If a wand could be waved and we could make vanish a single problem that plagues Robeson County, there would be no more pregnant teenagers or babies born into single-parent families. We understand — and there is a mountain of statistics to back up the claim — that babies born into such circumstances have to defy heavy odds to stay healthy, get educated, and become contributing members of — and not burdens to — society.

That’s why we are enthusiastic about the Nurse-Family Partnership program at the Health Department, which offers to first-time mothers help that can get their babies walking a straight and narrow road. The program, which itself is in its infancy, is funded by private dollars, the Kate B. Reynolds Foundation and Duke Endowment, and has the potential to save countless taxpayer dollars for generations to come.

The details of the program can be found in staff writer Sara Hottman’s Page 1A story today, but in a few words, here is what it does: Four specially trained nurses make regular visits into the homes of up to 100 first-time mothers in Robeson County who qualify based on income to help them through their pregnancy and the first year of their newborn’s life.

Robeson County was selected for the program for all the right — or wrong, depending on the view — reasons, including our high rate of poverty, high number of teenage pregnancies, high infant mortality rate, low graduation rate, and cultural beliefs that foster bad parenting.

The program was implemented in February 2009, so its efficacy cannot yet be determined. But early indicators are positive, and include a high percentage of the mothers remaining in the program.

We see no way that the program could fail: All mothers, and not just first-timers, would profit from weekly or bi-weekly in-home visits by a nurse who could answer questions and share information on delivering a healthy baby and nurturing the newborn through its first year.

The program’s future depends on its ability to demonstrate success. After that is done, we would argue for an expansion of the program to include more first-time mothers, even if doing so depends on government dollars.

The program’s benefits are limitless — and exponential — as they will continue long past the child’s first birthday, extending throughout that person’s life. Could there be a better investment?