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 25 | Week of October 5-12, 2007 |
In This Issue
- News from Children's Futures
- Good Nutrition is a Family Affair in the North Ward
- Trenton Community Baby Shower Set
- Addressing Maternal Depression
- October Center-Based Programs
- Links to Publications and News Articles
- The Future of Children
- Study of U.S. Children Readies to Launch
- Premature Birth and Low Maternal Cholesterol
- Study: Low Pregnancy Weight Gain OK for Obese
- Community Activities
- Community Partners for Trenton Stakeholders
- ACT Parenting Workshop Against Violence
- Annual Trenton Baby Shower
- Nurse-Family Partnership Seminar
News from Children's Futures
Good Nutrition is a Family Affair in the North Ward
On Tuesday mornings in the North Ward, families are learning how they can make good nutrition decisions. Children's Futures North Ward Center (1554 Princeton Avenue) hosts a weekly program that's focused on combining smart food choices with exercise for optimum family health. The program, presented by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, provides guidance on how to read and understand nutrition information presented on food packaging labels and also promotes the benefits of natural foods over processed foods. According to North Ward center director Dolores Bryant, "It's very important for parents to be knowledgeable about proper nutrition for themselves and their children because many medical issues can be negatively impacted by poor nutrition." For more information about the program, please call 393-2980.
Maria Zamora from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension explains
the "Food Pyramid" at this week's nutrition program
in the North Ward
Trenton Community Baby Shower Set
Trenton Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies (HM/HB), one of Children's Futures' community partners, will hold its Annual Baby Shower on October 22nd at Shiloh Baptist Church. The event is geared to provide pregnant women, expectant dads and parents with infants up to six months old with maternal and child health information. The event, which features food, entertainment, hands-on demonstrations and raffles, also serves as an opportunity for many community agencies to present information to young families about how to access community resources. Additional information for the 2007 Trenton Community Baby Shower appears below in the "Community Activities" listing.
Blindfolded expectant parents attempt to diaper a baby doll
at last year's Baby Shower.
Children's Futures will provide resource
information for Baby Shower attendees.
Addressing Maternal Depression
"It's important to make women aware of the potential for depression and to understand that help is available," said Lori Trani, program coordinator for Children's Futures' behavioral health program at Greater Trenton Behavioral HealthCare (GTBHC). A recent Kaiser Permanente study revealed more than one-in-seven women are depressed at some time during the nine months before they become pregnant, during pregnancy, or during the nine months after they give birth. "During the years GTBHC has been assessing Trenton women for the Children's Futures program, we have screened and treated many women who fall within these categories. This study points to the need to screen every pregnant woman for depression and other mental illnesses," Trani added. GTBHC offers counseling for expectant and post-partum Trenton women for depression and other mental health issues and also provides assessments and linkages to treatment. More information about GTBHC is available at www.gtbhc.org or by calling (609) 396-6788.
Josephine Reyes of Greater Trenton Behavioral HealthCare (right)
counsels
a young mother at Children's Futures' South Ward center
earlier this week.
October Center-Based Programs for Expectant Parents, Parents and Children
Expectant parents and parents of newborns and toddlers have opportunities to enhance their parenting knowledge and skills by attending programs at Children's Futures' parent child centers and the father center. Each month, Children's Futures offers free workshops to improve literacy, promote nutrition, build children's musical awareness and encourage parent/child bonding. The October 2007 Program Calendar is attached above in English and in Spanish. If you have difficulty opening the document or have additional questions about center-based programs, email tbellamy@trentonnj.org.
Links to Publications and News Articles
The
Future of Children – Fall 2007 issue
The Future of Children, a publication of The Woodrow Wilson
School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University
and The Brookings Institution, devotes an entire edition to the
next generation of antipoverty policies to strengthen families.
Largest Study of U.S. Children Readies for Launch
HealthDay News describes the largest study ever of the impact
of environment and genes on the health of American children.
Low Maternal Cholesterol Tied To Premature Birth
Science Daily reports on a new study that says pregnant women
who have very low cholesterol may face a greater risk of delivering
their babies prematurely.
Low Pregnancy Weight
Gain OK for Obese
The Associated Press describes new research that suggests obese
women can gain little or no weight during pregnancy — and
even lose a few pounds — without harming their babies.
Community Activities
October 2007
Tuesday, October 16:
Community Partners for Trenton Stakeholders (Kick Off Meeting): Free; 8:30 to 11 a.m.; Kerney Hall at Mercer County Community College's Trenton Campus at Broad and Academy Streets. For more information, please contact Tracy L. Romans at (609).989.7333 (ext. 23).
Building Self-Sufficiency Through Literacy: Mercer County Workforce Investment Board 2007 Literacy Best Practices Conference: $50 The Conference Center at Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. To register, please go to: http://www.123signup.com/calendar?Org=MCWIB
ACT-Adults and Children Together Against Violence Five Week Parenting Workshop; Free; 6-7:30 p.m.; Community Room Building B at Millhill Child and Family Development Center, 101 Oakland Street. For more information contact Heather Glenn at (609) 989-7333 (ext. 17).
Monday, October 22:
Trenton Community Health and Safety Baby Shower; Free; 10 a.m. -2 p.m.; Shiloh Baptist Church, 340 Rev. Dr. S. Howard Woodson Way (Calhoun Street). For more information call (609) 394-7454.
Wednesday, October 24:
New Jersey Health Care Advisory Council 2007 Luncheon; $46; 12:30-3 p.m.; Princeton Marriott Conference Center at Forrestal. For more information, reservations and directions, call (609) 984-5321 or email: Terri.Buccarelli@dhs.state.nj.us
November 2007
Thursday, November 29:
Nurse-Family Partnership Seminar: A Cost-Effective Investment for New Jersey's Children; Free; 9-11 a.m..; Trenton Marriott ; Featured speakers: NJ Dept. of Children and Families Commissioner Kevin M. Ryan, Division of Prevention and Community Partnerships Director Darrell L. Armstrong, Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer, and Nurse-Family Partnership Developer David Olds. Seating is limited. For reservations contact Shannon Ensminger at Shannon@rodacreative.com or call (717) 699-2206.
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.