First Born Home Visiting Program Comes to Santa Fe Community College

By SFCC

SANTA FE, NM – Santa Fe Community College announced today the acquisition of the First Born Home Visiting Program, a home visiting educational program for ages prenatal to three. The program’s mission is to increase the health and wellness of women pregnant for the first time, families parenting for the first time, and families adopting their first baby. Housed at SFCC’s Early Childhood Center of Excellence, the operation will provide statewide training, technical assistance, and licensing of First Born Programs throughout New Mexico.

“Children who are born into a supportive and stable environment are more likely to succeed in their education, from pre-K through college and well into their careers,” said SFCC President Dr. Cecilia Cervantes. “The community college is honored to house the First Born Program and to help provide support to babies and families across the state.”

First Born was created in 1998 Grant County by Vicki Johnson, a licensed clinical counselor and Don Johnson, a practicing pediatrician, who saw a need in their community. Over the past twenty years the program has been established and expanded throughout the state of New Mexico and is currently operating in eighteen counties, 10 Pueblos and Navajo Nation.

The partnership was made possible through Santa Fe Community College Foundation and the New Mexico Early Childhood Funders group, and support from the Thornburg Foundation, the Brindle Foundation, Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation and the Daniels Fund.

“First Born is recognized in our state as a promising practice and plays an important role in early education for parents and enhances the healthy development of new born infants,” said Jennifer Sallee, Director of the Early Childhood Center of Excellence.

First Born has been the subject of outcome-based evaluations by independent research teams, including the RAND Corporation, the Center for Education Policy and Research at University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University. These evaluations have determined that the FBP improves the health and well-being outcomes of newborn infants.

For more information about this program, contact Dr. Jennifer Sallee, jennifer.sallee@sfcc.edu or 505-425-1321.