Grantee Name
What to Expect Foundation
Funding Area
Special Projects Fund
Publication Date
May 2011
Grant Amount
$299,919
Grant Date:
December 1, 2007 – December 31, 2009
The United States infant mortality rate is higher than that of 29 other nations, and more than 40 million adults have limited literacy skills.
Many at-risk women do not receive comprehensive, coordinated care and health literacy education that would lead to healthier pregnancies and to building skills that would assist them in advocating for their own and their family’s health.
Under this grant, the What to Expect Foundation (WTEF) collaborated with Public Health Solutions (PHS) to roll out its pilot-tested Baby Basics Program to low-income, low-literacy expectant and new mothers seeking prenatal and postpartum care at several New York City maternal and child health clinics run by PHS (MIC-Women’s Health Services sites).
The Baby Basics Program provides health literacy tools, training, and technical assistance to everyone who works with a pregnant woman, from the receptionist, to the doctor, to the home visitor—so they can better communicate and educate underserved, expecting women. During the course of the grant, more than 5,000 mothers were reached through the five MIC sites and the home visiting programs, exceeding its expected outcomes.