Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) has officially announced the accreditation of Trenton Healthy Families, a local affiliate of Healthy Families America (HFA). The designation recognizes the site as a provider of high-quality, evidence-based home visiting services for pregnant families and those with young children.
Operating under the nonprofit Mercer Street Friends, Trenton Healthy Families underwent a rigorous peer-review process to ensure its operations meet the highest national standards for family support and child development.
The accreditation is based on 12 “critical elements” derived from over 30 years of research. The HFA model focuses on building nurturing parent-child relationships and reducing the stressors that can lead to child maltreatment.
Trenton Healthy Families–TIP currently serves between 50 and 80 families across Trenton and Mercer County. Family Support Workers provide individualized assistance in several key areas:
- Child Development: Monitoring milestones and promoting healthy parent-child interaction.
- Health & Safety: Ensuring timely immunizations, medical care, and safe sleep practices.
- Family Well-being: Supporting parents with mental health resources, housing stability, and addressing intimate partner violence.
“Our dedicated staff are able to meet families where they are and focus on their immediate needs,” Matthew Mayer, senior manager of Family Support Services at Mercer Street Friends said. “This accreditation is the result of hard work by everyone involved… especially the incredible work our home visitors do.”
The HFA initiative, launched in 1992, is recognized by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services as a proven evidence-based program. Its mission is particularly vital in communities facing socio-economic challenges.
The need for such intervention is underscored by national data regarding child welfare. According to recent federal statistics:
- National Impact: Approximately 600,000 children are victims of maltreatment annually in the United States.
- Demographic Breakdown: While child abuse affects all groups, victimization rates vary. Nationally, the rate of maltreatment for African American children is approximately 13.1 per 1,000, for American Indian/Alaska Native children it is 14.8 per 1,000, for Hispanic children it is 7.6 per 1,000, and for White children it is 7.1 per 1,000.
- Age Vulnerability: Children in their first year of life have the highest rate of victimization (25.1 per 1,000), highlighting the importance of HFA’s focus on the “infancy and early childhood” window.
By offering voluntary services in the “familiarity and convenience” of a family’s own home, HFA removes barriers to access for those who may lack transportation or feel overwhelmed by traditional clinical settings.
“We believe that all families and all communities deserve access to quality home visiting services,” Kathleen Strader, national director of HFA said.
The Trenton Healthy Families site is located at 222 North Hermitage Ave, Trenton, NJ. Families interested in services or community partners looking to refer a family can find more information through Mercer Street Friends, a Quaker-affiliated organization dedicated to addressing the emotional and physical trauma created by poverty.
