Early Care and Education Program Contacts:
Kathy Edwards - ECE Director
Danielle Barr - Educare Specialist
Tina Tharp - ECE Specialist
Karen Daily - ECE and Accreditation Specialist
Strengthening Families
THROUGH EARLY CARE & EDUCATION
Research indicates that five Protective Factors reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect:
Across the country, early care and education programs, child welfare departments, and others are using the Strengthening Families approach to build the Protective Factors in families, providing parents with what they need to parent effectively even under stress.
Strengthening Families is an approach to working with children and families in early education centers, child welfare departments, and other settings. Together, we are showing that small but significant changes in everyday work have the power to mobilize extraordinary resources to strengthen families.
The Protective Factors
Five Protective Factors are the foundation of the Strengthening Families approach. CSSP’s research supports the common-sense notion that the likelihood of child abuse and neglect diminishes when these Protective Factors are present and robust in a family:
Parental Resilience: The ability to cope with and bounce back from all types of challenges.
Social Connections: Friends, family members, neighbors, and other members of a community who provide emotional support and concrete assistance to parents.
Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development: Accurate information about raising young children, appropriate expectations for their behavior, and knowledge of alternative discipline techniques.
Concrete Supports in Times of Need: Financial security to cover day-to-day expenses and unexpected costs; formal supports like TANF, Medicaid, and job training; and informal support from social networks.
Children’s Social and Emotional Competence: A child’s ability to interact positively with others and communicate his or her emotions effectively.
Strengthening Families in Early Care and Education Programs
More than 750 early care and education programs nationwide are using the Strengthening Families approach to build Protective Factors in all families. At these centers, parents feel valued, families are supported, and social connections keep families strong. Staff have the tools, strategies, and support they need to build caring, trusting relationships with parents. They are trained to recognize signs of stress that might precede abuse or neglect, and that they know how to offer appropriate support and information in a positive way.
As early care and education centers make small, affordable changes to strengthen families and prevent child maltreatment, Strengthening Families provides invaluable support and guidance through an on-line elctronic library providing:
A Strengthening Families Guidebook, full of strategies for building the Protective Factors and descriptions of exemplary programs nationwide
A Strengthening Families Self-Assessment, Staff Tool, and Parent Tool to help plan and continually assess your center’s progress
A Training Marketplace describing a range of professional development opportunities tailored to your center’s needs
Discussion and Feedback Forums putting early childhood educators in touch with others doing Strengthening Families work
And hundreds of other tools developed by early care and education centers that are implementing Strengthening Families
Through Strengthening Families, early childhood programs can get support every step of the way, from laying the groundwork to program assessment to implementing program changes.
For more information about the Strengthening Families approach or to join the Strengthening Families National Network, visit: www.strengtheningfamilies.net
Article taken from Center for the Study of Social Policy. (2008).
Small But Significant Changes that Strengthen
Families and Prepare Children for Success
[Brochure]. Washington, D.C.
Things to Know….
Wednesday, May 28, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. - Noon, Danielle Barr will conduct a Subsidy Orientation Training for childcare providers who are receiving state pay. The training will be held at The Community Partnership in Rolla, Missouri. This is a free training to assist you in how to fill out subsidy reimbursement paperwork. No clock hours are given for this training. Please call 573-368-2849 or 1-888-541-4636 for more information or to RSVP.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Early Care & Education will be hosting a group seminar at The Community Partnership in Rolla, Missouri. The topic will be Partnerships with Families. The training will be from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Two clock hours will be provided following the seminar. Please contact Kathy, Danielle, Karen or Tina at 573-368-2849 or 1-888-541-4636 for more information or to RSVP.
Saturday, June 28, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. - Noon, Danielle Barr will conduct a Subsidy Orientation Training for childcare providers who are receiving state pay. The training will be held at The Community Partnership in Rolla, Missouri. This is a free training to assist you in how to fill out subsidy reimbursement paperwork. No clock hours are given for this training. Please call 573-368-2849 or 1-888-541-4636 for more information or to RSVP.
Thursday, July 10, 2008 Early Care & Education will be hosting a group seminar at The Community Partnership in Rolla, Missouri. The topic will be announced at a later date. The training will be from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Two clock hours will be provided following the seminar. Please contact Kathy, Danielle, Karen or Tina at 573-368-2849 or 1-888-541-4636 for e information or to RSVP.
Due to special planned events, there will be no regular group training in May.
Parents As Teachers
What is Parents as Teachers?
A free early learning program for all families with children prenatal to 5 years of age who want to participate.
Rolla Public School’s 22 year-old PAT Program provides parents with: personal visits, group meetings, screenings, newsletters, play groups
Parents As Teachers
Rolla Public Schools
500A Forum Drive, Rolla, MO 65401
Phone: 573-458-0193 Fax: 573-458-0194
Group Meetings:
Saturday, May 3: “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”. Rolla Regional Fairgrounds Cattle Barn. 10:00 a.m.
Parent/Child activities. P-K. Cancelled if heavy rain.
Taken from the PAT Newsletter, September/October 2007, volume 23, Issue 1
Developed by the Department of Health and Senior Services with input and assistance from experts across the state, CCOT curriculum focuses on the following three components:
We strongly encourage every child care professional to complete this 9 hours of training. Basic CCOT provides a wonderful opportunity for child care providers to gather the basic knowledge needed to keep children safe and healthy. Contact Child Care Resource & Referral at 1-800-743-8497 or www.moccrrn.org to find when it is offered in your area!
Current classes that Child Care Resource & Referral have scheduled:
Lockwood, United Methodist Church
1410 Main Street, Lockwood, Missouri
May 8th; 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Cost: $7.50
Basic CCOT - Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect
May 10th; 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $15.00
Basic CCOT - Developmentally Appropriate Practices and Health, Environmental Safety, and Sanitation.
Rolla Visitor Center
1311 Kingshighway, Rolla, MO
May 31st; 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $15.00
Family Child Care Orientation Training
Family CCOT is an inspiring 6 hour training that explores the benefits and challenges of home-based care. Discover the eight rules for working with multi-age groups. Develop strategies for balancing home life and the child care program. Find out how to "translate" provider/parent conversations. Learn about an evidence-based approach for strengthening the families of the children in your care.
Please call Child Care Resource & Referral at 1-800-743-8497 ext. 2 to register for any of these classes.