NYSPEP MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: ANN-MARGRET FOLEY

NYSPEP serves parenting educators and the organizations that employ, fund, and support those educators. NYSPEP recognizes that effective programs and reliable resources are essential elements for parents and is involved in the development of a New Parent Kit.

NYSPEP Member Spotlight: Ann-Margret Foley

Ann-Margret Foley, MSW, is committed to improving the overall physical and social-emotional well-being of children in New York State. She has been actively involved in NYSPEP's initiatives for two years and serves as co-chair of the New Parent Kit Workgroup. To help inform the development of the Kit's contents, she has been conducting focus groups throughout New York State with pregnant and parenting families.

Ann-Margret Foley works for the New York State Department of Health/Health Research Inc. in the Community Perinatal Health unit. She is Project Coordinator for the First-Time Motherhood/New Parents Initiative, which promotes preconception health (healthy lifestyle prior to pregnancy), interconception health (healthy lifestyle between pregnancy) and to provide resources and information to newly parenting families to assist them with the transition to parenthood by providing supports and resources to successfully care for their children.

Previously, Ann-Margret Foley worked as Project Director for the Northeast Comprehensive Eating Disorder Center, a "Center of Excellence" in New York State for the treatment of individuals with eating disorders. She also worked for SUNY Research Foundation at the Center for Human Services Research through the School of Social Welfare at the University of Albany. She was the Survey Manager for the Healthy Families New York Randomized Trial -- Year 7.

Anne-Margret Foley has also provided direct services for various health and human service agencies, including child protective, foster care, and substance abuse in the Capital Region. She currently serves as a board member for CARES, Inc., a not-for-profit agency founded in 1990 which works in partnership with other agencies to assist individuals who are homeless or living with HIV/AIDS.

Ann-Margret lives in Delmar, New York with her husband, two teenage children, and 85 year old mother.

NYSPEP Member Spotlight: Christine Deyss

NYSPEP recognizes that great parents are made, not born. Similarly, skilled leaders are cultivated. Like parents, many effective leaders are guided while developing the skills, tools and resources that lead to success.  Whether you are seeking guidance or sharing experience, NYSPEP values your active participation in our collaborative partnership!  

NYSPEP Member Spotlight: Christine Deyss

Christine "Chris" Deyss

Christine "Chris" Deyss helped found NYSPEP in 2006 and now co-chairs the Steering and Executive Committees. She has worked at Prevent Child Abuse New York since 1988, when she developed the statewide Parent Helpline (1-800-CHILDREN) and has been Executive Director since 2000*.

Prevent Child Abuse New York works with public and private partners to ensure the healthy development of New York’s children. With a primary focus on programs and policies that prevent a child from ever being abused or neglected, strengthening families and supporting parents is a critical aspect of this work.

Prior to coming to Prevent Child Abuse New York, Chris worked as a parent and family educator, a human relations and communications trainer, family worker in a day care center, and research associate on a permanency planning project.

She received an M.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State University, where she also worked at the Individual and Family Consultation Center and managed the development of a foster parent training project.

She is grateful to two women who were instrumental in setting the course of her life. Her mother taught, by example, the value of flying kites and reading with children, and that the opportunity to study and learn is an amazing gift. Her mentor at Penn State, Dr. Louise Guerney, taught her the basics of strength-based practice in working with parents long before that term was used.

Chris has been happily married longer than some of her colleagues have been alive and has three adult children and five grandchildren.

* UPDATE: Chris retired from Prevent Child Abuse New York in December, 2014 and received the Prevent Child Abuse New York Legacy Award in April, 2015. 

Live Video Conference: School Readiness Project

Invitation to Attend the Live Video Conference (RSVP by 02-19-13)

You are invited to learn from the success of Chemung's School Readiness Project (SRP) and its partner organizations. SRP could serve as a model for coalitions and other organizations across the state working to help close the educational achievement gap. Select BOCES and School Districts throughout NYS* will act as host sites enabling participation in the video conference. Discover how your county or region may be able to replicate the model.

About the School Readiness Project

Launched in 2006 as an innovative early childhood education program, the Chemung County School Readiness Project makes sure that every child born in Chemung County enters school with the solid foundation he or she needs to become a successful learner.

Four pillars provide the framework of the plan: quality early care and education, parent education, health care, and support for new parents provided in their homes by nurses. From 2007 to 2011, the percentage of incoming kindergarten students who were school ready rose from 47.5 percent to 68.6 percent, nearly cutting in half the number of kindergartners considered unready for school.

*Participating BOCES Distance Learning Centers & School District Conference Rooms

• Albany - Guilderland School District Administration Office Conference Room
• Binghamton
• Buffalo
• Erie 1 BOCES
• Northern Catskills Occupational Center
• Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES
• Otsego Area Occupational Center
• Rochester
• Syracuse
• Wayne - Finger Lakes BOCES
• Western Suffolk BOCES

RSVP - Details - Registration

DATE: February 21, 2013
TIME:  9:30 - 11:00 AM (Event begins promptly at 9:30 AM. Please arrive a few minutes early.)
COST: FREE
RSVP: No later than February 19

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Questions? Email: sep@communityfund.org

"Almost all parents fall woefully short of their lofty child-rearing goals in some way or another. It's not ideal-but sometimes, it's okay." This is the lead-in to a father's intriguing commentary, I'm Not Proud, but I'm Not Alone: A Lazy Parent's Meditations. Noah Berlatsky offers an entertaining give-and-take on the idea that "In theory, of course, parents are not supposed to be lazy. We are supposed to sacrifice for the children and wake up at ungodly hours and camp in the rain if that will optimize our child's happiness quotient."that makes good reading for parents and those who work with them.

Thank you to NYSPEP Steering Committee member Liz Hood for bringing the article to our attention. It is available online at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/02/im-not-proud-but-im-not-alone-a-lazy-parents-meditations/273015/
Copyright © 2013 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All Rights Reserved.

NYSPEP MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: MARY I. COLLIER

As a collaborative, NYSPEP draws strength from its diverse membership. The Member Spotlight features dedicated individuals of our Steering Committee, who positively contribute to the field of Parenting Education in a variety of ways. 

NYSPEP Member Spotlight: Mary I. Collier

Mary I. Collier, MSW, has proudly served the NYPEP Steering Committee for the past three years. As a Committee member, she co-presented a webinar about substance abuse and families. She also led a committee of providers to develop a series of parenting education pamphlets pertaining to substance abuse, treatment and recovery. The NYSPEP Steering Committee provided input on that project.

Mary's experience as an Addiction Program Specialist for the Clinical Services unit of the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, (OASAS) and unique view of the effects of substance abuse disorders on families and children has been an asset for advocacy of both family treatment and parenting education. She holds a Masters in Social Work with a concentration in Child Welfare Practice from Syracuse University. She has more than 20 years of clinical and administrative experience working for the betterment of children and families.

Mary began her career as a high school social worker providing counseling, crisis intervention, student/family mediation, and individual group therapy. In private practice, she specialized in therapeutic treatment of pre-school children, adolescents and family therapy. She also helped develop and implement Adolescent Treatment Cafes held in Brooklyn, Buffalo, and Albany.

Mary began state service in 1999 at the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). She also worked for Schenectady County Department of Social services as a children’s services caseworker. She is a member of the NYS chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and was named as an “O Star” by OASAS in March of 2012. She is now retired and enjoys traveling cross-country to visit her grandchildren.

NYSPEP MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: VITO BORRELLO

As a collaborative, NYSPEP creates a strong statewide network which provides members an opportunity to learn from each other, discover various parenting education programs, and strengthen connections throughout the state. NYSPEP invites you to expand your own network by reaching out to individuals who are committed to developing strong partnerships.

NYSPEP Member Spotlight: Vito Borrello 

Vito J. Borrello serves on the NYSPEP Steering Committee and is focused on developing strong partnerships with the public and private sectors regionally and nationally, in order to elevate policies and practices for parenting education and family engagement in education.

Since 1995, Vito J. Borrello has served as President of EPIC - Every Person Influences Children. EPIC is a national organization providing prevention programs which have been implemented in 16 states and Singapore that help families, schools and communities raise children to become responsible and capable adults.

Mr. Borrello serves as a member of the National Family, School and Community Engagement Working Group, and just completed two terms as an At-Large Board Member for National PTA. He is also a Board member with NY State PTA. In 2011, he was appointed by the NY State Education Department for the workgroups Teacher Standards and Striving Readers.

Mr. Borrello is Chairman for the Care Management Coalition of Western New York. He is a Board Member for Buffalo's Read to Succeed literacy initiative and the University of Buffalo's Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention. He also serves on the NY State Family Engagement Coalition Steering Committee.

Mr. Borrello is a 2009 graduate of the Community Health Foundation Fellowship program and a 1998 graduate of Leadership Buffalo. He has a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Wittenberg University and resides in East Amherst, New York with his wife, Maria, and daughters, Marisa, and Samantha.

Poverty Affects Early Childhood, Parenting Styles, and Long-Term Outcomes

Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times columnist and two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, recently penned an editorial exposing poverty's effects on children. He states evidence that we are loosing President Lyndon Johnson's "war on poverty". He further suggests investing in our nation and its children by diverting foreign war funding to early childhood programs.

Kristof cites disparity of educational opportunities between children residing in wealthy neighborhoods and those from low-income areas, and relates the disparity to different parenting styles, attitudes, and behaviors. Kristof recounts an experience from his own childhood. A friend's grandparent forced his friend to return a library card. If you're wondering why, please CLICK HERE to read the full article...