Spotlight on the Staff: Tamara Satterwhite
LA Best Babies Network’s Staff Spotlight series features staff from the Welcome Baby, Healthy Families America, and Parents as Teachers home visiting programs in Los Angeles County’s Family Strengthening Network.
For over a dozen years, Tamara Satterwhite, a Family Support Specialist with the Children’s Institute‘s home visiting program, has supported L.A. County families and their young children. But her passion for this service started long before that.
Previously, she supported incarcerated women at the L.A. County Jail, and teen moms coming out of the California Youth Authority. She says her message to those she supports has always been consistent and clear: “Whatever situation you are in today does not mean that is where you are going to be.”
This rings true for many of the families she has served. In 2021, at the Family Strengthening Network Summit — an annual event LA Best Babies Network hosts to recognize and celebrate the work of home visiting programs in L.A. County — Tamara’s client Sandra told her story of how Tamara uplifted her and guided her to a better life.
“They are the masters of their own lives,” Tamara says. “You’re there to give a helping hand over the challenges they may be facing.”
But getting families to feel comfortable with her support doesn’t always come easy.
When first introduced to home visiting, many of the families she works with are apprehensive, she says. Reasons vary, but often it has to do with negative experiences clients have had with other programs or agencies. This is why Tamara stresses the importance of building trust and a connection with her clients early on.
“I’m always nonjudgmental,” she says. “[I’m there to] support the families that want something better for themselves and their children.”
Tamara’s support isn’t limited to direct service; she also advocates for them behind the scenes. She is an active member of the L.A. County Perinatal and Early Childhood Home Visitation Consortium, an alliance of over 60 perinatal and early childhood agencies and community partners who work to advance the work of L.A. County’s home visiting programs. For years, she has been an active member of the Consortium’s African American Home Visiting Engagement Workgroup.
In the video below, Tamara talks about a father she worked with who struggled to access resources as a single dad. Tamara reflected, “Working with him made me realize how crucial it is to include fathers in these services. I really want to raise awareness for fathers, especially single dads.”
Thank you, Tamara, for your passion, dedication, and unwavering commitment to supporting and advocating for L.A. County’s youngest residents and the families they serve!
Find a Home Visiting Program in L.A. County
- Do you know someone in L.A. County who is pregnant or who recently had a baby? They can find a free in-home support program at eDirectory.HomeVisitingLA.org.
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