Hannah's House has designed our program with multiple phases. Each phase is laid out to gradually help our women begin the process of life transformation with valuable life skills. We breakdown each phase into credits and topics which help our residents care for themselves and their babies. Usually, women enter our program while they are still pregnant and are able to take phase one slowly gaining these skills as they prepare for their baby's arrival. However, while the basic structure of each topic is already created, there is flexibility and personalization within each category as well.
Phase one of our program is composed of 25 credits, 22 of which are required and three which are electives. The categories include Baby Basics, Finance, Wellness, Assessments, Intro to Community Resources, Preparing for Employment, Spiritual Development, and Home Management. Beneath each of these primary categories are different options for meeting those requirements. We will take a closer look at each to offer a vivid picture of the programming we provide for our residents.
Baby Basics- 4 Credits
Baby basics equals four credits. Taking a training on safe sleep (1 credit) and Infant CPR/First Aid (2 credits) are requirements which already give our residents 3/4 credits for this category. Other options we suggest for their final credit include working with a doula, taking a hospital tour, working with a breastfeeding consultant or taking a class on breastfeeding, or a speaker event regarding infants care. However, we are open to other topics which might present themselves and count towards relevant credit.
Finance- 3 Credits
This category is only three credits and includes a credit report analysis and a personal finance 101 course. Residents can then choose from a few other options to receive their final credits. Teaching basic finance information is important to helping our residents learn to manage and save money responsibly for their futures.
Wellness- 3 Credits
Our wellness category is also composed of three credits. Nutrition 101 (2 credits) is the only mandatory credit. Other options for receiving final credit points include creating an exercise plan, setting up dentist or an eye doctor appointment, working on smoking cessation plans, or attending a local speaker on a health topic.
Intro to Community Resources - 2 Credits
Our community resources category does not have any basics requirements but we encourage our women to choose from a list of helpful resources. The aim is to get residents familiar with resources in the community that they might need assistance from including the Women's Care Center, WIC, Medicaid, and local Goodwill Programs. However, we are open to other community resources which might be valuable for our women to work with to receive their two credits.
Assessments- 2 Credits
This is also a two credit category and is made up of multiple assessment which aim to help our women become familiar with themselves. While some of these options can be lighthearted and enjoyable, others are tough but necessary components of helping our women transform their lives. Options include personality profile, spiritual gifts test, depression assessment, and a trauma symptom checklist among others.
Preparing For Employment- 2 Credits
This section equals two credits but to receive those credits each of the following must be completed: a mock interview, take an ability inventory, conduct a career search, and create a resume. This is the first step in preparing our residents to find a job and begin saving money for their future.
Spiritual Development-4 Credits (80%) Attendance
This section equals a total of four credits and an 80% attendance across morning devotionals, and other spiritual development programming is required. If this percentage is not yet met, residents will need to wait to acquire those credits by meeting the attendance requirement.
Home Management- 2 Credits
Finally, we require two credits in the category of home management. To receive these credits residents must work on daily household tasks and maintenance, work on time management skills, create a weekly agenda, and continually work towards filling out their menu for the night they prepare a meal. Showcasing good planning in each of these aspects receives residents their two credits.
Electives-3 Credits Remaining
After completing each of the above categories, residents have three remaining electives to reach their 25 credits total for Phase 1. Many of the residents organically receive these while working on other mandatory credits. For instance, a resident might choose to work with a doula who consults on breastfeeding and receive one as a credit in Baby Basics and the other as an elective. We have designed our programming to be structured yet flexible to suit the personal life journey of each resident in our program.
For more information about our program, phases, and stage of our programming, visit our website's Programming Page.