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Celebrating New Beginnings: Healthy Start @ NYCHA Hosts Community Baby Shower

Joshua Olesker

On November 23, the Healthy Start @ NYCHA program hosted another delightful and helpful Community Baby Shower, this time at the Polo Grounds Community Center. This citywide event series provides expecting families and new parents with essential resources, education, and a supportive community as families prepare to welcome their newest members. This latest event brought together approximately 200 NYCHA residents from 42 developments across all five boroughs.

The 11/23 event brought together approximately 200 NYCHA residents from 42 developments across all five boroughs.

The event enabled attendees to connect with 30 partner organizations that offer important services to growing families, including:

  • Little Essentials, Mommas Give Back, and Baby2Baby, which shared essentials like clothing and diapers;
  • The NYC Health Department’s Newborn Home Visiting Program, which provided resources on infant feeding, health, safety, and more;
  • The CUNY Fatherhood Academy and NYCHA’s Resident Economic Empowerment and Sustainability (REES) program, which shared information about resources that support personal and professional growth;
  • The Irth App and Saving Mothers, which help ensure equitable access to resources; and
  • NYCHA’s TEMPO program and the NYC Health Department’s Environmental Exposure Assessment and Education Program, which shared information about creating healthy home environments and safe living spaces for newborns.

Natasha Dyce, Senior Project Manager for Healthy Start @ NYCHA, said: “This was Healthy Start’s 10th Community Baby Shower, and our first with live workshops! The families learned about CPR from the NYC Fire Department and breastfeeding tips from the Supporting Our Mothers Initiative.” Ms. Dyce was also pleased by an extra-special moment of the day: the 6th birthday celebration of an excited “big brother-to-be,” who enjoyed cake and a group singalong.

The day‘‘s opportunities for kids included face painting, balloon art and free books to take home.

The day was full of family-friendly activities: kids enjoyed face painting and balloon art and were able to take home free books from Brooklyn Book Bodega. All these fun opportunities were made possible through collaborations with the Public Housing Community Fund and the Monarch Foundation. There was even a photobooth to capture the families’ smiles.

One Bronx mother noted: “I’ve attended community baby shower events by other organizations, and this was the best I’ve seen. Everyone brought great information and was really helpful and friendly.” A new mom from Brooklyn expressed her gratitude as well: “Thank you so much. I didn’t get to have a baby shower, so this is really special. It means a lot to me.”

If you are a member of the NYCHA community who is pregnant or expecting and would like to benefit from Healthy Start @ NYCHA’s valuable resources and assistance, visit NYCHA’s Self-Service Portal to let NYCHA know that a member of your household is expecting. The Healthy Start program can also be reached via email at healthy.start@nycha.nyc.gov or by phone at (212) 306-8282.