Hello Family, a Continuum of Prenatal and Early Childhood Services in Spartanburg, SC

The City of Spartanburg, regional health organizations, and community leaders came together to launch Hello Family, a continuum of services that work to reverse the trend of childhood poverty in their city. Historically, nearly 55% of children in Spartanburg live in poverty; COVID-19 has only exacerbated this. By supporting women prenatally and children in their first five years, Hello Family aims to improve birth outcomes and early childhood health and development.

Financing for Hello Family from the Community Outcomes Fund and other local investors supports services to what is expected to be over 4,000 children and families over the next 5 years. The suite of services is designed to care for children from before they are born through age five. Hello Family’s services begin with a community doula program that supports women during pregnancy and through labor and delivery. The services continue with a home visiting program and classes for caregivers to support childhood development in the earliest weeks and months of a baby’s life. Later, Hello Family works to improve early childcare systems by working with childcare local childcare facilities. Key indicators of success will include increased instances of healthy birth weight, quality improvements in childcare, improved caregiving skills, and increased school readiness.