One of Bella Vista Foundation’s grantees in the area of Early Childhood Development is the Pregnancy and Early Parenting Center (PEPC) at the Family Service Agency of Marin. The program is a valuable resource for all Marin families with young children, especially those with limited financial means. PEPC provides in-home counseling, education, support services and developmental assessment for children 0-5 years of age and their families. Staff and family members work together to develop a tailored Family Service Plan, which includes a strong component on good parenting, and, depending on the individual needs of the family, may include assistance with access to health care and nutrition, mental health and substance abuse counseling, acquisition of living necessities, or a number of other important resources delivered by government and community agencies. Home visits with a therapist, trained volunteer, or bilingual case worker are arranged depending on the need, and all families are screened for depression. Support groups, providing both mental health counseling and the chance for social interaction, areoffered, and families with the most intense needs are provided with psychotherapy by a licensed or pre-licensed mental health practitioner.

Through the Pregnancy and Early Parenting Center, FSA Marin provides much-needed support to an underserved population: parents and caregivers of very young children who are coping with high levels of stress. Studies have shown that healthy social and emotional development in young children is heavily dependent on strong attachment to the primary caregiver. Attachment, in turn, can be easily disrupted by depression, an illness all-too-common among parents coping not only with the stress of a new baby but also the difficulties of living in poverty. By helping parents learn about and cope with their stress and depression, FSA Marin seeks to encourage secure attachment between child and parent, giving that child a better chance to succeed in the world.

Rather than simply treating the symptoms of stress and depression, addressing the underlying cause of the problem is a much more effective way of finding a solution. To this end, FSA Marin directs its efforts towards seeking out the underlying factors affecting stress levels and giving the parent or caregiver the tools necessary to change the situation. The focus at the Pregnancy and Early Parenting Center is on reinforcing healthy behaviors and relationships through a continuum of home and office-based services that include counseling and psychotherapy, support groups, case management, developmental screening and assessment, and parent education. The combination of these services helps parents and caregivers learn how to cope with their situations in the best way possible, which in turn gives them the time and focus needed to form stronger bonds with their young children.