The document describes several initiatives by the Healthy Children Strategy Team in Spalding County to support families with young children. The team includes representatives from the health department, hospital, schools, and other community organizations. They provide resource bags to new mothers with information on safety, education, health and self-sufficiency. The bags are given to Medicaid patients, new mothers at the local hospital, and families in early education programs. The document also outlines strategies to address low birthweight in the county, including education and identifying at-risk families. It encourages community involvement through donating items, attending meetings and trainings, and supporting the healthy children initiatives.

1. HEALTHY CHILDREN STRATEGY
TEAM – A SPALDING
COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVE
Molli Pruitt, LPC
Program Associate – Spalding County Health Dept
678-588-8736
Owner/Therapist – A Better Life Counseling &
Coaching, LLC
www.selfcare-matters.com
678-939-2442

2. HEALTHY CHILDREN STRATEGY TEAM
PARTNERS:
Healthy Children
Spalding County

3. WHO MAKES UP THE HEALTHY CHILDREN
STRATEGY TEAM?
 Health Department
 Hospital
 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
 March of Dimes
 Stewards of Children
 School System
 K-12 School Mentoring Program
 Spalding Collaborative
 March of Dimes

4. HEALTHY CHILDREN RESOURCE BAGS
A Spalding County initiative providing resource
information to ALL new moms related to the following
areas:
 Community and Family Safety
 School Readiness and Adult Education
 Family Economics and Self-Sufficiency
 Family Health

5. WHO RECEIVES RESOURCE BAGS?
Anyone in the community with a child age 0 – 5
Current recipients:
 Pregnancy Medicaid patients who register at the
health department
 Women who have just given birth at Spalding
Regional Hospital
 Early Head Start/Head Start
 Children First

6. RESOURCE MATERIAL PARTNERS
 USAA Education Foundation
 Right From the Start Medicaid
 Spalding Collaborative
 Stewards of Children
 Low Birthweight Prevention/Kaiser Foundation
 Health Department
 Ferst Foundation
 National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome
 WIC

7. PURCHASED MATERIALS
 Spalding County Resource Guide
 Baby Books
 Baby Calendars
 Purple Bags

8. LOW BIRTHWEIGHT PREVENTION INITIATIVE
 14.4% of babies born in Spalding County are
considered low birthweight compared to state
average of 9.6%
 44th of 50 states in healthy outcomes for premature
births (i.e. not good)
 Low birthweight baby defined as less than 5.8 lbs at
delivery

9. LBWP STRATEGY
Funding provided by the Kaiser Foundation through
the GA Family Connection Partnership to:
 Educate population about personal health to
improve health outcomes for babies
 Identify risk factors that could contribute to low
birthweight babies (e.g. smoking, low BMI, previous
birth of LBW baby, etc.)
 Collaborate with surrounding counties to promote
family planning and birth spacing
 Public awareness/social media campaigns about
long-term health and developmental effects of
premature birth

10. STEWARDS OF CHILDREN/PREVENT CHILD
ABUSE - SPALDING
 Only adult-focused, evidenced-based curriculum
that educates adults to recognize and react
responsibly towards protecting children from sexual
abuse
 Emphasizes the importance of adults protecting
children and the need for ongoing, positive
communication among family members
 Tipping point for Spalding: 2,393
 Currently Trained: approx. 600

12. WAYS YOU CAN HELP!
 Help stuff bags for the hospital and presumptive
Medicaid
 Attend and/or host a Stewards of Children training
 Provide financial support to sustain healthy children
bags (@150 bags/month) and Healthy Children
Conference
 Attend a Healthy Children Strategy Team meeting
on the third Thursday of each month at the health
department
 Crochet caps in November for Shaken Baby
Syndrome Prevention

13. 5 WAYS TO CARE FOR YOURSELF TODAY
1Download a free music app (e.g. iHeart Radio, Pandora, Spotify) and listen to music that fills
your soul. Whether it is Gospel, Country, a specific music artist or band, or music from your
teen days, these FREE music apps can export you to a place of inspiration, positive memories,
replenished energy…all from the comfort of your earbuds 
2 Call a friend, the one who loves to hear from you. The one who helps you feel lighter, heard,
valued, understood. Let that person know how much his or her love for you means to you. When
you try to talk yourself out of not calling for fear of “bothering them,” do it anyway. You are not
a bother. You are someone they love dearly and want to support you.
3Identify a space of your own in your home. Make it a sacred place just for you. Fill it with
meaningful items such as your Bible, a soft chair with pillows and a blanket, inspirational
quotes, pictures of precious people or places. Closets are oftentimes overlooked as potential
sacred spaces that can be transformed with minimal effort. It doesn’t matter where the space,
just find it and claim it.
4Journal. Ask yourself “what do I need to replenish my soul?” and jot down the answers you
receive. Writing allows us to better process our thoughts and feelings and gain greater insight as
to how to get our needs met. Take note of themes (e.g. hunger, tiredness, loneliness, etc.) and
identify healthy ways to get those needs met.
5Practice gratitude and deep breathing. Deep, cleansing breaths come from the base of our
bellies and should be slowly breathed in and out. As you breathe in, recognize how your body
responds with gradual relaxation. As you breathe out, think or say something you are grateful for
(e.g. time to take deep breaths, God’s unfailing love for you, family, friends).