The Weekly Briefing
| Welcome to The Weekly Briefing, featuring news from Children's Futures, updates about our community partners' activities and links to recent news articles about early childhood health and development. | |
| Volume 1, Number 19 | Week of July 9-July 13, 2007 |
In This Issue
- News from Children's Futures
- Family Success Center Grant to Children's Home Society
- Abbott Schools' Success Parallels Children's Futures' Infant and Toddler Work
- Mayor Palmer Calls for Full SCHIP Funding
- Help Us Improve the Weekly Briefing
- Community Partners' Activities
- Domestic Abuse Training
- ACT Workshops Against Violence
- Fathers and Families Fun Day
- News Articles
- A Battle Over Expansion of Children's Insurance
- Aggressive Efforts Needed to Battle Maternal Obesity
- School Child Obesity Programs are Failing
News from Children's Futures
Family Success Center Grant to Children's Home Society
Children's Home Society of New Jersey, Children's Futures' partner in the North Ward has been named as a Family Success Center grantee under the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF). Twenty agencies across the state are each being awarded $200,000 by DCF to expand or create neighborhood-based centers. Much like the Children's Futures' model in Trenton, Family Success Centers will promote the health and well-being of children and families. According to Children's Home Society of New Jersey executive director Donna Pressma, "We will be building on the existing strengths of our Children's Futures' North Ward Center, CUNA (pre and post natal health and parenting education services for Trenton's Latino families) and DYFS services for Trenton's at-risk children and families. We are honored to be part of this innovative Family Success Center model that focuses on asking families what they think they need to be most successful." According to Children's Futures' president Floyd K. Morris, Jr., "The Family Success Center concept reflects Children's Futures philosophy of addressing children's health and development issues. We congratulate Children's Home Society of New Jersey on receiving this important grant award."
Children's Home Society of New Jersey was awarded a $200,000 grant this week to become part of the statewide Family Success Center program through the New Jersey Department of Children and Families.
A
family
celebrates during recent graduation
ceremony
after three
years in
the North
Ward's home visiting
program.
Abbott Schools' Success Parallels Children's Futures' Infant and Toddler Work
Measuring outcomes is important, whether in the statewide Abbott preschool program for 4 and 5 year olds or for Children's Futures' efforts in Trenton to improve the quality of infant and toddler child care settings. A recently released Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effects Study shows results that closely parallel Children's Futures' outcomes in work with Trenton child care centers and family child care homes. Each program is measured by similar rating scales. Among other measures, Abbott uses the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale and the Children's Futures' early childhood results are measured through the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale and the Family Day Care Rating Scale. Each of these Harms-Clifford rating scales range from a "1" rating (inadequate) to a "7" rating (excellent). For 2006, scores rose in all categories for both the Abbott preschools and the Children's Futures' Child Care Centers and Family Child Care Network. Some of the similarly measured areas included personal/basic care, space and furnishings, language and reasoning, activities and parents and staff.
Trenton child care programs working with the Child Care Connection increased their scores raising the majority of categories into a "5" (good) designation. Abbott schools throughout New Jersey showed similar growth in quality in all categories with scores nearing or exceeding the "5" (good) designation. According to Children's Futures' vice president Melinda Green, "Through our Improving Quality in Child Care Program, we have always sought to create the foundation for quality as children progress into the Abbott schools. At Children's Futures, we believe the gains made in infant and toddler child care settings in Trenton will translate into greater child success both in preschool and later years."
Mayor Palmer Calls for Full SCHIP Funding
Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer, who is a Children's Futures' Board Member and current president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, is calling on his fellow New Jersey Mayors as well as members of Congress to support comprehensive health coverage for all children. Noting that 244,000 children are uninsured in New Jersey alone, the Mayor is urging full coverage under the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Authorization for SCHIP expires September 30. Mayor Palmer said he is contacting New Jersey's Senators and Congressional representatives, the New Jersey Conference of Mayors, The Concerned Pastors of Trenton and Vicinity and child advocacy organizations such as Children's Futures in urging that this major issue be addressed by Congress over the summer. He also encouraged residents to join him in supporting H.R. 1688, the All Healthy Children Act by writing to their Senators and Congressional representatives and urging passage of the legislation.
Help Us Improve the Weekly Briefing
If you haven't already taken a look at our online survey, please take five minutes now to give us your feedback. Your responses will help us continue to improve the content and value of our newsletters. You may view the survey here: Children's Futures' Newsletter Survey
Community Partners' Activities
Friday, July 20:
Decreasing Isolation, Increasing Safety: Domestic Abuse Training
by Womanspace for CF Center Staff and Collaborative Partners:
9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Trenton Police Department West District
(Hermitage & Artisan Avenues). Call 394-0136 or email ceg@womanspace.org.
Wednesday, July 25:
Free ACT- Adults and Children Together - Against Violence Workshops
to Begin July 25 for Parents who Speak English as a Second
Language, presented by PEI Kids and The English School at The
Lawrence Road Presbyterian Church: Free; 6:30 p.m.; held at
1039 Lawrence Road (Rt. 206) in Lawrenceville. The workshops
offer tools and strategies to help parents teach children how
they can handle anger, resolve conflicts and deal with frustration
in a nonviolent way.
The dates for the other workshops in the series are August 13, November 26, December 19 and January 28, 2008. Each workshop lasts 90 minutes and includes a pizza dinner. Childcare will be provided. Call 609-882-7909 to register.
Tuesday, August 7:
Parenting Class Series (8 weeks) from Millhill Behavioral Health
Program in Partnership with Isles, Inc. Parents Empowering
Parents program: 6 to 7:30 p.m..; Mill Hill Community Room.
Free. Call 989-7333 (ext. 17).
Saturday, August 11:
The 5th Annual Fathers and Families Fun Day, presented by the
Trenton Men's Collaborative and Children's Futures: 11 a.m.
to 3 p.m.; Mill Hill Park (South Broad and Front Streets).
Free. Focused on Trenton fathers and their families with children
three years of age and younger. Includes health screens, face
painting, a magic show, party jumps and refreshments. Call
695-3663.
Links to News Articles About Early Childhood Health and Development
A Battle Over Expansion of Children's Insurance
The New York Times examines the children's insurance battle on Capitol Hill.
Aggressive Efforts Needed To Curb Maternal Obesity,
Expert Urges
Science Daily reports on a Temple University expert who urges
physicians to aggressively counsel women about the importance
of starting pregnancy at a healthy weight.
School Child Obesity Programs are Failing, Experts Say
The Associated Press reports on experts' opinions about school
obesity programs.
Medical Home Model Helps Eliminate Health Care Disparities
This AAFP News Now article describes the medical home concept's
impact on health disparities.
Stress during pregnancy can hurt child: study
The Montreal Gazette reports on a recent study of the impact
of stress on pregnancy
For a complete calendar of events, please refer to our calendar page.
About Children's Futures
Established in 2001 with major support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Children's Futures is a nonprofit organization that works city-wide in Trenton, N.J. to improve child health and development outcomes. Through an unprecedented collaboration among public agencies and nonprofit organizations, Children's Futures seeks to strengthen parenting, increase access to primary quality health care and child care systems, and increase social supports for families, so that every child in Trenton enters preschool healthy and ready to learn.