2014 NYSPEP Mini-Grants: Award Recipients Announced

NYSPEP Mini-Grants, up to $2,000 each, help providers increase access to evidence based and promising parenting education programs. These programs offer parents knowledge, skills and resources for raising children. Funding for NYSPEP’s Mini-Grants is provided by the New York State Office of Mental Health (NYS OMH). An opportunity to increase funding this year allowed NYSPEP to award ten (10) Mini-Grants.

We received thirty-nine (39) applications from across the state. As we had hoped, at least one application from each of the five NYS OMH regions met eligibility and application requirements. Each application was carefully considered and scored by a team of individuals.

Awards were based on thoroughness and quality of the following criteria:

• Indication that the parenting program being implemented is research-based, proven or promising
• Clarity of both the description of the problem or need in supporting parents’ access to the program, and the explanation of how the funds will address that problem or need
• Clarity in describing how funds will be used to collaborate and/or augment other funds
• Inclusion of pre-post assessments of change for parents and a plan for documenting outcomes

This year’s awardees represented the top-scores in each of the NYS OMH regions, and also represented the top scores overall. Of all the many fine and thoughtful proposals we received, we are pleased to announce the following awardees of the 2014 NYSPEP Mini-Grants:

CENTRAL REGION

• Catholic Charities of Broome County / Gateway Center for Youth for Active Parenting of Teens
• Opportunities for Otsego for Building Healthy Families

HUDSON RIVER REGION

• Albany County Department for Children, Youth and Families for Healthy Families Albany County
• Community Maternity Services of Schoharie Otsego for Maternity Outreach
• The Mental Health Association of Columbia-Greene Counties / The Dr. Stephen and Suzanne Menkes Child Advocacy Center for Understanding the Traumatized Child; Guidance for Parents and Care-Givers
• Catholic Charities of Columbia and Greene County for Kinship Caregivers

LONG ISLAND REGION

• EAC Network's Long Island Parenting Institute for Common Sense Parenting

NEW YORK CITY REGION

• Henry Street Settlement for Henry Street's Neighborhood Resource Center / Parent Center

WESTERN REGION

• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County for Parents Apart: Helping Children Adjust to Separation and Divorce
• Family Help Center for Parenting Wisely