Goldsboro Pediatrics began working with a group of citizens in the community in the early 1990's, to create a child abuse/neglect prevention program.

Wayne County First Steps is now in its 10th year of operation and the goal of the program is to identify families who need parenting support and education and to link those families, on a voluntary basis, with available services in the community.

First Steps is based at WAGES (Wayne Action Group for Economic Solvency) and is integrated with Head Start. First Steps has an office at Wayne Memorial Hospital where First Steps staff conduct interviews with all families who deliver babies in the hospital, making the families aware of parenting education/support resources in the community. The First Steps Consortium consists of representatives of the health department, social services, Smart Start, NC Cooperative Extension Service (4H), women¹s shelter, mental health association, public schools, ministers, etc.

Dave Tayloe, Jr., MD, serves as President of the Consortium. At-risk families are followed by First Steps staff until the children enter kindergarten. First Steps personnel involve the staff of Goldsboro Pediatrics in meeting the special physical and mental health needs of these families. The goal of First Steps is to assure that every child born in our county has every opportunity to become a successful kindergarten student in our schools.

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