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JBSA News
NEWS | Dec. 3, 2015

Program offers in-home visitations to young military families

Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Public Affairs

With its deployments, temporary duty and remote assignments and permanent changes of station, the military lifestyle can be challenging to families, especially those with young children and more on the way.

Fortunately, parents in military families can avail themselves of a free, confidential service that assists them in their child-rearing duties.

“The New Parent Support Program supports military families and ensures active-duty members can focus on the mission at the same time their families’ needs are being met,” said Audrey Thompson, 359th Medical Operations Squadron program nurse.

Thompson said the program offers expectant parents and parents of newborn and young children under the age of 3 the opportunity to learn new parenting skills or improve old ones.

“The New Parent Support Program is a home visitation program for families that is completely voluntary,” she said. “It’s offered in the privacy of the parents’ home where they will be more comfortable.”

Thompson said she spends an hour every two weeks with families who enroll in the program.

“The needs of the families determine the number of visits they require,” she said.

Thompson, who has been a program nurse for seven years, including four at Joint Base San Antonio locations, said she and other program professionals are able to answer questions regarding pregnancy, baby care, relationships, stress and self-esteem in the first three years of life.

“The program has a nurse and a social worker,” she said. “The nurse does all the education on pregnancy and infant development; the social worker handles topics like relationship counseling, stress management, depression and behavioral issues with older children.”

Thompson said she talks with parents about safety, nutrition, child-rearing, applying discipline in a fair manner, improving parenting skills, role changes, establishing nurturing routines, appropriate child development and other pertinent topics.

“We instill the importance of parents taking care of themselves so they’re able to take care of their family and the active-duty member is able to focus on the military mission,” she said.

Although most of her contacts with families are through home visitations, Thompson said she will also meet parents at the JBSA-Randolph Family Advocacy Program office in building 860 or talk to them by phone.

Thompson also connects families to military resources such as the Military and Family Life Counselor program and Military OneSource, and to community resources. Books, videos and other educational materials are also available.

In addition, JBSA locations offer a variety of classes to help parents, she said.

Classes at JBSA-Randolph include “Infant Massage,” “Love and Logic” and “Dads: The Basics” at the Human Performance Resource Center; “Bundles for Babies” at the Military & Family Resource Center; and “Fit Mom” at the 359th Medical Group. The Single Parent Support Group meets at the M&FRC, and Heart Link, a one-day orientation session that educates new spouses on the military lifestyle and culture, is offered at the M&FRC.

Child car seat safety is another component of the New Parent Support Program.

Two classes, “Car Seat 101” and “Curbside Car Seat Clinic,” are presented by Connie Wilson, 359th MDOS Family Advocacy Program assistant and senior certified child passenger safety technician.

“In Car Seat 101, I educate our parents and parents-to-be on Texas state laws regarding child safety restraints, and provide them the tools to  know if a car seat is safe, fits your child, fits your vehicle and is easy to use,” she said. “During the curbside clinic I demonstrate to parents how to install the seat correctly, as three out of four car seats are installed incorrectly, according to the latest statistics by the National Traffic and Safety Administration. I also talk about the safest seating location in the vehicle and how to use the lower anchors, tethers, and the adult lap and shoulder belt.”

Car Seat 101 is offered every quarter at JBSA-Randolph’s HPRC; the next session is from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 20. The curbside clinic is offered every third Monday of the month, excluding November and December, in the parking lot of the Family Advocacy/Mental Health Clinic, building 860. Parents who want a free car seat must attend the Car Seat 101 class prior to making an appointment for the curbside clinic. 

Thompson said seeing the progress of families in the New Parent Support Program is satisfying.

“The biggest things are providing them with support, helping to alleviate their stress and giving them someone to talk to,” she said. “We set goals at the beginning of my visits, and seeing that they’ve met those goals at the end is rewarding to me.”

For more information on the New Parent Support Program, call 652-6308 at JBSA-Randolph, 808-6468 at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston and 292-5967 at JBSA-Lackland.