This project, Door County Welcome Baby Continuum, led by Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin Inc., aimed to reach every Door County family following the birth of a child, regardless of where the baby was delivered, and connect them with education, resources and home visiting services. The project responded to growing concerns related to child safety, family well-being and limited support, as well as gaps in reaching families who delivered outside the county. In 2025, Welcome Baby Door County served 81 families, including many referred by Brown County hospitals, while Healthy Families Door County provided home visiting services to 13 families. The project also hired a part-time Family Resource Specialist, established a process for visiting families at Door County Medical Center and strengthened regional referral systems and educational resources to better connect families with support.
The Challenge
Door County families face growing challenges related to infant health and safety, parental mental and physical health, addiction, poverty, isolation, homelessness and limited formal and informal support. In 2021, the Door County Department of Health and Human Services received a record 647 child abuse and neglect referrals, yet only 39 percent were screened in for investigation or services. Door County also had one of its highest recorded rates of uninsured children, with 5.2 percent of children younger than 19 lacking health insurance compared to 3.8% statewide.
Existing prevention and home visitation resources were not sufficient to meet this growing need. Limited staffing and funding allowed the Healthy Families program to serve only 12 to 15 families at a time, leaving some at-risk families on a waiting list and others without services. Reaching families was further complicated by Door County’s large geographic footprint and the isolation experienced by seasonal and lower-income families, including those living on Washington Island. In addition, nearly 50 percent of Door County births occurred outside the county, primarily at Green Bay hospitals because of insurance coverage requirements. Without a coordinated way to identify and follow these births, families often went without outreach or support unless a serious crisis occurred.
Project Goals
The Welcome Baby Continuum Project aimed to reach every Door County birth, no matter when or where the baby was delivered, and connect families with the level of support that best met their needs. Through prenatal screening, Welcome Baby packets, hospital visits, risk assessments and follow-up home visits, the project sought to meet, greet and share resources with at least 200 birth parents each year, with special attention given to first-time parents. Specific project goals included:
Expanding the Healthy Families home visiting program to serve 5 to 10 additional families each year and provide intensive home visitation to more than 10 additional families at a time.
Enrolling families prenatally when possible and support them through their child’s first three years with educational information, guidance, resources and connections.
Providing families with support based on their level of need, including immediate assistance with safe housing, transportation and material needs; short-term follow-up for 30 to 90 days; or intensive weekly home visits that gradually decrease over time.
Connecting Door County births to the Help Me Grow database, strengthen coordination across services and reduce referrals to the Child Protective Unit.
Results
In 2025, Welcome Baby Door County received 81 referrals from community partners. Twenty-six percent were prenatal referrals and 74 percent were referrals following birth. Because many Door County families deliver outside the county, the program’s partnership with Welcome Baby Brown County remained especially important. Sixty-eight percent of referrals came from Brown County hospitals, where a Brown County family resource specialist could meet families face-to-face after delivery, provide community information and explain that Welcome Baby Door County would follow up once they returned home.
The program also adopted a more universal, family-centered approach to identifying families’ needs. Rather than using an initial risk-factor screen to determine which families received additional support, every referred family was offered an opportunity to speak with a Family Resource Specialist. During these visits, families participated in a conversation-style needs assessment that allowed them to share their needs and strengths in their own way. Staff then highlighted relevant resources and helped families connect with services related to childcare, Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC), baby supplies, housing, employment and other needs. Inadequate income, mental health concerns and late prenatal care remained the most prevalent risk factors among families in 2025.
Eight families met with the Door County Family Resource Specialist for a conversation-style needs assessment. Of these families, six were found eligible for Healthy Families Door County, and two ultimately enrolled in long-term home visiting services. Enrollment was limited by staffing changes and a lack of openings within Healthy Families. Overall, Welcome Baby Door County served 81 families during the year, while Healthy Families Door County served 13 families through home visits offered weekly, biweekly or monthly based on each family’s progress. Families who did not accept a visit still received a Welcome Baby folder and “The Brain Game” developmental book by mail, followed by two additional contacts to identify any further needs.
A part-time Family Resource Specialist was hired in the later part of 2025, increasing the program’s capacity to engage and follow up with families. During the first part of the year, the program manager was able to meet with two families for needs-based conversations. After the specialist was hired, she met with six families during the final quarter. As a Door County resident, the specialist brought valuable knowledge of local people and resources and was better able to meet families where they were.
Welcome Baby Door County also strengthened its hospital and regional partnerships. Although formal agreements with the local hospital and WIC office were not completed, continued conversations with Door County Medical Center resulted in an informal process that allowed Welcome Baby staff to visit families in their hospital rooms after delivery. The program completed three of these hospital visits in 2025, an option that had not been available in 2024, and received 11 referrals from the local hospital. Across the region, Welcome Baby programs in five counties worked together to standardize educational materials and create a referral process for families who delivered outside their home county. The revised folders included consistent information on safe sleep, postpartum depression, child development and abusive head trauma, along with a county-specific parenting resource page and a QR code connecting families to local resources.
In addition to direct services, Welcome Baby Door County held committee meetings and engaged with other community groups to promote their services. These partnerships helped keep community professionals informed about the program, how to refer families and the resources available to pregnant and newly parenting families throughout Door County.
Lasting Impact
The project created several lasting impacts that will support Welcome Baby Door County beyond the grant period. The program adopted a more universal, family-centered approach in which every referred family is offered the opportunity to speak with a family resource specialist about their needs and strengths. Hiring a part-time family resource specialist also increased the program’s capacity to engage families, conduct needs-based conversations and provide follow-up support. Continued collaboration with Door County Medical Center established an informal process that allows Welcome Baby staff to visit families in their hospital rooms after delivery, creating another way to connect with families early. In addition, Welcome Baby programs across five counties standardized their educational materials and developed a referral process for families who deliver outside their home county, which is especially important because many Door County families give birth at hospitals in Brown County. The revised Welcome Baby folders provide families with consistent information on safe sleep, postpartum depression, child development and abusive head trauma, along with county-specific resources.
