Children's Foundation grant supports funding Fussy Baby program
Edith Chopin with her son, Pierre-Thomas.
Parents with an infant or toddler who cries a lot or has difficulty sleeping, eating or calming down will be able to continue receiving support from Oakland Family Services thanks to a grant from the Children’s Foundation.
Oakland Family Services recently received a $52,600 grant to fund an infant and family specialist for Fussy Baby, a home-visiting program that helps children ages 0-4 get a healthy start in life by addressing regulatory disorders, behavioral difficulties, and developmental delays.
The infant and family specialist will conduct 60-minute visits with families weekly or biweekly to help model, and reinforce, effective parenting strategies targeting challenging behaviors. Often families have children experiencing such type of problems as excessive crying, night terrors, separation anxiety, temper tantrums, or difficulty eating and sleeping.
“The Fussy Baby program reduces the risk of child abuse and neglect by offering supportive services that partner with families experiencing the stress and frustration that comes with raising a young child with a regulatory disorder,” Early Childhood Services Manager Teri Dorta said. “In the long term, children can reach significant milestones and learn how to self-regulate within a safe and healthy environment.”
The infant and family specialist will conduct approximately 500 home visits benefitting 30-40 children from a minimum of 25 families per year in Oakland County. Developmental screenings will be conducted and families also will have access to a community resource network. Through this, families may receive referrals to community resources, such as playgroups, food pantries and therapy.
Edith Chopin found solutions to her toddler’s temper tantrums through the Fussy Baby program. Every time the Rochester Hills woman left her house, her son would have an uncontrollable meltdown.
“The Fussy Baby program has been absolutely amazing for our family,” Chopin said. “My son used to have many freak outs, like several a day, and used to have meltdowns. He was extremely nervous. He has had such a turnaround with the help of the program. We received simple tips that I couldn’t find myself, and it has changed our life.”
Oakland Family Services appreciates the funding received for the program from the Children’s Foundation, which supports pediatric research, education, community benefit programs, and other initiatives that improve the health of children in Michigan.