
   family's needs.

Program Accomplishments

Each issue of this attractive well-designed and easy-to-follow newsletter has earned positive feedback from community experts, staff members and parents from throughout the city.

A survey of households receiving the newsletter indicated the following:

80 percent said their newsletter always or sometimes arrived on time.

Three out of four found a special "Parents Tips" section useful or very useful.

Nine out of 10 recipients would encourage other parents to sign up for Healthy
   Stages.

Overall, a majority of parents find the newsletter helpful in their efforts to
    become better mothers or fathers.

To continue to reach residents in a timely manner a computerized tracking system has been put in place and operating smoothly. This system maintains a mailing list based on each child's birthday and/or school year.

Also, in an ongoing effort to register an increasing number of families, a procedure has been developed with the cooperation of local hospitals to include a Healthy Stages flyer and registration form in the informational packets sent home with new mothers. Information on Healthy Stages has also been inserted in water bills sent to all city residents.

Conclusions and Projections:

Healthy Stages, is an excellent example of the city's commitment to develop a comprehensive, multi-faceted health promotion effort that reaches as many local residents as possible. The newsletter also serves as a strong prevention component in the overall Partnership program.

Through established relationships with local hospitals, this high-quality series of parenting newsletters will continue to reach more children, youth and families from throughout the region. The recent expansion of the newsletter from 14 to 28 issues (The publication originally was developed for parents of children ages five and under) provides parents with valuable information they will need to continue to support their child's development into adulthood. In fact, the final issue of the newsletter "What Now!" focuses on the changing relationship between a parent and a newly adult child, providing tips and information to support this typically difficult transition in a healthy and positive way.

As the Healthy Stages circulation grows and expands, continued partnerships with local hospitals and other organizations will help underwrite the cost of on-time distribution throughout the newsletter's coverage area.