Pre to 3

This video was provided by the Evansville Promise Neighborhood 

campaign as part of its Little Moments Big Growth initiative.

The Pre to 3 Program is a service of the Vanderburgh County Health Department 

designed to improve maternal-child health outcomes, school readiness, family 

resilience, and reduce infant mortality by offering relationship-based home visiting.

Services:

Pre to 3 is a free, voluntary home visiting program for families from pregnancy until the baby turns 3 years old. Clients will have a support team that includes a Community Health Worker, Registered Nurse, and Client Advocate. As a team, we will explore the Growing Great Kids™ curriculum to promote important skills that support healthy growth and development. Services include:

  • Car seat checks by a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST)

  • Safe sleep education and resources

  • Breastfeeding support by a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC)

  • Community resource navigation

  • Little Lamb vouchers available for completed visits

Pre to 3 has home visitors that speak English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. We make every effort to pair you with a home visitor that speaks your language. Services can be provided in other languages through our translation service provider.

What does a Community Health Worker, Client Advocate, and Registered Nurse do?

Community Health Workers (CHWs) in the Pre to 3 Program support families during the most important years of early development by meeting families where they are to build strong, caring relationships. Through regular visits, CHWs listen, use strengths-based and motivational interviewing approaches to support each family’s unique needs. They also help connect families to other team members and community resources when additional support is needed.

CHWs use the Growing Great Kids™ curriculum to share research-based information about how children grow and learn. This includes:

  • Attachment and self-regulation
  • Social and emotional development
  • Communication
  • Brain development
  • Physical development and learning through play
  • Basic care

CHWs also complete screenings and plans to support family health and safety, including:

  • Edinburgh Depression Scale
  • Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
  • Intimate Partner Violence
  • Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)
  • Home Safety
  • Healthy Families Parenting Inventory
  • Substance use screenings (AUDIT-C, NIDA, 5Ps)
  • Family Goals

Community Health Workers are dedicated to helping families build strong foundations for healthy growth, learning, and long-term success.

The Pre to 3 Client Advocates support pregnant individuals and families by connecting them to essential community resources and services. This role focuses on reducing barriers, promoting stability, and improving family well-being through individualized support, education, and advocacy.

Resource Navigation & Support

  • Assist families in accessing basic needs such as:
    • Food assistance (e.g., SNAP, food pantries)
    • Safe and stable housing
    • Employment opportunities
    • Childcare and early education programs
    • Healthcare and insurance coverage
  • Support clients with completing applications and required documentation
  • Follow up to ensure successful connection to services

Client Advocacy

  • Advocate on behalf of families to reduce barriers to services
  • Help clients understand available resources
  • Coordinate with community partners and service providers
  • Provide culturally responsive support

The Pre to 3 Nurse provides skilled, family-centered care to support healthy pregnancies, promote healthy child growth and development, and improve overall well-being through personalized care, education, and advocacy. Pre to 3 Nurses answer questions, listen to concerns, partner with parents to build confidence in caring for their child, and connect families with helpful community resources.

Status Visits
Pre to 3 Nurses meet with families every three to six months for status visits to check in on overall well-being and make sure families are getting the support they need. These visits also give time to review resources, services, and other supports that may be helpful.

Breastfeeding and Feeding Support
All Pre to 3 Nurses are Certified Lactation Counselors (CLCs). They provide compassionate, evidence-based guidance including breastfeeding education, help with latch and positioning, support with milk supply, pumping education, and help with common feeding challenges so families can meet their feeding goals. Pre to 3 Nurses respect each family’s choice and provide nonjudgmental support for whichever feeding method parents choose.

Postpartum Care
The postpartum visit with the Pre to 3 Nurse is a supportive check-in for both mother and baby after delivery. During this visit, the nurse checks the mother’s vital signs and the baby’s growth to make sure both are healthy and doing well. The nurse also talks with the parent about breastfeeding or feeding, physical and emotional healing, any concerns or challenges, the birth experience, and basic infant care. This visit helps ensure the postpartum period is going smoothly and connects families with extra support if needed.

General Nursing Support
Pre to 3 Nurses also provide care based on each family’s needs. This may include:

  • Mental health support
  • Education about pregnancy and child development
  • Weight checks
  • Blood pressure checks
  • Other health concerns

Eligibility:

Open to pregnant individuals or those with an infant under 90 days old, residing in Vanderburgh County or Warrick County.

Program Sign Up
Hello, I am taking the time to write this letter to express my great satisfaction and my gratitude toward the program for the excellent services it provides to children. I truly appreciate the way the team always acts with professionalism, respect, and great kindness in every interaction. This clearly shows the program's commitment to delivering high-quality services and putting children first. It's not everywhere that you can find a service that is so well organized, efficient, and maintains such a strong level of respect and consideration. The program truly makes a difference in the way it treats each child with dignity. I would like to thank the entire team for the work they are doing and for the effort they put in every day to ensure a positive experience. I hope the program continues to grow, develop, and maintain this same level of excellence for a long time.
First Name Last NamePre to 3 client
Bonjou, Mwen pran tan pou m ekri lèt sa a pou m eksprime gwo satisfaksyon mwen ak rekonesans mwen anvè pwogram nan pou sèvis ekselan li bay timoun. Mwen vrèman apresye fason ekip la toujou aji ak pwofesyonalis, respè, ak anpil jantiyès nan chak entèraksyon. Sa montre klèman angajman pwogram nan genyen pou bay sèvis ki gen bon kalite epi mete timoun an premye. Se pa tout kote ou ka jwenn yon sèvis ki byen òganize, efikas, epi ki kenbe yon bon nivo respè ak konsiderasyon. Pwogram nan vrèman fè diferans nan fason li trete chak timoun ak diyite. Mwen vle remèsye tout ekip la pou travay yo ap fè ak pou efò yo mete chak jou pou asire yon bon eksperyans. Mwen swete pwogram nan kontinye grandi, devlope, epi kenbe menm nivo ekselans sa a pou lontan.
First Name Last NamePre to 3 client
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First Name Last Name
First Name Last NamePre to 3 client

CLIENT DATA

0 Families Served
0 Visits in 2025
0 Program Births

Pre to 3 families showed
improvement in the following areas:

  • Access to food
  • Employment
  • Stable housing
  • Early reading
  • Community resource navigation
  • Confidence in parenting practices
  • Personal and emotional well-being

Program flyers
Program data
Publications

Hear from a Pre to 3 family

Vanderburgh County Health Department Program Sign Up