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CUNA

The Children's Home Society's CUNA program is the first program to receive a multi-year grant under the Community Impact Special Funding Initiative. This program is designed to help address a critical need in Ocean County in one of the three impact areas, Education, Income or Health. In receiving this multi-year grant CUNA was able to develop and grow into a program which now is providing health and education services for Ocean County.

CUNA is a health and social service program for Latino pregnant and parenting Moms and Dads. CUNA cultivates a new alliance of families in our community. CUNA (meaning "cradle" in Spanish) provides FREE linguistically and culturally appropriate prenatal and postnatal health and parenting education and support services for Lakewood and Ocean County Latino mothers, fathers and their babies. Services are provided in a welcoming and supportive environment. This program is a partnership between The Children's Home Society of New Jersey, United Way of Ocean County and The Ocean CUNA Collaborative.

• Improve positive health and birth outcomes for Latino infants and parents with a focus on first pregnancies of at-risk, recently immigrated Latina women as well as women who are delivering for the first time in the United States.
• Enhance effective parenting and healthy child development among Latino families.
• Facilitate a social support network among Latina women to break isolation.
• Increase awareness of preventive care options.

• Pregnancy tests
• Prenatal health, education and support groups
• Linkages to healthcare services
• Prenatal nutrition classes
• Information and referrals
• Special tours of medical facilities
• Childbirth preparation classes
• Breastfeeding workshops
• Group baby showers
• Transportation and meals (for groups)
• Spanish lactation line (1-800-CHSOFNJ x170)

• Catholic Charities of Ocean County
• The Children's Home Society of NJ
• Family Planning Center of Ocean County
• Health Net
• Missionary Pentecostal Church of God
• O.C. Dept. of Human Services
• Ocean County DYFS
• Ocean County Health Dept.
• Ocean Health Initiatives, Inc.
• Ocean Mental Health Services
• Ocean Partnership for Children, Inc.
• Puerto Rican Congress
• The Regional Perinatal Consortium of Monmouth and Ocean Counties
• Saint Barnabas, Behavioral Health Center
• Saint Francis Community Center
• United Way of Ocean County (funder)
• Whitehouse Family Success Center
• WIC (Women, Infants and Children)