Tell Me a Story: Mia Dadiz-Gaspar, Maui Family Support Services

Whether it's a grandparent, aunt or uncle, or close friend, FFN care providers care for millions of children across the US. But who's caring for the providers themselves? Rebecca Stewart, Program Director for Supporting Care Providers of Kansas, joins us to talk about Famil, Friend, and Neighbor care, and how we can support FFN care providers as they ensure that the children they care for are healthy, safe, and learning.

Catching some zz's, snoozing, shut eye: whatever you call it, if parents and caregivers aren't getting enough, they'll feel lousy... And not only that; real mental and physical consequences can follow. So how can we as home visitors help new parents get more sleep? Sleep expert Sarah Farabi, PhD, RN, joins us to offer interventions that target sleep for new parents—particularly during pregnancy and postpartum—to improve long-term health outcomes for everyone in the family.

Personal stories can help us better understand our work and the families we serve. Brighid Woods and Francie Lambert of Parents as Teachers, OH join us to talk about how they work with families who are underhoused or living with housing insecurity.

Living with housing insecurity can make it difficult for families to create an atmosphere in which their children are healthy, safe, and learning. So what can home visitors do to help? A unique program in Akron, OH partners home visiting with the housing authority, ensuring that a family's ecosystem of support remains healthy and robust during housing challenges.

Sharing stories and experiences offer some of the strongest ways to connect, reflect, and enrich our community. In celebration of Father's Day, Mario Drain, a Fatherhood Involvement Specialist at the Milwaukee Health Department and a 2026 National Home Visitors of the Year recipient joins us to share his story.