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.
 

NYSPEP Presents "The Environment of Childhood Poverty" with Gary Evans

REGISTER NOW

We know that poverty is bad for children and families, but why? This lecture will suggest that part of the answer to this question is poor children face a bewildering array of multiple risk factors that frequently converge on the same subset of families. Social and physical risks converge to exacerbate stress. Data on risk exposure, its consequences, and some ideas about what we might do about it will be discussed. 

Professor Evans is an environmental and developmental psychologist interested in how the physical environment affects human health and well being among children. His specific areas of expertise include children's environments, the environment of childhood poverty, cumulative risk and child development, environmental stressors, and the development of children's environmental attitudes and behaviors.

Afternoon Workshop:

Addressing the Environment of Poverty through the Lens of the Protective Factors

This workshop will include the background information on the Strengthening Families approach with an introduction to the protective factors, sharing some program strategies for implementation, and introduce the Protective Factor Survey (PFS).

Special Presentation Following the Semiannual Meeting:

Parenting Educator Credential Orientation will take place from 3:00-5:00PM. The orientation is free and open to the public. All registered attendees are invited to stay.

Learn the Signs. Act Early. The Importance of Developmental Screening

April 19, 2012 - 9:00am - 10:00am ET

Judith Lucas, MD
Pediatrician, Behavioral Health
at Albany Medical Center

Donna M. Noyes, PhD
Associate Director for Clinical Policy,
and Senior Project Director for the
New York Early Intervention System,
Bureau of Early Intervention

This broadcast will incorporate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Learn the Signs. Act Early. (LTSAE) messages as well as NYS specific resources to increase awareness about LTSAE and importance of understanding developmental milestones and making appropriate and timely referrals when there is a concern.

The broadcast will also highlight resources in New York State. Parents and professionals tend to frame healthy development of children in terms of height, weight, and language acquisition. Despite the fact that the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended universal screening for development and for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) since 2006, the majority of children are not being screened by standardized screening tools. In addition to screening, when a concern is raised, parents and professionals are not aware of the importance of early intervention or the availability of resources.

The broadcast will highlight information about ASD and general developmental screening, including many free resources available for parents to better understand their child’s development through the age of five years old, as well as materials to help parents talk with their child’s health care provider about any concerns. For professionals, the broadcast will highlight the importance of routine developmental screening and resources for them and parents with whom they work.

Registration
To register for this FREE webcast, log on to:
www.phlive.org

"Scared Sick" Interview

Robin Karr-Morse and Meredith Wiley's interview with YNN!

http://www.capitaltonight.com/2012/04/scared-sick-authors-discuss-early-childhood-trauma/

Parents of Preemies Day Recognizes Courage & Commitment

The First Ever Parents of Preemies Day -March 23, 2012- will build support for parents, recognizing the courage it takes to stay strong and resilient when premature birth turns a family's world upside down. This observance, produced by Graham's Foundation with a number of supporting organizations and sponsors, includes the delivery of thousands of NICU care packages designed specifically for the parents of premature babies to every Level 3 NICU in the United States and Canada. It will also mark the unveiling of a "Hope, Resilience, & Miracles" banner showcasing the photos of parents and their preemies submitted to the Parents of Preemies Day Facebook Page. 

Website: http://www.parentsofpreemiesday.org/main.html

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/parentsofpreemiesday

Scared Sick: The Role of Childhood Trauma in Adult Disease

SCARED SICK:

The Role of Childhood Trauma in Adult Disease

Monday, April 2, 2012, 2:00-4:30 pm Page Hall Auditorium

University at Albany Downtown Campus, 135 Western Ave, Albany, NY

Agenda

Welcome: Heather Larkin, Assistant Professor, UAlbany School of Social Welfare

Setting the Stage: Robin Karr Morse, Family Therapist, Writer and  Meredith Wiley, State Director, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids

 4:00PM Meet the Authors, Book Signing

Overview

Emerging research from several fields including psychology, neurobiology, endocrinology, immunology and genetics now converges on the previously unrecognized role of early childhood trauma in physical, emotional and behavioral health. Scared Sick is one of the first books to explain how fear experienced chronically in the first thousand days of life facilitates disease and maladaptive behavior by disrupting central nervous, endocrine and immune processes in the developing body. Commonly overlooked sources of trauma for youngest children and opportunities for healing and prevention are discussed. 

Written by Oregon family therapist Robin Karr Morse in collaboration with New York policy advocate Meredith Wiley, the book makes it clear that building modulated nervous systems in youngest human beings is foundational not only for individual physical and behavioral health but also for maintaining the “glue” of human community and the continuity of the species.

The partnership between the University at Albany School of Social Welfare and Prevent Child Abuse New York grows out of our work within the HEARTS (Healthy Environments And Relationships That Support) Initiative to prevent and address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and ACE consequences, aiming to save human and economic costs to our communities and the state. This workshop seeks to bring community members together to explore implications of the research and organize around prevention.

As scientific research emerges from multiple fields, leading edge universities have an opportunity to work with community members exploring implications for service delivery.

Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLF1jfWbj64 to view the trailer

Pre-registration is encouraged, to ensure your space at the event.

 Contact Brittani Hanson at bhanson@preventchildabuseny.org, or 518-445-1273.