A gift from Santa Barbarans Sandra Schoolfield and Jon Kechejian helped the county’s Welcome Every Baby program provide about a thousand newborns and their families with a personal visit from a trained lactation nurse bringing information and support for the baby, mother, and family. “Despite having one older child,” said one mother, “the nurse told us many new pieces of information about baby care, juggling siblings, and local resources.” The nurses visit families in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, the Santa Ynez Valley, and Lompoc three days after a child is born, and also a month later. The $18,000 gift enabled four nurses to get training and certification in the program, which has seen more than 10,000 families since the County Education Office began the program in 2008.
