CHILDREN AND FAMILY RESOURCES SERVICES (CFRS)

CFRS is a non-profit organization 501(c)(3) under the umbrella of the Santa Barbara County Education Office. We have four programs within our department:

• Welcome Every Baby (WEB)
• Health Linkages program 
• Santa Barbara County Promotores Network

Our programs and their subcontractors provide services to the families and children living within the boundaries of and or enrolled in  Santa Barbara County Schools. Services include but are not limited to newborn home visitation, parent education, teacher education, and support, access to and funding for oral health (including orthodontia), and health screenings. Our program also offers health safety and social support services to early childhood education and care programs, referral for enrollment of children and families into government-sponsored health plans, the integration of health promotores into public and private agency outreach efforts and service delivery systems, as well as coordination of the SB County Promotores Network, and referral for support to other community partners.

Our Mission:  

Provide high-quality, family-focused, strength-based services to build resilient communities throughout Santa Barbara County. 

WHAT WE DO 

 WELCOME EVERY BABY 

Welcome Every Baby (WEB) is a free postpartum nurse home visitation program for all families with newborns in Santa Barbara County that are not already enrolled in a postpartum nurse home visitation program. All of the WEB Nurses are Registered Nurses and Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultants. They can provide one to three postpartum home visits within the first 3 months of a newborn's life, regardless of socioeconomic status. Using screening tools, the nurse/lactation consultant measures newborn and maternal health, provides lactation support, anticipatory guidance and education on parenting and assesses strengths and needs to help link the family to community resources.

HEALTH LINKAGES

Health Linkages provides oral health education, identifies dental disease, identifies orthodontia needs, and provides treatment services to low-income children in targeted subsidized preschool, child care, and elementary and middle school programs in Santa Barbara County. Health Linkages staff also provides support to medical and dental providers to implement fluoride varnish applications within their practices.  The Health Linkages program coordinates the fluoride varnish application for several school districts, migrant education, and special community events. Fluoride Varnish applications are provided two times a year for state preschools, children centers, school readiness and Head Start programs, and kindergarten students at targeted elementary schools.     

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY PROMOTORES NETWORK

The Santa Barbara County Promotores Network is a grassroots network of individuals who are active members of our community. They are actively involved in promoting healthy communities through education, policy change, and linking Santa Barbara County resources to health services.  Santa Barbara County Promotores Network members understand and respect the traditional beliefs of the Latino community and can help agencies integrate these cultural beliefs in their programs and services. They do this by engaging the underserved and marginalized Spanish-speaking recent immigrant community around strategies to enhance systems to improve community awareness about health and social service issues that affect them. They participate in health fairs, community forums, and peer-to-peer education and provide information on a variety of topics of interest or benefit to our community.

EARLY CHILDHOOD AND FAMILY WELLNESS COALITION

The Early Childhood and Family Wellness Coalition is a cross-sector group of organizations that support children pre-natal to 5 and their families. Fundamental to their approach is a shared belief that the numerous and complex systems supporting children and families in Santa Barbara County must be better coordinated in order for children to achieve success in school and life. We are all committed to incorporating the science of ACEs and trauma-informed practices into the work of our organizations to promote the wellness of our community.