HUDSON, Florida — The knock on Amber Bechtol’s front door is expected and welcome. It’s a visit from the Healthy Families team.
“Hi Amber, how are you?” says Atiyah Spellman when she enters Bechtol's Hudson home.
Spellman and her co-worker Belkisa Zoraja are veteran Family Support Specialists. They’re helping Bechtol prepare for the baby on the way and also keeping track of Bechtol’s 5-year-old daughter Mazikeen and 3-year-old son Torrance.
Sitting at the kitchen table, Spellman asks “Have you started working on your birthing options?”
Bechtol says the home visits are helpful.
“It’s definitely a stress release, it definitely makes things a little easier and smoother," she said. "You don’t have to worry about so much, because, you know, I have somebody who has my back.”
Pasco Kids First provides the Healthy Families program for free. It aims to prevent child abuse by helping moms manage.
“It’s so important to have someone in the home to provide education, because as we know, parenting didn’t come with a handbook,” Spellman said.
During the visits parents can learn more about child safety & development, other resources in the community and how to handle their own emotions.
“If I don’t judge what she’s doing, if I help her learn, I know she’s going to be a better mom,” Zoraja said.
As for Bechtol, she values the program because she wants to be a great parent.
“I had a rough childhood. I had a lot of things go wrong for me,” Bechtol said. “When I had my daughter, I thought, I can do better. I can level this up for her.”
The program works with families from pregnancy, until the child reaches age five.
The counselors say they form really strong bonds and love the families and results of their work.
"Oh, I know I’m making a difference!” Spellman said. “I always say we make a difference one child at a time.”
10 Tampa Bay and our parent company, TEGNA’s Foundation, are proud to support the Health Families program with a $2,000 grant.