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Doula Services

As an advocate for maternal and infant well-being, we know the important role doulas play in supporting families from pregnancy into the earliest years of a child’s life.

What is a doula?

Young child holding mother's pregnant belly A doula is a trained professional who helps a pregnant parent achieve the healthiest pregnancy, labor and delivery possible by providing continuous educational, emotional and physical support at all stages of pregnancy.

Doulas support and comfort new parents and help them to have a safe and memorable birthing experience. A doula is responsible for informing and educating families about the different medical interventions, comfort measures, patient rights and other topics related to childbirth and postpartum education.

Doula Care 101

Our Expertise in Doula Services

Doula services and home visiting have been at the heart of Start Early’s work for more than 43 years. See how we work directly with children and families, support family professionals and advocate for policies that prioritize access to quality services.

Directly Serving Families

Caregiver holding baby We deliver doula and home visiting services for families in under-resourced communities through our Healthy Parents & Babies program, which offers support and coaching to pregnant parents, young families and children from birth-to-age 3 throughout Chicago.

In addition to our directly operated doula and home visiting program, our Home Visiting & Doula Network partners with community agencies throughout Illinois, providing technical assistance and support, allowing us to scale our reach and impact by sharing our lessons learned with other community programs.

Providing Best Practices & Support

Newborn baby and mother Home visitors, doulas and family support professionals are essential to a family’s wellbeing and strong program outcomes. As such, Start Early provides best practices and support to family support professionals across the country.

In Illinois, Start Early provides professional development opportunities to over 300 programs through the Professional Learning Network. Additionally, Start Early develops professional development resources for programs nationwide, including The Essentials of Home Visiting, our online training platform designed for family professionals.

Advocating for Policies

Little girl smiling Policy and advocacy are integral parts of Start Early’s mission to ensure young children and their families have access to quality early learning and care. Advocating for policies that prioritize access to quality doula and home visiting services is a proven way to support and strengthen positive outcomes for children and families.

Explore the future of early childhood with Start Early’s Shaping Futures Together Agenda, our first-ever research and policy agenda that outlines priorities identified by parents and practitioners. See insights about critical federal policies that could best support families and ensure all young children thrive.

Our Impact in Home Visiting & Doula Services

See firsthand how our doulas help new and expecting parents build a strong foundation for their children to thrive.

What We Do

Our comprehensive approach applies our deep expertise in program, policy and research so that children, families and educators can thrive.

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Support Our Work

Together, when we start early, we can close the opportunity gap and ensure every child has a chance to reach their full potential.

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Where We Work

Through training and partnerships, we bring quality early learning and care to under-resourced communities across the country.

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Quality early childhood is one of the best ways to level the playing field. Learn why and about the impact we’re having.

For 40 years, Start Early has been a champion for early learning. Learn more about what has shaped us and what moves us forward.

We bring our expertise across program, policy and research to all we do and partner with others to scale our knowledge across the country.

Strengthening early childhood organizations for positive staff, family, and child outcomes.

Resources from our experts that give parents the tools they need to help their children thrive in those critical early years.

Become a champion for early learning. Learn how you can help close the opportunity gap for our youngest learners.