Investing in children

At age 3, Nolan is a bright, active and talkative child. That’s thanks, in part, to the help his mother received before he was born that allowed her to become a better, more knowledgeable parent.

For several months leading up to Nolan’s birth, a Jefferson County public health nurse visited Nolan’s mom regularly to offer advice on what to expect, what to eat and other information she needed to know before having a baby. She continued the visits until Nolan was almost 2. “He’s charming and precocious,” says Valerie Carberry, the nurse who helped Nolan get a healthy start. But Nolan’s mom faced big challenges as she headed toward motherhood at age 19. Despite troubles in her own home life, she managed to graduate from high school. But she found herself in a volatile relationship lacking good role models for becoming a parent.

The foster care system referred her to a program focused on improving the health and well being of low-income, first-time parents and their children. The program is now available in almost every county across Colorado due to early support from The Colorado Trust. The foundation initially invested to expand field research demonstrating the effectiveness of nurse home visits for disadvantaged, first-time mothers. Once proven, it also provided start-up funds to take the initiative statewide.

The Denver-based Nurse-Family Partnership, as the program is called, now operates in 28 states. In Colorado, a nonprofit called Invest in Kids is responsible for bringing the voluntary nurse home visitation program to communities in 52 of the state’s 64 counties. In less than a year, Invest in Kids rounded up $350 million in state funding to ensure its future. “The Colorado Trust was so far ahead of its time in being able to see the value of this groundbreaking research,” said Invest in Kids’ Executive Director Lisa Merlino. “They took a big leap of faith with us.”

In Colorado, the nurse visits have had a significant impact, including a 20 percent drop in cigarette smoking during pregnancy, fewer subsequent pregnancies and longer intervals between births. Nationally, the program has reduced risk for youth crime, delinquency and child abuse.