FREE Custom Parenting Support

Support specialist with family during home visiting session

Personalized In-Home Parenting Support

The Cradle’s FREE home visiting program focuses on helping parents or soon-to-be parents be more confident about their ability to care for their child. Our Family Support Specialists come to you to help you access resources, learn how to strengthen your relationship with your child and care for them, and more. YOU take the lead in deciding what support would be most beneficial for you and your family.

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We Come to You

Support Without Judgment

Your Family Support Specialist is focused on one thing — helping you and your child. We know every family’s story is different so we meet you where you are.

As a private, non-governmental human service agency, our role is to provide support you can trust, without judgment and with your family’s well-being at the center.

Consistent But Flexible Visits

Your personal Family Support Specialist meets with you regularly, based on your schedule and availability.

Each visit is unique to you based on what you need — check-ins, emotional support, ideas for bonding, screenings for your child, setting goals and discussing progress, or anything else that could help you care for your family.

Local

The Cradle’s home visiting program serves residents of North Chicago, Waukegan, Zion and surrounding areas, in Lake County, Illinois.

If you live in one of these municipalities, call 847.733.3243 to talk to one of our Family Support Specialists and learn more about our home visiting program and decide if it is right for you.

100,000+ Families Transformed Annually

The Cradle’s home visiting program is part of Healthy Families America, the most widely implemented early childhood home visiting models in the United States.

HFA Mom from Georgia
[The Family Support Specialist] is not only somebody I can talk to and confide in, but somebody who helps me be a better mom ... [I am] learning how to better empathize with my child and to better understand him and his signals and his signs.
Raecine, HFA Mom from Kansas
He was a tiny baby — 3 pounds, 15 ounces, but he was full term, and that was the scariest thing ... [but I learned to] work with him where he needs to be, and to bond with him on that level, and that brings us closer together.
HFA Parents from Cincinnati, Ohio
Parenting does not come with a manual. You don't always know what to do. You don't always know the questions to ask. You don't know if other people are going through it. So, Healthy Families brings you that comfort in knowing we are all going through this.
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Meet Your Family Support Specialists

Your Family Support Specialist is your partner and cheerleader. They’re there to help you build the cornerstones of healthy relationships and celebrate your wins. Once you experience safety, predictability, comfort and joy in a genuine way and in the context of a relationship with another, you’ll be able to provide the same experience for your children.

Sandy Holway

Home Visiting Supervisor

Arletta Barbel

Expectant Parent Counselor

Elizabeth Mayes

Expectant Parent Counselor

Home Visiting Supervisor

Sandy Holway

Sandy Holway has worked in child welfare for over 25 years. Prior to joining The Cradle in 2003, Sandy worked as a Child Welfare Specialist, Child Protective Investigator and Foster Care Case Manager. She also has experience in juvenile corrections and crisis intervention. At The Cradle, Sandy has held several roles over the years, including Helpline Intake Coordinator, Licensing Specialist and Resource Support Specialist. She began her current role as the Supervisor of the Home Visiting Program in July of 2025. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Sandy has called Northern Illinois home for most of her life, and enjoys free time with her husband and 2 children.

Expectant Parent Counselor

Arletta Barbel

Ever since her experience as a peer mentor in the Big Brother/Big Sister program, Arletta Barbel new she enjoyed mentoring and offering support. Before coming to The Cradle, Arletta worked as a Crisis Counselor at Chicago Youth Centers and as a respite worker at Metropolitan Family Services. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Southern Illinois University and her Master’s Degree from National Louis University.

Expectant Parent Counselor

Elizabeth Mayes

Elizabeth Mayes is an Expectant Parent Counselor at The Cradle. With a passion for helping underserved communities and a personal connection to adoption, she brings both professional expertise and personal insight to her role. Elizabeth holds an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Adler University and a BA in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Before joining The Cradle, Elizabeth worked for six years at Thresholds, where she supported individuals with severe mental illness, substance use disorders, and trauma. She also completed a clinical internship at ThirdEye Counseling, enhancing her skills in providing compassionate, culturally competent care. As a biracial woman, Elizabeth understands the importance of intersectionality and integrates this perspective into her work.

Elizabeth is dedicated to creating a supportive and non-judgmental environment for expectant parents, guiding them through their journey with empathy and understanding.

Home Visiting Inquiry

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