Healthy Families Allegany-Cattaraugus

🎃👻 Halloween Counting Activities for Preschool!
Make learning numbers extra fun this Halloween! 🧡 These playful counting activities give preschoolers hands on practice with counting, number recognition, number matching, and one to on correspondence.

Parallel play is more social than it looks.

Two toddlers may be side by side, each focused on their own toys, with barely a word between them. But a lot of learning can be happening. They’re watching, imitating, exploring, communicating. And getting more comfortable sharing space with other children.

For early childhood professionals, these everyday moments can offer a window into a child’s social, language, cognitive and motor development.

And an important reminder: stages of play aren’t rigid deadlines. Children may move between different types of play depending on the activity, setting and people around them.

Learn more about parallel play, what to look for and how to support it without forcing interaction: https://bit.ly/4hf7xI5

Come check out the HFAC table at the Rushford labor Day Celebration!!

Brains are built over time, from the bottom up.

During early childhood, the brain develops rapidly, and early experiences shape the architecture of the developing brain—laying the foundation for all future learning, behavior, and health.

Learn more about brain architecture here: https://bit.ly/4hFNFwI

Mental Health Awareness Month is a time to recognize the importance of mental well-being at every stage of life, including during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Maternal mental health matters, and every parent deserves support, connection, and care. 💚

Healthy Families America home visitors partner with more than 66,000 families each year, building trusted relationships and creating safe, supportive spaces where conversations about mental health can happen openly and without stigma. Home visitors help connect families to mental health resources and community supports while reminding parents that caring for their mental health is an important part of caring for themselves and their children.

Together, families, caregivers, and dedicated home visitors can help reduce stigma, strengthen connections, and support healthier futures for children, families, and communities.



In a crisis? Help is available when you text or call 988 – the 988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline is 24/7. Visit NAMI or SAMHSA for more information.

's Healthy Neighborhoods Program in partnership with the Cattaraugus County Health Department seeks to reduce environmental hazards in the home. Will provide educational materials, allow for the installations of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, child safety latches, fall protection, and testing for lead-based paint and radon. Program is with no income eligibility requirements for homeowners or renters. For more information, contact Karie at 716-945-1041, Ext. 601.

https://www.ccaction.org/energy-and-housing-services

More big news following National Home Visiting Week ❤

The United States Senate has unanimously passed a resolution recognizing home visiting programs and the critical support they provide to families across the country.

This recognition reflects strong, bipartisan support for the role home visitors play every day, building trusted relationships, offering guidance, and walking alongside families during pregnancy and early childhood.

Moments like this reinforce what we know to be true: home visiting works, and it matters.

We’re grateful to the Senate leaders who helped make this possible and for the continued commitment to strengthening families and communities nationwide.

Read the full resolution here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-resolution/692

Today kicks off National Home Visiting Week!

From April 20–24, we’re celebrating the people at the heart of this work: home visitors.

Every day, home visitors show up for families with care, consistency, and compassion. They build trusted relationships, meet families where they are, and support parents through pregnancy and early childhood. Through these connections, they help strengthen parent-child relationships, support healthy development, and walk alongside families as they work toward their goals.

At Healthy Families America, home visitors are the foundation of everything we do. This week, we’re proud to recognize their dedication, impact, and the difference they make in the lives of families every day.💙

Happy National Home Visitors Appreciation Week!!! April 20th-April 24th.
HFAC will spend the week celebrating their staff!
Home Visitors show up everyday to build relationships, offer guidance, and walk alongside families during the earliest years.