Healthy Moms and Babies

Car seat safety checks and low-cost car seats for eligible families.

To be eligible, families must be Franklin County residents, receive government assistance (WIC, SNAP, CHIP, Medicaid, etc.), complete online education, and attend a scheduled appointment.

Call 614-645-7748 or visit the Columbus car seat page to schedule your appointment. 

Our Home Visiting team teaches FREE classes on:

• Childbirth
• Baby Basics
• Parenting

You can earn gift cards and baby supplies at these classes. (While supplies last.)

Childbirth and Baby Basics

These classes teach about:

• third trimester
• stages of labor
• birth and comfort techniques
• newborn and postpartum care
• infant and child safety

We offer the class at different times. Classes are taught at 240 Parsons Ave.

Positive Parenting Program or Triple P

Our program supports parents and caregivers of kids 0-12. You’ll get:

• connected with other parents
• support with parenting challenges

Topics include:

• positive parenting
• raising confident, competent kids
• raising resilient kids
• help building healthy screen time habits

Support people are encouraged to attend. If you do not have child care or cannot get to classes, let us know! We will do our best to find a solution.

Request more information OR Sign up for classes

Provides free portable cribs to eligible families and infant safe sleep education to reduce sleep-related infant deaths. Supplies are limited.

To be eligible, families must be at least 32 weeks pregnant or have a baby less than 12 months old without a safe crib and meet WIC income requirements (185% of Federal Poverty Income Guidelines).

For more information, call 614-645-3111. 

Offers free community trainings on infant safe sleep practices. Participants learn about safe sleep recommendations, causes of sleep-related infant deaths and local infant death data, and gain practical experience with different infant sleep situations. 

• Safe Sleep Ally Training: 30-minute session designed for community members such as new parents or caregivers who are caring for a baby.
• Safe Sleep Ambassador Training: 90-minute session recommended for professionals working with new families or infants
• Register for an infant safe sleep training session on Eventbrite

Offers free, in-home, family-centered care coordination from registered nurses, social workers and outreach workers to promote healthy mothers, fathers, babies and families. Services increase the family’s access to health care and community resources, improve birth outcomes and provide education. Fatherhood support services also are available.

Sign up for home visiting services or call 614-724-2229 to learn more.

Fatal drownings occur in neighborhood ponds every year, including Columbus, even though these ponds are not for swimming.

Ponds are dangerous and children are most at risk. 

• Ponds can be deep and have steep sides. They may also contain sludge, debris and contaminated water. 
• Curious children may not understand these hazards, and put themselves in danger of drowning near a pond. 
• Anyone can drown in a pond. Toddlers, young children and people with developmental concerns such as Autism are at highest risk. 

You can help your family stay safe. 

• Don't play around ponds, especially near the sides.
• Don't fish or swim in neighborhood ponds.
• Don't dump anything in ponds.
• Watch children closely.
• Talk to children about staying away from ponds.
• If the pond is frozen, stay off the ice. 

If you see someone fall in a pond, call 911.

If you think a pond in your neighborhood is dangerous, call 311 or submit a report online.

Columbus Public Health has a limited amount of pond signage that complies with new City Code Section 4525.17 for properties with multi-unit residential ponds. For more information please contact ChildInjuryPrevention@columbus.gov.

Watch the video to learn more. 

Provides supplemental food, breastfeeding support and nutrition education for pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants and children up to age 5 in Franklin County.

Call 614-645-7280 to make an appointment.

Learn more about eligibility, locations and services. 

Help is available. 

If you, or someone you love, is in crisis, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 10-24 year olds. 

Children, teens and young adults, especially those struggling with mental health or behavior problems, are very impulsive. Limiting access to lethal means like guns and medications is an effective way to help save the life of someone with a mental health crisis. Take immediate steps to make your home safer for your family and your child by locking up dangerous items in your home.

If you need a lock box to secure guns or medicine, but you can't afford one, email childinjuryprevention@columbus.org for more information.

Free suicide prevention trainings are available:

• Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper Training: 90-minute session for community members and professionals to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and to respond effectively. Similar to CPR for medical emergencies, QPR helps participants take immediate action to save lives.
  
  
• Conversations on Access to Lethal Means: 90-minute session for community members and professionals that provides information on how to recognize and respond to suicide risk with an additional focus on reducing access to lethal means - especially guns. Participants learn how to talk with someone who might be having these thoughts in a collaborative, non-judgmental and supportive manner.
  
  
• Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM): 120-minute session for mental health professionals, social service professionals and health care providers on who needs lethal means counseling and how to work with people at risk for suicide - and their families- to reduce access.