Alpha Eta Zeta Stork's Nest

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Founding of the Stork’s Nest

As a collaboration between Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and the March of Dimes Foundation of more than forty years, Stork’s Nest aims to increase the number of women receiving early and regular prenatal care in an effort to prevent cases of low birth-weight, premature births and infant deaths. It is designed to promote prenatal care participation and healthy behaviors during the pregnancy through two components - incentives and education. The Stork's Nest prenatal education sessions provide information, educational materials and a variety of other resources and referrals that help clients take good care of themselves and their babies. Stork's Nest clients "earn" points toward incentives, such as maternity or baby care items, through a variety of positive, health-promoting activities such as attending prenatal care appointments, participating in prenatal education classes, keeping appointments for well-baby visits.

The first Stork’s Nest of Zeta Phi Beta was launched in Atlanta, Georgia in 1971 as one of many educational and service projects of Better Infant Births (BIB), a highly successful program sponsored by the Fulton-Dekalb-Clayton Chapter of the March of Dimes. The program was so successful that Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. adopted Stork’s Nest in 1972 as its national project. The first Nest to open after it was adopted as Zeta’s national project was in Houston, Texas. Stork’s Nest is a jointly owned trademark of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and March of Dimes Foundation and can only be implemented by these two organizations.

Pregnant women who are lower-income and need encouragement to keep prenatal appointments are referred to a local Stork’s Nest through neighborhood health centers, clinics, or other health care facilities. The referring agency makes the recommendation as to whether the woman should contribute anything toward the layette and other materials the Stork’s Nest will provide for her. Once a woman is enrolled and attends regular prenatal education sessions, she will earn points for attending these sessions and for keeping prenatal care appointments. The points can be redeemed for other items at Stork’s Nest at little or no cost. When a woman goes to Stork’s Nest, she must have a notice from the clinic or health care facility verifying that she is receiving prenatal care. Women can not take part in the Stork’s Nest unless they are receiving regular and ongoing prenatal care.