Effingham County Connections 0-3
Effingham County Connections is a home visiting program that serves children birth to age 3 and pregnant mothers. It uses the Parents as Teachers Curriculum (PAT) which teaches staff to empower and educate parents in best practices for being their child’s main teacher. They hold monthly parent workshops and have bi-annual family field trips.
This program is designed to help children with academic need. It is not income-based. It is need-based and uses a ranking scale to give those with the most need the highest priority. The program will serve closely with the following Effingham County schools including Effingham, Altamont, Dieterich, Teutopolis, Beecher City, Sacred Heart, and St. Anthony. For more information please contact Samantha Weidner at sweidner@healthdept.org or 217-342-9237.
Mom to Mom Loving Support
Peer Counselor
What do Peer Counselors do?
- Listen to your concerns
- Contact you during your pregnancy to answer your infant feeding questions and help you prepare for having a new baby
- Visit you at the hospital (at your request)
- Answer any questions or concerns you might have after your baby is born
- And much more…
Who is a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor
- A peer counselor is a mother just like you! She lives in your community and has breastfed her own baby.
- She has been carefully selected and trained to give new mothers and expectant mothers information about feeding their babies. She is here to give you support to meet your own goals for feeding your baby.
- As a new or expectant mother, you may have heard things about how to feed your baby. You may know breastfeeding is the best way to give your baby a healthy start and wonder how to fit into your life. Mothers everywhere have found that breastfeeding CAN work.
For more information call the Effingham County Health Department and ask for Emilee, the BF Peer Counselor or contact her on our Breastfeeding Facebook Page.
