Prevention & Self Sufficiency Services 

Healthy Families America is a signature home visiting program that promotes child well-being and prevents the abuse and neglect of children in communities around the world through family-focused and empathic support provided in the home. For nearly 30 years, Healthy Families America has worked toward a singular vision: all children receive nurturing care from their family that leads to a healthy, long, and successful life. As an affiliate of Healthy Families America, our family support and resource specialists work with families to strengthen parent-child relationships, promote healthy child development and enhance family well being. 

Parents as Teachers is an early childhood development program that builds strong communities, thriving families and children who are healthy, safe, learning and ready for school. As an affiliate of Parents as Teachers, our team provides a wide array of services to families with children from prenatal through kindergarten, and also offers deep insights into early childhood development In practice, our methods are proven to help caregivers connect with their child’s early development and build a lifetime foundation for academic success.

Voluntary and court mandated community based parenting education services to support optimal parenting practices, child development, and to prevent child abuse and neglect.  Services are available to the public at no cost.  In collaboration with Youth Services, staff also plans and implements Community Outreach and Engagement strategies to educate and connect residents to information resources, and empowers residents to make decisions to improve their neighborhood.

Voluntary and court mandated community based parenting education services to support optimal parenting practices, child development, and to prevent child abuse and neglect.  Services are available to the public at no cost.  In collaboration with Youth Services, staff also plans and implements Community Outreach and Engagement strategies to educate and connect residents to information resources, and empowers residents to make decisions to improve their neighborhood.

The program administers the state's Welfare to Work program known as VIEW (Virginia's Initiative for Education and Work) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Employment and Training (SNAP E&T). VIEW promotes employment and provides work support to recipients of TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), a cash benefits program for eligible families. TANF recipients not meeting an exemption are required to engage in work activities in order to maintain benefits. Federal regulations mandate a five year maximum lifetime receipt of TANF benefits. In Virginia, a family may receive TANF benefits for a period of 24 months, followed by a 24 month period of ineligibility, until reaching the five year maximum.  

Virginia Cooperative Extension is your local connection to Virginia Tech and Virginia State Universities, providing outreach through research-based education. Our free programs assist Newport News citizens in increasing their financial health in our youth & adult financial literacy classes, their physical health in our youth & adult nutrition programs (SNAP and Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) programs included), protecting environment health in our agriculture and horticulture programs, while advocating for positive youth development in our 4-H youth program. We offer hands-on volunteer opportunities in all these program areas so citizens can invest in their community. We also partner with other local agencies to ensure our educational component fits and meets your needs.