Strengthening Participation & Retention in Group-Based Education
The Healthy Start TA & Support Center and EleVATE Collaborative, coordinated by the St. Louis Integrated Health Network, hosted multiple 1.5-day trainings on Strengthening Participation and Retention in Group-based Education. The trainings were offered at no cost to Healthy Start grantees and focused on building effective group-based education programs, including planning, recruitment, facilitation, engagement, and sustainability.
Group-based education (GBE) is a pillar of Healthy Start programming. The goal of GBE is to improve maternal and infant outcomes through connection, learning, and support. Additional benefits of GBE include consistent engagement across the prenatal, postpartum, and parenting stages, community-based methods, alignment with national efforts to improve birth outcomes, and adaptability for both virtual and in-person implementation.
Within the past year, increasing the prominence of GBE became a central goal of the Healthy Start TA & Support Center (TASC). In partnership with the EleVATE Collaborative, coordinated by the St. Louis Integrated Health Network, the TASC team created a GBE workshop series. The workshops were designed in response to what Healthy Start sites have shared they need most: practical strategies to recruit, engage, and retain participants in group-based education.
The in-person series was held in February, March, and April 2026 in St. Louis, MO, Charlotte, NC, and Dallas TX. Prior to launch, the 115 Healthy Start sites were sectioned into regions and assigned to the closest city. Each iteration contained a 1.5-day training on the topic of Strengthening Participation and Retention in Group-based Education. All trainings were offered at no cost to Healthy Start grantees and focused on building effective group-based education programs, including planning, recruitment, facilitation, engagement, and sustainability.
The workshops were facilitated by an esteemed faculty of subject matter experts, including Cheron Phillips, Richelle Smith, Lee Smith, Sarah Covington-Kolb, Ebony Boyce Carter, Kelly McKay-Gist, and Nia Plump.
As summarized by the St. Louis Integrated Health Network, Day 1 of each in-person training welcomed participants with the fundamentals of group-based education.
“Training participants were introduced to core concepts and observed a group demonstration, followed by interactive activities such as ‘Cross the Line’ and discussions comparing expected versus unexpected group dynamics. The day also emphasized practical strategies for recruiting group participants and Healthy Start site staff, preparing for the first session, and delivering effective recruitment pitches. Additional sessions explored engagement techniques, including co-designing group agreements and applying adult learning principles, as well as addressing empathy, stress, and behavioral health through activities like mindfulness-based stress reduction. The day concluded with a debrief and preparation for Day 2.”
Day 2 began with a review of previous material and prepared attendees to enhance their knowledge with the EleVATE framework.
“Training participants engaged in brainstorming activities and discussions to reflect on challenges and successes. The training then shifted toward application, as training participants designed their own group-based education sessions through guided activities, small-group work, large group discussions. The final session centered on identifying action steps and planning for implementation, concluding with group reflections, certificate distribution, and evaluation.”
In a post-event evaluation, attendees shared the sessions’ impact on their approach to GBE work:
“This workshop gave me practical tools for participant retention, sustainability, and recruitment. It also allowed me to learn about strategies implemented by other sites that are replicable on my own site.”
post-event report, St. Louis Integrated Health Network (2026)
St. Louis, MO attendees pose with their certificates. 
Charlotte, NC attendees play “Cross the Line” used to build empathy, and group connection by helping participants recognize shared experiences and differences in an interactive way. 
Dallas, TX attendees listen intently to the facilitator. 
Dallas, TX attendees participate in a group activity. 
Dallas, TX attendees pose with their certificates.
“I have so many great ideas and topics to take back on how to structure group, importance of group, and who is responsible for facilitating the groups.”
post-event report, St. Louis Integrated Health Network (2026)
These reflections emphasize the importance of opportunities for collaboration among the Healthy Start community. By holding space for in-person connection, attendees can receive cohort-driven support in real time. In addition to offering tailored technical assistance, the Healthy Start TASC remains committed to championing group-based education and celebrating the Healthy Start staff that make this work possible.
To learn more about the Healthy Start program, visit the Healthy Start TASC website: https://healthystart-tasc.org/.
The Healthy Start TA & Support Center is operated by the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality™. This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UF5MC32750 titled Supporting Healthy Start Performance Project. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
