Tiny Miracles Foundation offers peer mentoring and practical help to Connecticut families after premature births

Tina Tyson, executive director of the Tiny Miracles Foundation, said the Connecticut nonprofit helps families with babies in neonatal intensive care units by providing peer-based emotional support, material items and limited financial assistance.

"1 in 10 babies is born premature," Tyson said, describing the scale of need the organization encounters. She said Tiny Miracles' core program pairs parents who have experienced the NICU with families new to that environment, a model she said can be "life changing." The mentoring program was the foundation of the organization when it was created about 20 years ago and remains an active service today.

Tyson told the Connecticut Paid Leave podcast that the organization's volunteers help with emotional and practical needs that arise when a baby arrives earlier than expected. "We're there really to make it easier primarily through emotional support, but we do have other support systems like a financial assistance opportunity for families in need and even material items, you know, special bags and clothing," she said.

She described the emotional strain families often face when a birth is unexpectedly early'ranging, she said, from about a month to four months early'and urged listeners to reach out to families experiencing a NICU stay. Tiny Miracles is volunteer-driven and accepts support ranging from short-term projects to long-term volunteer commitments. Tyson directed interested people to the organization's website at thetinymiraclesfoundation.org for more information.

Tyson also noted that November is Prematurity Awareness Month and asked the public to be mindful of families coping with premature births, whether by volunteering, donating or offering personal support.

The podcast episode is part of Connecticut Paid Leave's "5 Minutes of Impact" series of short interviews with state changemakers.