Weaving Programs Together to Better Serve Families

Two federal programs have joined forces to give all children in Rolette County, North Dakota, a good start in life. The story began in 2013 when the state received a federal grant for a Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians received funding for a small home visiting program to serve all eligible families in Rolette County.

Five years later, they received a Tribal MIECHV grant. Rather than create a separate program, the Tribe dovetailed its efforts with the existing home visiting program. By working together, the two programs are reaching more families and enhancing the services they provide.

The MIECHV program is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Resources and Services Administration oversees the State Home Visiting program, and the Administration for Children and Families oversees the Tribal Home Visiting program.

Despite the multiple agencies and funding streams, the experience for families is seamless, according to Susie Laducer, the lead parent educator for the Tribal MIECHV program. “Our families don’t feel separated between the State and Tribal programs,” she said. “We offer the same services within each program. We both use the Parents As Teachers home visiting curriculum. We share the same goal of helping families learn more about their children’s development and supporting them with [the] challenges of family life. We also provide resource connections to our families.”

The personal experience of parent educators is another strength of the programs. “I go through the hard times with my families, and I get to laugh with them, too,” said parent educator Desiree Schroeder. “We both tell our stories. There’s no better way to bond and connect with families than sharing your own story.”

One difference between the two programs is the cultural aspect of the Tribal MIECHV program. “A lot of families practice the culture ways, so we honor that,” said parent educator Myrna DeCoteau. “We have activities like the healing blanket service. For example, one lady made a blanket that had a tree, and the roots on the tree were hers because, in the Indian ways, the women are most powerful and most honored. On that tree was her family.  Everything on the tree signified something. And when they stitch it, each stitch is prayed upon.”

The two programs are woven together as seamlessly for staff as they are for families. They have offices in the same building, hold joint staff meetings, and co-sponsor evening events for all of the families. They also share the same director, Amy Gourneau. As the director of both programs, Amy has a lot on her plate, but she always supports her workers, the staff say, and provides the leadership needed to serve families well.

Strong teamwork is central to helping families address the challenges they face, including low incomes and limited services in their rural community. “We consider ourselves a team, and team effort is what makes the programs succeed,” said Amy. “I am very proud of the home visitors, the connections they have with their families, and the services they provide. It gets to be overwhelming at times, but when we see the families who are struggling and overcoming those struggles with the help of the home visitors, it gives us happiness and the willingness to keep moving forward.”

“What excites me is seeing the results,” Susie agreed. “When we complete developmental screenings and if we come across a child that scored low, we work with the family and make a referral. The rewarding part is when we go back to do the assessment a couple of months later and their scores are going up.”

For some, becoming a parent educator was inspired by the challenges of one’s own life. “My mom passed away when I was five, and I grew up in boarding schools,” said Myrna. “When I got older, I wanted to be that person [who] helps families stay together and achieve their goals in life. It excites me when Amy and Susie run the reports and we see that we’re hitting our benchmarks and making a difference for those families.”

For more information about the State and Tribal MIECHV programs in Rolette County, contact Amy Gourneau at 701-477-0240 or amy.gourneau@tmbci.org.

ACF's Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program awards grants to tribal entities to develop, implement, and evaluate home visiting programs in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities. The grants help build and strengthen tribal capacity to support and promote the health and well-being of AIAN families, expand the evidence base around home visiting in tribal communities, and support and strengthen cooperation and linkages between programs that serve tribal children and their families. Find out more about the Tribal Home Visiting program and grantees.