Healthy Development

Healthy Development programs focus on improving the lives of families in Kent County through healthier pregnancies and births, overall child health and well-being, and ensuring children are developmentally on track.

Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) provides insight and understanding of the factors that contribute to infant mortality, as well as understanding the factors that contribute to the disparities with mortality rates among babies of different race and ethnicities.

• The Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) is a collective community effort working to ensure Kent County is addressing the social, equity, economic, and health factors that contribute to healthy births in Kent County. The Kent County Health Department leads the action-oriented FIMR to bring together local health providers, parents, advocates, and leaders.  

Developmental, Social Emotional Screening and Referral – Programming promotes positive social emotional development that also ensures that children have regular developmental screenings to identify concerns as early as possible as well as follow-up referrals to services, and information.

• Arbor Circle’s Keep Early Education Positive (KEEP) behavioral health supports partners with parents, teachers, and child care providers when children aged 0-5 face challenges in child care or preschool. The program provides intervention and support that promotes positive social-emotional development and ensures successful early learning experiences.

• Arbor Circle’s Infant Toddler Developmental Services (ITDS) provides home-based support and clinical interventions to families with young children to build strength and skills, increase bonding between the parent and child, and create a sense of emotional security within the family. Through counseling and other hands-on interventions, parents learn more about themselves and their children and receive guidance for various behavioral concerns and parental issues.

Niche Family Supports. Each specialized family support service has experience in reaching out and helping families in unique situations. They support families who may not typically be reached through regular programs and who could benefit from culturally responsive or specialized services.

• Bethany Christian Service's Hands Connected Program offers Early Childhood Navigation. This program connects children and families with a Refugee Navigator, who provides comprehensive support to families recently resettled in the United States. The Navigator welcomes these families and guides them to available community resources.

• Families with children who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness are connected with Early Childhood Specialists who ensure that families with young children are connected to early-childhood-specific resources and trauma-informed support. This service is provided by Family Promise of West Michigan.

• The YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids offers the Child and Family Advocate Program to families of children in early childhood education programs in partnership with Grand Rapids Community College, Hispanic Center of West Michigan, Refugee Education Center, and Steepletown Neighborhood Services. Child and Family Advocates offer programming that is co-located within early education classrooms that provides culturally responsive assessments, individualized goal setting with families, intentional community resource referrals, and family engagement opportunities.

• Family Support Services through the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan works with expectant mothers and parents with young children. There is a focus on the whole family as they assess social determinants of health needs, address barriers to accessing resources by guiding families through complex systems.

Environmental Home Health. Environmental health hazards in the home can contribute to elevated blood lead levels in young children and expecting parents, which can lead to birth defects, delays, and more. These Ready by Five providers work to educate families on how to prevent lead exposure by identifying hazards as early as possible while also supporting families who have a child with confirmed elevated levels of lead in their system. 

• Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan provides an in-home screening to identify possibly sources for lead, poor air quality, and accidental injury risk, with a trained Healthy Housing Specialist. Families are provided with education, supplies to reduce exposure to the hazard(s) in the home, and referrals to other community organizations as needed.

• Kent County Health Department offers comprehensive Lead Inspection Risk Assessments that confirm the source of lead hazards in a home. If lead-based hazards are found, professionals connect residents with financial resources help with home hazard repairs. Services are available to families in owner-occupied or rental homes. Funding also supports community education and increasing awareness around the dangers of lead paint throughout Kent County.

• Kent County Health Department also offers a Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. This program provides nursing case management and health services for children with elevated blood lead levels. Nurses are trained to visit with families at their home to discuss ways to help lower their child's elevated blood lead level.

Healthy Development - Network Training and Education. Training opportunities are offered to all service professionals funded by Ready by Five and their direct supervisors to cultivate a network that is responsive to the needs of families and young children in Kent County. 

• Health Net of West Michigan’s Care Model Training Series© teaches core skills for frontline staff delivering care to families with young children. The model is centered on equity and empowerment with a structured approach that equips professionals to improve client engagement and access to services.