Families Get Free Parenting Help

BELLE GLADE, FLORIDA  (July 14, 2006) – Five local families were recognized and celebrated on June 29 for completing the requirements of The Healthy Families Program, provided by Neighbors Organized for Adequate Housing (NOAH) of Belle Glade. The Third Annual Graduation ceremony was held at the Drawbridge Café. Healthy Families is funded by the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County and is designed to work with “at risk,” expectant mothers from early pre-natal stages until the child is five years old. The program promotes positive parenting, enhances the health and development of the participating children and prevents child abuse and neglect.

At the graduation ceremony, the five graduating families were honored with a lunch, gift bag and a Certificate of Completion.  Each mother of the program shared her feelings as to how the program has enriched her life.  “I don’t know what I would have done had it not been for Mrs. (Ketia) Cidoine (NOAH Family Support Worker) visiting me at the hospital and every week in my home,” said one mother.

Claudia Garrison, supervisor of NOAH’s Healthy Families program, along with NOAH Executive Director Thomas Roberts, shared words of encouragement with the families and asked each one of them to always be the best mothers they can be.
The families are referred to the program mainly by physicians and because they live in the targeted areas of Pahokee, Canal Point, Belle Glade and South Bay.

 Healthy Families works with families lead by low-income, single mothers; mothers with histories of domestic violence; and teenage or older mothers who have been in abusive relationships.  Family Support workers visit the families’ homes on a regular basis and offer a variety of parenting tips and support, such as how to bond with children, how to potty train, change diapers and the importance of reading to children.


Established in 1983 to address the need for adequate, safe housing in the Glades, NOAH provides residential, social and family and child development services for local residents. NOAH’s mission is to improve housing in the Glades area of Palm Beach County, which includes Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay; to empower disadvantaged individuals toward self-help and self-sufficiency; and to build bridges among the diverse racial, ethnic and economic groups. Its main offices are located at 601 Covenant Drive in Belle Glade.