Continued From Newsletter

The Center was established in 1988, as part of NOAH’s mission to assist Glades residents with family development. It was initially underwritten by the Children’s Services Council and also briefly supported by the Palm Beach County Department of Housing and Community Development. Funding from Knight Foundation enables NOAH to offer the Center’s services without interruption.

“Part of NOAH’s work has always included family development, and early on, we’ve focused on teen parents and ways to improve their parenting skills and healthy birth outcomes,” said Gladys Givens-Barber, NOAH’s Family Services director. “We help these young parents understand how to bond and interact with their children and care for them with proper education, discipline and maturity. This program sets the stage for the child’s development all the way into the classroom.”

Prenatal Parenting Education addresses the need to change individuals’ behaviors and attitudes about maternal health, family planning and child rearing. Pregnancy rates among teen mothers in Belle Glade and Pahokee are two to three times higher than the Palm Beach County average, and the 17.5 percent infant mortality rate in South Bay is twice as high as the rest of the county.

“NOAH has had a consistent track record in the community and an experienced and dedicated staff that recognizes the needs and challenges of residents living in the rural Glades communities,” said Suzette L. Prude, Knight’s community liaison program officer for Palm Beach County. “This program will help teen and young-adult mothers acquire skills and information that will increase the chances for their children to succeed.”

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities.

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