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 30 | November 16, 2007 |
In This Issue
- News from Children's Futures
- CF Addresses the Needs of Homeless Pregnant Women Through Support of Huchet House
- CF Garners Praise as Financial Management Training Program Begins
- Allen C. Lamboy Named to Children's Futures' Board
- Links to News Articles
- Op/Ed: Make the Garden State the 'Health Care State'
- Preterm Birth Late in Gestation Triples Infant Mortality
- Diabetes Strikes Younger and Younger
- Community
Activities
- Accessing Healthcare in Trenton: A Community Health Event-Tomorrow
- Press Conference To Announce Name Change of UIH
- Capitol County Collaborative's "Celebrating Kids-Connecting the Community" Event
News from Children's Futures
CF Addresses the Needs of Homeless Pregnant Women Through Support of Huchet House
Imagine being homeless and pregnant with your first child. What would you do? Where would you turn?
Since 2003, more than 125 women have found help at HomeFront's Huchet House. It's a place where family care workers and a parent educator focus on ensuring pregnant homeless women receive needed services like prenatal care and employment training. Huchet House was made possible with a start-up grant from Children's Futures. According to HomeFront's maternal and early childhood director Brenda Whitaker, "Children's Futures' initial and continued support has enabled us to make a real difference in the lives of women throughout Trenton." She explained that the women in the program respond to the individualized attention they receive. "For example, we are very proud that 90% of the women breastfeed their babies," Whitaker noted.
Located in a former convent converted to serve up to 10 women, Huchet House offers a family environment for those disconnected from society. One mom currently in the program named 'L.C.' told the Weekly Briefing about her life before and since receiving services at Huchet House. "I would have been going from house to house if Huchet did not exist," L.C. said. The proud 19 year-old mother of a healthy two-month old daughter was homeless for a month before entering the program. Since the birth of her daughter, L.C. has improved her literacy and parenting skills and is working hard to earn her GED degree by next March. "The programs here make me more independent...more capable of doing things. I want to be a strong role model for my daughter by never giving up and pressing forward," L.C. added. The length of time each mom stays at Huchet House varies depending on individual needs. About the time a baby begins to crawl, the Huchet House staff helps mothers and their children find affordable permanent housing or a transitional living program. "Our partnership with Children's Futures gives women hope," said HomeFront president Connie Mercer.
Nineteen year-old mom L.C. (l) shown discussing parenting issues with HomeFront's Brenda Whitaker on Thursday at Huchet House.
CF Garners Praise as Financial Management Training Program Begins
Nonprofit agency representatives meeting Wednesday for the kickoff of a financial management training series lauded Children's Futures for providing important technical assistance to their community organizations. One attendee, Barbara Van Horn of CampFire USA, noted the commitment of Children's Futures in helping her organization and others achieve their child and family-focused missions. The training for this series is provided through the Support Center for Nonprofit Management. Organizations participating in these sessions include: Building Our Youth's Development; LifeTies, Inc.; UIH Family Partners; Interfaith Caregivers; Camp Fire USA; Covenant Community Development Corporation and Concerned Citizens of Ewing, Inc. A focus group (comprised of Trenton nonprofits) provided valuable suggestions resulting in the development of this comprehensive financial management program.
Training facilitator Barbara Miller of Management Solutions for Nonprofit Organizations (seated center) and Calvin Thomas (seated right) of the Support Center for Nonprofit Management's Trenton office looked on as Children's Futures' vice president Melinda Green (standing) welcomed Financial Management Training Program participants from local nonprofit organizations.
Bruce Boyd, executive director of Building Our Youth's Development (upper right facing camera) described his expectations for the training series during the kickoff held Wednesday at Thomas Edison State College.
Allen C. Lamboy Named to Children's Futures'
Allen C. Lamboy of Cherry Hill has joined the Children's Futures' Board of Directors. Mr. Lamboy brings many years of experience in the financial services field to the Children's Futures' Board. In addition to his financial background, he has a long history of dedication to children and families through his volunteer service on the New Jersey Health Care Advisory Council, the New Jersey Childcare Industry Economic Impact Council and the Starting Points for Children Board of Directors. Mr. Lamboy currently serves as vice president of the JP Morgan Chase Community Development Real Estate Group in Hamilton, New Jersey. Prior to joining JP Morgan Chase, he served as associate director for financial services at the Non Profit Finance Fund in Philadelphia. He has also been a program officer with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation where he served as the childcare and economic development specialist under the New Jersey Multi-City Program.
Links to News Articles
New Jerseyans Have Spoken: Make the Garden State the 'Health
Care State'
Former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean and Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation president and CEO Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey wrote about
health-care reform for the Garden State in The Times of Trenton.
Preterm Birth Late in Gestation Triples Infant Mortality
According
to investigators interviewed for a teaching brief in MedPage
Today, infants born even a couple of weeks early may be more
likely to die than those born at term.
Diabetes strikes younger and younger
USA Today described the increasing incidence of diabetes in young
children.
Children's early academic and attention skills best predict
later school success
November's Developmental Psychology reported that children entering
kindergarten with elementary math and reading skills are the
most likely to do well in school later, even if they have various
social and emotional problems
Community Activities
November 2007
Tomorrow, Saturday, November 17:
Accessing Healthcare in Trenton, A Community Health Event; free screenings and other health resources; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; TCHS Medical Arts Academy, 50 N. Clinton Avenue, Trenton. Call Don Addison at (609) 577-2348 or email daddison@greatertrentonareaymca.org
Tuesday, November 27:
Press Conference Announcing Name Change of Union Industrial Home for Children to UIH Family Partners; 12 noon; Trenton City Hall Atrium, 319 East State Street. For more information, call Zuline Gray Wilkinson at (609) 695-1492.
December 2007
Saturday, December 1:
Annual Holiday Bazaar to Benefit Children of Joyce Kilmer School: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for vendor information please contact Paula Jones (609) 989-0288 (ext.2820) or Karin McBride (609) 372-8477 or email jkilmerpta@comcast.net
Monday, December 3:
Capitol County Children's Collaborative's "Celebrating Kids-Connecting the Community": free; 8:30 a.m. The Conference Center at Mercer County Community College. For more information, contact Tara L. Granaldi at (609) 584-0888 or email tgranaldi@capitolkids.org
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.