Secure Beginnings (formerly the Nan Tolbert Nurturing Center) opened in 2007 to continue and expand upon Nan Tolbert’s extraordinary service work with families. Nan was a caring and passionate visionary. She was a registered nurse, doula and lactation counselor who visited the homes of families with newborns to ensure that the needs of new mothers were being met. Regardless of language, religion, parenting styles, or the emotional needs of parents – Nan gave hands-on-help, in her calm and compassionate way.
Nan knew the value of supporting early attachment and secure beginnings in families. This support had powerful effects on the lives of those she worked with, and her impact was felt widely in the community. When Nan passed away in 2006, her friends and the community knew that her work must live on. The Center continued her work through in-home newborn visits, parent education classes, maternal mental health support, and reducing isolation for parents. Over the years it expanded to provide one-on-one parent consultations, clinical therapy to support families with young children that may need deeper emotional support, teen parent support, our free diaper bank, workshops, and much more.