NEW YORK TIMES PARENTING ARTICLE

A recent article in the New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristof underscores the importance of parenting education programs. Kristof uses outcomes of clinical research, examples of effective parenting programs, and stories that demonstrate the direct relationship between a positive influence of parents and productive outcomes in children.

Full Article - CLICK HERE

WEBINAR TODAY

Social Media: 

What is your message? 

TODAY, October 23, 1:30 - 2:30 pm 

Learn how easy it is to tweet KWIC data, have a Q&A session on Twitter or post a graph on your agency's Facebook page.

We will show examples from the Council's Twitter and Facebook accounts. We will describe the Council's decision path to use social media. We will also discuss our current share buttons and survey participants on what social media they use now or want to starting using in the future.

Please log-in using the web link and conference call number below.  

http://nysccf.adobeconnect.com/kwic 

Please log-in as a GUEST, and then type your name for the listing of attendees.  Audio will be broadcast, but you also have the option to dial in:

 Dial 866-394-2346

Participant Code:  307-046-5989

Please note, Google Chrome is unable to install the Adobe Connect Add-in, please use a browser other than Chrome. 

We hope you will join us for this webinar. This and future webinars will be archived and available for viewing approximately one week after the webinar.

September Is Infant Mortality Awareness Month

For more info on Infant Mortality Awareness Month please visit the OCFS website here.  For info on Healthy Families New York visit this link.

Professional Development Opportunities

Interested in continuing to grow as a parenting educator?  Here are two ideas....

For parent educators on Long Island and in the metro area, check out the Parenting Institute at Adelphi University, Garden City, offering a variety of advanced level courses and workshops for professionals as well as programs for parents.  Currently promoting their Post Masters Training Program in Parent Education and Parent Guidance: this certificate program is an intensive training program designed for parent educators and/or clinicians who work with parents. Its goal is to promote a deepened understanding of the theories, values and principles that inform this work. Details at: http://www.adelphi.edu/parentinginstitute/

For parent educators in central New York a two day facilitator training for PS: It Works! / Personal – Professional Communication Skills is being offered Tuesday, October 30, 2012 and Wednesday, October 31, 2012 from 9 am to 4:30 pm at Cornell Cooperative Extension-Tompkins Education Center, 615 Willow Ave, Ithaca, NY 14850.  This training will help prepare professionals to use and reinforce five core communications skills with their clients, to use daily in their own personal and professional lives, to conduct the Parenting Skills Workshop Series and Parenting Skills for Literacy Series, and to make referrals to those workshops. Past participants include: parenting educators, DSS personnel, social workers, teachers, child care providers, mental health professionals, alcohol & drug rehab counselors, coaches and others who work with people! The $150 registration fee covers the 2 day training, lunch, snack, plus a Parenting Skills Workshop Series manual. Preregistration is required. For more information visit:

http://ccetompkins.org/sites/all/files/63/2012-ps-it-works-brochure.pdf

2012 PARENTING EDUCATION PROGRAM GRANTS

NYSPEP awarded 12 grants ranging from $1000 to $3000 to increase access to evidence-based parenting education programs, thanks to a grant from the NYS Office of Mental Health. Awardees were selected from 96 applications from across the state.  

• Brooklyn Public Library, First Five Years Program: Weekend Preschool Storytime and Ready, Set, Kindergarten: To translate print materials and develop web-based videos in Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Russian.
• Commission on Economic Opportunity, Troy, Fatherhood Initiative, ACT:Parents Raising Safe Kids for Head Start fathers and incarcerated fathers: For program handbooks, child care, refreshments, transportation (bus passes), follow-up sessions, marketing (flyers).
• Community Action Organization of Erie County, Inc., Parents Forever- Parent Education Program, Incredible Years for parents, grandparents, caregivers: child care (stipends), transportation (bus tokens), also marketing to the community.
• EAC Long Island Parenting Institute, Common Sense Parenting: parent scholarships (curriculum cost), added classes (3 more sessions), transportation.
• Family Service League, Huntington, Parent to Parent program, Common Sense Parenting: parent stipends for transportation, child care and program supplies; follow-up sessions, completion celebration refreshments.
• Mental Health Association in Ulster Co. Education and Advocacy Department, WRAP (Wellness Recovery Acton Plan) for parents and children: facilitator training, lunch and snacks (day-long sessions), program supplies, transportation (bus tokens, gas reimbursement).
• Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency, Inc., Utica, Nurturing Parenting for Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers: program supplies (two additional sessions), family dinner, child care, transportation.
• North Country Prenatal/Perinatal Council, Inc., Watertown, for Gouverneur Activity & Learning Center Nurturing Parent program: parent stipends (isolated, rural, high unemployment), transportation, program supplies, child care, added session.
• Parsons Child and Family Center, Albany, Families United Network/Child Guidance 4Rs and 2Ss for Strengthening Families: transportation, program supplies, dinner for families (per evening sessions, work schedules)
• P.E.A.C.E. Inc. Syracuse,  County South FRC, Food for the Parent's Soul, three more 9-month programs: child care (on site), light meal for parents and children (increases attendance, comfort and socialization)
• Pro Action of Steuben and Yates, Inc., Bath, Family Enrichment Collaborative, 24/7 Dad fatherhood series, male facilitators compensation, program curriculum, transportation support, child care.
•  YES Community Counseling Center, Massapequa, Parents and Children Engaged (P.A.C.E.), Active Parenting curriculum w/added parent-child activities: facilitator training, transportation (prepaid gas cards), child care (Girl Scouts partnership), program supplies, marketing (PTA, schools, chamber of commerce partners).

STEPPING UP FOR KIDS

The new KIDS COUNT report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, STEPPING UP FOR KIDS, highlights the importance of kinship care and outlines how state governments and communities can help these relatives.  Nationally, there are 2.7 million children cared for by extended family members and close family friends.  In New York, about 153,000 children are living in this type of household, which represents about 3 percent of all children 18 years and younger in the state. For more information, view the national report, Stepping Up for Kids <http://bit.ly/JgZbt7> and a New York state brief, Kinship Children in New York State <http://bit.ly/K7S1bR> . A New York State Quick Fact Sheet <http://bit.ly/JPZWfw> is also available.

Dads Take Your Child to School New York Informational Webinar

Date: Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Time: 3:00-4:30pm
Participants: This webinar is designed to introduce new organizations, schools and Head Start programs to the event, and to welcome back those that have participated in previous years.
Webinar Registration: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/292889609
This webinar is hosted thanks to the New York State Community Action Association.

Last year, over 200 schools and Head Starts across New York State, numerous community and statewide partners, and over 9,000 dads participated in this event. Throughout educational institutions from Niagara Falls to New York City, father involvement is growing around New York. To read more about what happened last year, you can download the 2011 DTYCTS Annual Report <https://sites.google.com/site/dtyctsny/press> . As well, you can see newsclips and videos <https://sites.google.com/site/dtyctsny/press>  from last year, and last year’s map of participating sites <https://sites.google.com/site/dtyctsny/maps/2011-participating-sites> .

Dads Take Your Child to School 2012 will take place statewide on Thursday, September 20, 2012.