HAMPTON, Va. — Family Support Specialist Shevon Spence enjoys spending some time with Carlota Delvalle and Delvalle’s daughter.
Spence works for Hampton Healthy Families, providing customized coaching and guidance to help Delvalle make sure her daughter is prepared to start kindergarten once she’s old enough.
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Hampton Healthy Families has been awarded the Outstanding Home Visiting Award from Early Impact Virginia.
Early Impact Virginia is a state organization that helps promote and connect people with home visiting programs. The award comes as a week is being dedicated for the first time nationally to recognize the importance of home visiting work.
Delvalle said Hampton Healthy Families has helped her connect with other mothers and helped her daughter develop important social skills.
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“She’s started to socialize now. She knows how to hang out with other kids, how to defend herself, and I can see how she’s going to behave and what’s going to happen whenever I’m not around," Delvalle explained.
“This is our generation. The kids that are being born now, the moms who are becoming pregnant this year, this is the new generation for us. So even if we start with one family at a time planting those seeds now, as you can see they can grow and bloom into something healthier," said Spence.
Delvalle hopes more parents will now be aware of and take advantage of home visiting programs.
