ALBUQUERQUE — Jardin de los Niños announced that it received a $25,000 grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico’s (BCBSNM) Healthy Kids, Healthy Families® initiative. The grant supports Jardin de los Niños’ Flourishing Families Infant Mental Health and Wellness Program, which provides direct therapy services to homeless and near-homeless children and their families to address trauma. The grant also supports an anti-hunger component that provides healthy and nutritious meals to address food insecurity.
Jardin’s Flourishing Families Infant Mental Health and Wellness Program serves as a preventative approach to address trauma from a holistic, strengths-based service delivery model. This program provides direct treatment, prevention and intervention to support developmental milestones, basic needs, social and emotional behavioral development, and well-being of homeless and near-homeless children and their families. Jardin is designated as a trauma-informed care center by the New Mexico Association for Infant Mental Health. This program serves to advance the health, safety and well-being of homeless and near-homeless, abused and neglected children and their families while also strengthening, stabilizing and minimizing the effects of homelessness on children. The grant also supports the anti-hunger initiative to purchase groceries and provide weekly nutritional food baskets to 45-80 families. Preventing food insecurity can help lessen the negative impacts homelessness has on children’s ability to thrive and succeed.
“Jardin supports families from a trauma-informed approach with the goal of impacting generational poverty by meeting the basic needs of the families while minimizing trauma and adverse childhood experiences in the children’s lives,” said Dr. Michelle Adames, CEO of Jardin de los Niños.
“We are proud to support Jardin de los Niños with this very important initiative,” said Janice Torrez, BCBSNM president. “Their continued support is making a significant difference in the lives of those children and their families experiencing homelessness and near-homelessness.”
Jardin de los Niños’ commitment to creating new possibilities for homeless and near-homeless children and their families through loving child care, education and community resources aligns with the vision of Healthy Kids, Healthy Families to improve the health of children and their families across New Mexico.