Santa Maria Community Services has a long standing history of working with children and organizing youth. Through the years we worked with generations of children and youth and helped them overcome the barriers that limit their ability to change the conditions they live in and find the ways for improved education, community service, conflict resolution. Santa Maria was chosen as the lead agency by PLACE MATTERS initiative in the area of Early Childhood/Youth Development programming in Price Hill.
Learn more about PLACE MATTERS
 Offers support to new and expectant parents having their first child through education on parenting, child development, and child safety. Enrolled parents receive home visits that focus
on parent-child interaction. The program is designed to ensure a healthy start for children by assisting new and expectant parents in gaining the parenting skills that promote and enrich their baby's potential.
The Every Child Succeeds (ECS) Family Support Workers come from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines including social work, education, and psychology. They receive extensive training in the areas of parenting, child development, early literacy, home safety and health. Click here to see a sample of a handout used to teach rhymes. On average the workers serve about 25 families at one time. Depending on the child's age, they visit families for about an hour weekly, biweekly or monthly, assisting families with:
- Setting and achieving goals
- Being confident parents
- Ensuring the safety of the home environment
- Identifying activities to meet the specific development needs of the child
- Accessing information related to areas of special interest to the family
Between April 1, 2006 - March 31, 2007, 201 families were enrolled in the Every Child Succeeds program at Santa Maria. Over 1500 home visits were completed.
For more information about the Every Child Succeeds Program at Santa Maria contact Julie McGregor at julie.mcgregor@santamaria-cincy.org or (513) 557-2700 ext. 212. You can also visit the Every Child Succeeds website at www.everychildsucceeds.org.
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 Children are born to learn! Santa Maria's Promoting Our Preschoolers program recognizes this important fact and that parents and families are the first and most influential teacher. The Program prepares children for kindergarten and continued success in school through support for parents, caregivers and grandparents and their preschool children using developmental screens, providing parent support and education, advocacy and referrals.
Read Cindy and Josh's Story
Cindy and her 4 year old Josh enrolled in Promoting Our Preschoolers program. Josh received a developmental screening. Language and cognitive delays were indicated on the screening, but Barb, Santa Maria’s Family Advocate, was able to show Josh’s mom how to use various activities to help promote Josh’s development. Many parents want their children to succeed but don’t know how they can be most helpful. Thanks to the newly learned activities, Josh’s follow up screening showed that he was on target! Cindy’s awareness of Josh’s development was heightened and they worked together for a successful outcome.
The Promoting Our Preschoolers program provides home-based services to families and their preschool age children focusing on early child development. The home visits include developmental screens, parent support and education, advocacy and referrals for Price Hill's preschool age children and their families, closing the gap in preparing the children for kindergarten.
Read about Children's Brain Development
The program "...is guided by new brain research that underscores the importance of early brain development. It is widely recognized that the first years of life are critical for brain development. A stimulating and nurturing environment is essential for optimal brain development, which in turn leads to readiness for school and excellent physical and behavioral health." (www.EveryChildSucceeds.org). Research shows that "roughly 85% of a child's brain is developed by age 5." (Center for Community Solutions). Therefore, best practices in early child development call for very early intervention with a child.
The younger the age of a child when parents intervene, gives a higher chance for successful development and readiness for school for the child. Early intervention with Price Hill's newborns, preschoolers and families can increase children's potential to succeed in kindergarten and beyond.
For more information about the Promoting Our Preschoolers Program please contact Susan Conrad at Susan.Conrad@santamaria-cincy.org or (513) 557-2700 ext. 202.
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 Program collaborates with 4C For Children to provide on-going training to currently certified family child care providers. Monthly trainings are offered to Family Child Care providers. Training topics include: Working With Special Needs, Every Child Has Potential, Communication Is Critical and
Developing Positive Self-Esteem In Children.
In addition, twenty providers are offered more intensive services. This "core" group of providers receives home visits from the Santa Maria program coordinator who gives encouragement and guidance on implementing information gained from trainings into their home child care business as well as other child development and professional development information and support.
For more information about the Home Child Care Provider Training program please contact Christine Bull at christine.bull@santamaria.cincy.org or (513) 557-2700 ext. 222.
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