Lay family support during pregnancy and infancy: The child survival/fair start initiative

This paper discusses the Ford Foundation's Child Survival/Fair Start Initiative, under which Ford has sponsored community-based strategies to improve pregnancy outcomes and infant health and development, through parent support, education, and service brokerage. We present an overview of the general Child Survival/Fair Start strategy and then examine in detail emerging lessons in two areas: The influence of specific patterns of family support needs on local program priorities and emphases and the nurturance and work of the lay home visitors.