Every day, parents across South Carolina work to improve the lives of their families, neighbors and communities. One of those parents is Andrea Morente.
Andrea Morente and her family.
Andrea is a mom of two daughters, Sebastiana, one year old, and Maria, six months old, in Sumter, South Carolina. Andrea participates in the home visiting program, Nurse-Family Partnership and shared how the program helped her grow into the parent she is today.
Nurse-Family Partnership connects great nurses with moms expecting their first baby, beginning in pregnancy until the child turns two years old. It is implemented by McLeod Health, a funded partner of Children’s Trust.
What parenting advice would you give your younger self?
Responsibility, because you need responsibility to be a better person in life. How to take care of your things and how to watch over a younger little person.
How has Nurse-Family Partnership helped you as a parent?
Nurse-Family Partnership helped me a lot with parenting. When I first met Ms. Allison, my nurse, I didn’t know how to change a diaper or how to wash my baby. I didn’t know what I needed to buy or how much formula to give my child. She helped me a lot by showing me how to take care of my baby. She showed me a lot of nice things, and she gave me good advice about taking care of my child.
The program taught me how to discipline my child and how to teach my child what is good for them and what is not good for them. To not yell at them and to talk to them calmly so they will listen to you.
What’s your favorite game or activity to play with your child?
To take her outside to hang out around the chickens. She loves to feed them. We play around with the dogs sometimes. We like to go for walks.
Children’s Trust administers the federal investment in home visiting for South Carolina – the Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. Nurse-Family Partnership is one of three evidence-based home visiting models that Children’s Trust supports. Learn more about home visiting.
