When Courtney Williams learned she was pregnant with her second child in early 2021, she felt like her life was firmly in place. She had built a successful career at a Fortune 100 company, bought a home for herself and her son, and felt proud of the stability she had created.
But pregnancy soon brought unexpected complications.
Courtney developed hyperemesis, a severe form of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy that left her unable to work. At the same time, she faced intimate partner violence and emotional abuse, which deepened her sense of isolation and depression. “I felt like I went from being a success to a failure,” she remembers. “I built myself up, and then when all of this happened, I felt sick, weak, defeated, and depressed.”
Her doctor connected her with Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies in Palm Beach County, Florida. While the referral initially brought her into counseling, Courtney found the support inconsistent. “I know I wasn’t visibly breaking down and crying to my counselor, but I felt like I was dying inside,” she recalls. “I’ve always felt I needed to hold my head high, stay strong, and find a way through — but I realized I needed help.”
That realization led her Child First, a program designed to support parents through challenging times.
Healing Through Child First
In August 2021, six months pregnant with her daughter, Courtney began working with her Child First team: a mental health clinician, Dalecia, and a care coordinator, Celine. At first, she was skeptical after her earlier experience. But Dalecia and Celine took a different approach. They invested time in building trust, even helping Courtney close the chapter with her previous counselor so she could move forward with confidence.
“Dalecia and Celine didn’t make me feel like an anomaly,” Courtney says. “They took the time to listen, understand me, and help me to open up again. They made me feel welcome, and they became family. They supported me with everything I needed for my daughter and even my son.”
The team centered Courtney’s priorities, offering holistic support that reached every corner of her life. When her older son, then 10, needed help managing behavioral health challenges connected to Autism Spectrum Disorder, Child First connected him to Boys Town, a national organization specializing in family-centered care. When she needed diapers, holiday resources, or someone to talk to about postpartum depression, Child First answered the call.
“They lifted the load and carried me when I couldn’t carry myself,” Courtney says. “They provided my oxygen mask so that I could provide everything else.”
Over time, the impact of that support became clear. Courtney learned grounding techniques and breathing exercises to manage anxiety. She gained tools to nurture her daughter’s development through intentional early childhood education strategies. And she began to envision a future not just for her children, but for herself.
“Child First literally changed the trajectory for my whole family,” Courtney says. “Both of my children are thriving, and we are all so resilient. It was because of the support I received that I was inspired to pursue a new career — I got certified as a doula and started my business while I was still in the program.”
Today, Courtney runs Zinaya Birthing Co., supporting other mothers through pregnancy and postpartum. She also serves as a Parent Ambassador for Changent, sharing her story nationally to advocate for equitable, high-quality care.
“Sharing my story is a part of me now,” she says. “We’re making a difference, and we’re doing this for every mom. Because there are still moms out there silently suffering. Through Child First, I found myself and I found my way back to the unstoppable mom that I always was.”
Introducing Changent
Courtney’s story is one of thousands that showcase the impact at the heart of Changent — the rebranded name of the national organization that implements Child First and Nurse-Family Partnership.
The name reflects what happens when families receive the support they need — and when cycles of poverty, trauma, and hardship are interrupted by stability, care, and possibility. “Our work has always been about change — creating stability where there is uncertainty, possibility where there is hardship,” says president and CEO Charlotte Min-Harris. “The new name, Changent, captures both the urgency of this work and the hope families carry forward.”
While the name is new, the mission is longstanding. Changent, a Make It Better Foundation content partner, provides evidence-based programs that strengthen families during the earliest, most critical years of a child’s life.
- Nurse-Family Partnership pairs first-time moms with specially trained nurses for home visits from pregnancy through a child’s second birthday. These trusted relationships improve health outcomes, boost school readiness, and foster long-term economic stability.
- Child First, the program that supported Courtney, connects families experiencing stress or trauma with mental health clinicians and care coordinators who provide therapy, parenting support, and community resources.
Together, these programs represent a holistic model proven to strengthen outcomes for children and entire families — for generations to come.
A Future Built on Change
Today, Courtney’s daughter is a thriving three-year-old who loves to learn. Her son is receiving the resources he needs to succeed. And Courtney herself is leading with renewed purpose, using her voice to ensure other families know that help is available.
That is the promise of Changent: when families receive the right support at the right time, change is not only possible — it’s lasting.
How to Help
Changent empowers families to create stronger futures by offering trusted, evidence-based programs during the earliest years of a child’s life. Donations help ensure families like Courtney’s receive consistent mental health support, access to resources such as diapers and early childhood education, and the guidance of trained nurses and clinicians who walk alongside them every step of the way.
Your support makes it possible for Changent to reach more parents, reduce stress in the home, and give children the nurturing start they need to thrive.
