Celebrating a child’s first birthday in African American families has a heightened significance in light of alarming statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which show that Black babies are three times more likely to die before their first birthday compared to their white peers.
In St. Louis, the Show Me Strong Families (SMSF) initiative, Parents as Teachers National Center program, is tackling these disparities by prioritizing the health and well-being of mothers and infants in the Black community.
Donna Givens, SMSF’s community partnerships and groups manager, recently led the annual First Birthday group connection at The Heights Recreational Center in Richmond Heights to foster community engagement.
“We host this event each year to celebrate the birth of children enrolled in our program and to use the forum to provide information and support that could lead to the reduction of prematurity and maternal and infant morbidity and mortality among children in our community,” said Givens.
Many families involved with SMSF confront a myriad of challenges, such as substance use disorder, mental health issues, and domestic violence, with caregivers often being fathers or grandparents. A significant number of these young parents are navigating life in shelters or transitional housing.
“We’re celebrating our 10th anniversary at Show Me Strong Families, and Parents as Teachers is celebrating 40 years of strengthening families and preparing children for entry into kindergarten,” said Givens.
“We couldn’t do this important work without the support of our National Center and the many local organizations that we partner with that provide additional essential services to our clients.”