To improve lifelong health, Memphis tries rooting out childhood trauma

For 20 years, the Center for Young Women’s Development has been a safe space for thousands of young women ages 16 to 24 who have been incarcerated or are homeless in the San Francisco Bay Area. The center is most recognized for its strategies to give these women opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Some social services push dads away and many primarily address mothers. PAPAS in California, is a program that helps strengthen families and reduce conflict through support groups and educational classes for fathers.

Mounting evidence points to an increasing disparity in the educational achievements of those children who attend and complete pre-school, and those who do not. The Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program is a national home visiting initiative for low-income families that is working to bridge the gap. They provide learning curriculum, guidance, and parenting support for disadvantaged families in their homes, so that their children can be equally prepared to succeed in school.

Research has shown the importance of infant-primary caregiver attachment for the future of the child's cognitive ability, emotional health, and parent relationship. Infant Mental Health Specialists and other practitioners have emphasized programs and techniques to improve this relationship, for example infant massage classes, and specifically tailored interventions.

First 5 — a group of public agencies created by California’s Proposition 10 tobacco tax — provide funding for preschools, homeless family housing, pediatric dental and mental health care and infant-mother home visits to help parents in need. Home visit groups funded by First 5, like Welcome Baby, serve more than 15,000 families a year and provide necessary supplies like cribs and car seats as well as check-ins for child development.

Research has found that physical movement, such as dance, can be an affective treatment and rehabilitation for people with Parkinson’s Disease. The Dance Well Initiative brings people with Parkinson’s, as well as community members, together to stage dance performances in gallery spaces as treatment and a creative response to the surrounding art.

In Brooklyn, along with 2 other locations in New York, new mothers are receiving free lactation consultations, helping them to learn how to breastfeed their babies - but also building a sense of community for these mothers. While the ultimate goal of the so-called Baby Cafes is to lessen the barriers to breastfeeding, the community and support they provide are also essential to encouraging the practice.

Environments designed with soundscapes and visual art help to reduce anxiety and pain. In London, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has noted a marked improvement in patient experience, including decreased pain and even a reduction in the time women spent in labor, in the presence of artistic installations. Other hospitals in the UK report similar benefits.

What started as a form of therapy turned into a business venture for this group of moms. The aim was to “empower mothers through art” and now they are selling their pieces for a profit.

The Mary Lyon School is a “full-inclusion school” designed to give students — especially those with special needs, including emotional and behavioral disabilities — the necessary resources and supports to see positive outcomes with their education. The Mary Lyon School uses community-based approaches and philosophies rooted in inclusion to stay connected with students and their families to help guide them toward their graduation day.