The Four Perinatal Periods

Healthy Start strives to ensure access to community-based, culturally sensitive, family-centered and comprehensive health and social services to women, infants and their families, from before pregnancy through the child’s second birthday. Healthy Start works with its participants across four phases of the perinatal period, also described as the “4Ps”: Preconception/Interconception, Prenatal, Postpartum, and Parenting. Utilizing the EPIC principles assists grantees in their efforts to strengthen community service systems to best meet participant needs across the perinatal period.

Parenting

This phase refers to the time period from birth to age two years. During this phase, Healthy Start works with mothers, babies and families to strengthen family resilience, creating a foundation for optimal child health and development.

Some key aims for HS grantees during this phase:

• Support comprehensive home visiting programs
• Ensure infants and families are connected to a medical home
• Connect families to benefits and services to meet basic needs
• Provide child development and parenting education and support
• Provide socio-emotional development screening for children

Resources

Inventory of Evidence-based Practices (EBPs) for Healthy Start Programs: A collection of evidence-based programs, practices and tools, searchable by phase of the perinatal period, topic and resource type.  HS EPIC Center.