United Community’s Healthy Families Fairfax-Mount Vernon program was recently reaccredited by Healthy Families America, one of the nation’s leading family support and evidence-based home visiting programs in the United States.
Healthy Families provides home-based parenting education, health information, community support and school readiness for parents from pregnancy until the child reaches age three. This program works with families to promote positive parenting, improve child health and development, encourage school readiness, and prevent child abuse and neglect.
United Community’s Healthy Families Program is a consortium between our agency, Northern Virginia Family Services, and Fairfax County. Our Family Support Specialists meet with parents in person, via phone, or virtual home visit to provide home-based parenting education, health information, community support and school readiness training from the mother’s pregnancy until the child reaches age three.
To earn reaccreditation, United Community’s Healthy Families and eight others in the Commonwealth of Virginia were selected to represent the 32 Healthy Families sites across the entire state. Two cases from each Family Support Specialist were randomly selected for review to determine if proper sequencing and procedures were followed. Over three days, reviewers examined these cases and conducted interviews with team members and United Community leadership.
Reviewers provided extremely positive feedback to United Community, calling it an outstanding program. As a result of the high marks received by our program, every Healthy Families program in the state received reaccreditation, which will last for five years.
“Our program sets a high standard for Healthy Families sites in the state of Virginia,” said Jeanne Mitchler-Fiks, Healthy Families Fairfax Program Manager. “Individuals and families enrolled in our program are often young with little or no support from loved ones, often facing difficulties with unsteady resources and inconsistent lodging. Our Family Support Specialists understand the significant role they play in supporting families and ensuring that young children receive a positive start at the beginning of their lives.”
“We are so proud of the Healthy Families team,” Said Steve Luteran, Chief Programs Officer at United Community.” The accreditation process can be a daunting one, and our team did an outstanding job. They represented United Community, Northern Virginia Family Services, County, as well as all the Healthy Families programs in the state, remarkably well.”
