Healthy Mothers.
Healthy Babies.
Stronger Communities.
Healthy Start empowers Black mothers in North St. Louis City to make informed, confident decisions for their health and their babies—reducing racial disparities in maternal and infant outcomes through education, support, and community care.
The Foundation for Strengthening Families’ Healthy Start program provides health and nutrition education, emotional support, and community connection for Black mothers throughout pregnancy and their baby’s first year.
In a nation where Black women are nearly three times as likely to die from maternal causes as white women, and Black babies are three times less likely to survive their first year of life, FSF’s Healthy Start meets a critical need: empowering mothers with knowledge, resources, and a network of support from day one.
Healthy Start helps mothers build healthier pregnancies, stronger bonds with their babies, and a brighter future for their families.
Healthy Start
Program Purpose
The journey to break the preschool-to-prison pipeline begins before a child enters school—before birth itself.
Healthy Start addresses maternal and infant health disparities at their root, ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive from their first breath.
The Healthy Start Program Focuses On:
Education
Support
Access
How It Works
Healthy Start is a year-long program consisting of monthly two-hour sessions led by expert facilitators. Each session covers topics essential to maternal and infant well-being, including:
Prenatal and Postnatal Nutrition
Breastfeeding Education
Mental Health & Self Care
Child Development Education
Healthy Start participants are often referred through community partners such as Almost Home and Haven of Grace, which serve pregnant or parenting mothers experiencing homelessness.
WHO WE SERVE
Healthy Start serves Black mothers ages 15–25 living in North St. Louis City who may face limited access to healthcare, prenatal education, or family support.
Many participants are young, first-time mothers balancing multiple challenges—from financial insecurity to emotional isolation. Healthy Start provides not only the knowledge to parent confidently, but also the compassion and resources that build resilience.
Program Purpose
Healthy Start is more than education—it’s transformation.
From our pilot cohort and early sessions, the outcomes speak for themselves:
100%
of participants reported increased knowledge about nutrition and breastfeeding.
100%
committed to nursing their baby for at least one year.
95%
gained awareness of community resources for healthy living.
85%
reported feeling more confident in their ability to make healthy choices for themselves and their child.
These results demonstrate the power of education and community in closing health equity gaps for Black mothers and babies.
“Before Healthy Start, I didn’t know how much what I ate mattered for me and my baby. Now I cook healthier meals and I’m proud to be breastfeeding. I feel like I’m giving my child the best start in life.”
Educational Setting
Healthy Start sessions take place at Good Shepherd Early Learning Center in North St. Louis City, where participants also access hands-on cooking classes in the on-site teaching kitchen and resources in the therapy and literacy lab.
The environment is warm, nonjudgmental, and intentionally designed for women to learn, rest, and grow together.
Program Cost and Sponsorship Opportunities
Supporting Healthy Start means investing in generational change.
Your contribution makes direct impact:
$3,542
Fund six months of sessions for one participant
$1,771
Provide one month of education and resources
$295
Supply breastfeeding essentials for one mother
$334
Cover childcare for all participants for one session
Each gift helps FSF remove barriers that stand between mothers and opportunity.
Why Healthy Start Matters
Healthy Start directly combats the social and medical inequities that cause preventable loss of life and opportunity in Black communities.
When mothers are informed, supported, and connected:
Babies are healthier.
Families are stronger.
Communities are transformed.
By equipping mothers with tools for lifelong health, FSF is building the foundation for the next generation of leaders, learners, and change-makers.
