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 2, Number 2 | January 11, 2007 |
In This Issue
- News from Children's Futures
- Financial Management Training Series Pays Dividends
- Helping Partners Engage and Empower Parents
- Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) Expands Capacity
- Toys from Children's Futures Add to South Ward Three Kings Celebration
- CF Seeks Key Communicators
- Links to News Articles
- Answers Prove Elusive as C-Section Rate Rises
- Breast-Feeding Seems to Protect Against Some Allergies
- Consistency is Key in Transitioning to Solid Food
- Parental Control of Eating Leads to Lighter Toddlers
- Community Activities
- Trenton Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Consumer Coalition
- Community Meeting to Discuss Safety Issue, Immigrant Needs and Tenant Rights
- Fair for Parents to Learn about Abbott Pre-Schools and Community Resources
News from Children's Futures
Financial Management Training Series Pays Dividends
Although Children's Futures and The Support Center of Trenton's Financial Management Training Series (detailed in the Weekly Briefing Volume 1, Number 26) doesn't conclude until next week, this customized program for small and mid-size nonprofits serving Trenton residents is already paying dividends. Series instructor Barbara Miller reported numerous successes in participants already applying what they have learned to improve their organizations' financial operations. "I'm so impressed by people's eagerness to learn about traditional as well as emerging financial issues like how to meet new standards of accountability, " Miller said. She also praised Children's Futures' financial officer Spencer Lester for his vision in creating the training series. Children's Futures supports this and other technical assistance programs to improve the infrastructures and organizational capacities of Trenton's family-serving agencies.
Instructor Barbara Miller of Management Solutions for Nonprofit Organizations explains a financial management concept to some of the attendees during Wednesday's program at the Children's Futures' office.
Helping Partners Engage and Empower Parents
How do the staff members at CF's family success/parent child centers effectively help moms and dads become interested in learning positive parenting skills? It starts with understanding parents' needs and how to cultivate their active participation. As part of Children's Futures' emphasis on professional development training for community partners to promotes improved services for children and families, Child Care Connection recently facilitated a 15-hour training series led by Parents Anonymous called "Inviting, Engaging and Empowering Parents: A Shared Leadership Approach to Parent Involvement and Group Facilitation". The training, specifically designed for staff from Children's Futures' family success/parent child centers and child care center partners, provided opportunities to practice group facilitation skills and gain a better understanding of family engagement and support strategies.
The CF Parent engagement and empowerment training presented by Parents Anonymous through Child Care Connection included participants from Children's Futures' family success/parent child centers and two child care centers involved in the NJ Quality Rating and Improvement System pilot (Carolyn Stokes Day Nursery and Hamilton Avenue Day Care). Front (kneeling) - Alethia Deans, Marie Michel, Eileen Cambridge Standing (l to r) - Rashida White, Lori Ray, Kathy Roe, Desiree Myers, Cheryl Miller, Roseanne Best-Dougherty, Milagros DeJesus Back row (l to r) - Nelson Marrero, Joseph Revell, Anyea Anderson, Donny Bellamy
Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) Expands Capacity
Children's Futures' has expanded the NFP, an evidence-based nurse home visiting program that works to improve the health, well-being and self-sufficiency of low-income, first-time parents and their children. The expansion includes an additional nurse for Trenton through funding from a Home Visitation Grant from the New Jersey Department of Children and Families. This brings a full complement of nurses to the program and increases the service capacity to 100 women. A recently hired bilingual nurse will enhance the program's impact on Latina women in need of NFP services. During a recent visit to Trenton, NFP founder Dr. David Olds said in an interview, "The consequences of not addressing needs of vulnerable children early in life last a lifetime...Children's Futures is speaking on behalf of vulnerable children and families in the Trenton area."
Toys from Children's Futures Add to South Ward Three Kings Celebration
This past Saturday, more than 200 South Ward residents celebrated the Magi (also known as The Three Kings) with food, fun and music from a choir. Residents also learned about the array of new services and center-based activities available for 2008 at two of the Children's Futures' sites at Home Avenue and South Broad Street from El Centro/Catholic Charities South Ward Director Roberto Hernandez and his staff. The distribution of toys to children in the audience collected from Children's Futures' recent toy drive event culminated the joyous community party.
Children's Futures South Ward at El Centro/Catholic Charities director Roberto Hernandez poses with Father Dennis of Sacred Heart Church.
Some of the 200 South Ward residents prepare for Saturday's festivities.
CF Seeks Key Communicators
Since 2002, Children's Futures has benefited from committed Trenton residents and social service agency representatives serving as members of the Key Communicators' advisory group. The Key Communicators meet six times a year to share their ideas on strengthening Children's Futures' work in the community. Key Communicators are also provided with information to share with residents about Children's Futures' programs and events. If you would like to learn more about becoming a Key Communicator in 2008, please contact Bill Rovner.
Links to News Articles
Answers Prove Elusive as C-Section Rate Rises
This USA Today article examines the impact of the growing number
of cesarean sections.
Breast-Feeding Seems to Protect Against Some Allergies
A new clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP) is described by HealthDay News.
Consistency is Key in Transition to Solid Food
Children's Futures' Board Member Dr. Kendall Sprott writes about
children's issues in his weekly column for The Star Ledger.
Parental Control of Eating Leads to Lighter Toddlers
New British research reported in US News and World Report suggests
trying to get toddlers to eat less or to eat more, can lead to
a lower weight by the age of 2.
Community Activities
Ongoing Activities Throughout the Year for Children and Families: For more information about community programs, please contact CitySmiles at Lkasabach@aol.com.
January 2008
Monday, January 14:
Trenton Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Consumer Coalition: 5 to 6:30 p.m.; refreshments provided; Princeton Deliverance Center, 301 Southard Street in Trenton. For more information, please contact Brenda Tift at btift@cnjmchc.org or call 609 394-7454
Community Meeting to Discuss Safety Issues, Immigrant Needs, Tenant Rights, etc.: 6 to 8 p.m.; free buffet dinner provided; Washington Elementary School, 331 Emory Avenue in Trenton. For more information, please call 1-877-452-5333.
February 2008
Saturday, February 9 and Sunday February 10:
PrimeTime Shootout High School Basketball Tournament: Day and Evening Games; Sovereign Bank Arena. For more information, please email Jeff Hewitson at jhewitson@dewberry.com.
Tuesday, February 12:
Pre-Kindergarten Fair for parents to learn about the Abbott Preschool Programs featuring NJ Family Care Sign-Ups: free; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Trenton Board of Education, Ellis Auditorium, 108 N. Clinton Avenue. Community organizations are encouraged to secure a table to provide information about their services for families. For more information, please call the Office of Early Childhood at 609 656-4900 ext. 5709 or email dholguin@trenton.k12.nj.us.
Tuesday, February 19:
Start of Centralized Preschool Registration for all three and four year olds: free; beginning at 8:30 a.m., Trenton Board of Education, 108 N. Clinton Avenue. For more information, please call the Office of Early Childhood at 656 4900 ext. 5709 or email dholguin@trenton.k12.nj.us. Trenton parents wishing to make a registration appointment for children who turn three or four by September 30th 2008 should call 609 656 4900 ext. 5667.
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.