Funded Agency:
Reading Education for Adult Development (READ) of Chattanooga, Inc.

JLC Funding:
$33,900 in 2007, $42,590 in 2008 and $48,975 in 2009

Program Summary:
The Junior League of Chattanooga’s partnership with READ Chattanooga will help low-income expecting mothers learn how to care and advocate for themselves and their unborn babies. The program begins with education at Baby Basics and continues with a volunteer mentorship program called “Pregnancy Pals.” Baby Basics is a prenatal health literacy program created by The What To Expect Foundation in New York. This program provides mothers with the Baby Basics, a lower literacy pregnancy guide that takes into account the special health, economic, cultural and social issues faced by families in need. Moms may meet with trained volunteers, Pregnancy Pals, who work with them to further their understanding of how to access, understand and act upon health information.