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 15 | April 18 to April 25, 2008 |
In This Issue
- Impact of Children's Futures
- CF's CEO Partners Work to Ensure Protections for Children
- Trenton Activities to Underscore "Cover the Uninsured Week"
- New Jersey's Senators Will Co-Sponsor Healthy Families Reauthorization
- Parents Learn About the Detection and Prevention of HIV Infection
- Links to News Articles
- Health Care Insurance Gaps Affect All of Us
- Crean Centro de Apoyo Para Familias
- Testing Blood Leads to Diagnosis of Anemia
- Community Activities
- Trenton Health Fairs Begin for Two Consecutive Saturdays
- Trenton Real Men Cook This Sunday
- El Centro/Catholic Charities Community Health Fair
Impact of Children's Futures
CF's CEO Partners Work to Ensure Protections for Children
Monthly CEO Partners' Meetings offer an opportunity for CF's lead collaborating agencies to raise issues impacting Trenton's children and families and develop solutions together. Recently the CEO Partners discussed the need to find safeguards to ensure protections for children are in place in child care settings. This served as the impetus for CEO Partner Nancy Thomson, Executive Director of the Child Care Connection, to provide background on two issues to both New Jersey Child Advocate Dr. Susan Hodgson and Acting Department of Children and Families (DCF) Commissioner Eileen Crummy. Representing the New Jersey Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies during testimony at DCF's budget hearing last week, Ms. Thomson shared the concern that New Jersey is one of a handful of states that does not require criminal background checks and fingerprinting of its family child care providers. She noted, "Most parents make an incorrect assumption that providers are carefully screened before becoming a State-registered family child care provider....the time has come for all children to have this basic protection."
Her recommendations included support of criminal background checks and fingerprint checks of all family child care providers, their household residents and substitutes, whether they are State registered or voluntarily unregistered. She also recommended the posting of all child care center violation reports on the internet, so parents can make informed child care choices for their children.
Nancy Thomson told the Weekly Briefing that the ability to share ideas with her CEO colleagues helps identify problems, promote solutions and ultimately strengthen the CF collaborative.
At the Mercer County Human Advisory Council Legislative Breakfast in mid-May, similar child care safety concerns will be formally presented to local legislative representatives. To reach Ms. Thomson, please email nancythomson@childcareconnection-nj.org.
CF's CEO Partners discussed child protection issues earlier this year with New Jersey Child Advocate Dr. Susan Hodgson (left front) and Office of the Child Advocate Chief of Staff Tiffany Ellis (right front)
Trenton Activities to Underscore "Cover the Uninsured Week"
Support for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's national Cover the Uninsured project will be in evidence during a health fair for residents at Children's Futures' newest South Ward Parent/Child Center at El Centro/Catholic Charities on Saturday, May 3 on 327 South Broad Street (see information in the calendar section below). Another health fair presented by WellCare and the Department of Community Affairs will be held this Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Grant School at 159 North Clinton Avenue. This Saturday and next Saturday's events will provide free health screenings and information about securing health insurance to uninsured and underserved members of the Trenton community. Both events are free. Cover the Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. For more information about this Saturday's event at Grant School, please contact Luisa Robinson at 609-392-2446. For more information about the Health Fair at Children's Futures' newest South Ward Parent/Child Center at El Centro/Catholic Charities on May 3, please contact Sandra Pinto at 609-394-3617. To learn more about the Cover the Uninsured project, please visit CoverTheUninsured.org.
New Jersey's Senators Will Co-Sponsor Healthy Families Reauthorization
During the National Healthy Start Association's Annual Spring Conference last week in Washington, D.C., a group of Trenton nurses, social workers, and parents led by Children's Futures' Healthy Start Project Director June Gray met to update New Jersey representatives and their staffs about the progress of Trenton's Healthy Start program Children's Futures Healthy Start program is a comprehensive community-wide project that integrates the Healthy Start core services--consortium, outreach/client recruitment/ universal screening, case management/care coordination, and health/parenting education within Trenton's integrated perinatal health care system. During a Congressional reception last week, Senator Frank Lautenberg told the Trenton group that he and Senator Robert Menendez agreed to join as co-sponsors of the Healthy Start Reauthorization Act, which continues funding for Healthy Start projects. Other members of CF's group included Brenda Tift, Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Coalition Coordinator; Rachel Hansen, Nurse Family Partnership Supervisor; Sue Maloney, Healthy Families Supervisor; and Trenton consumers Yamina Crosland and Valerie Riley and their children.
Pictured above with New Jersey Senator Frank R. Lautenberg are (from left) Brenda Tift, Rachel Hansen, June Gray and Sue Maloney.
Parents Learn About the Detection and Prevention of HIV
Educating the community about HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the goal of Sista, a program for the prevention of HIV infections. A dozen moms have been meeting at CF's South Ward Parent/Child Center at El Centro/Catholic Charities for a series of sessions to help educate themselves and others about HIV. During the sessions, facilitator Marisol Flores from the City of Trenton discusses how HIV is transmitted, common myths about HIV infection and what really happens when someone becomes infected. Participants are also encouraged to be assertive in their relationships and protect themselves. Free HIV testing is also offered to attendees. This program is the first group of its type offered for residents in Spanish. In addition to becoming educated about HIV, participants also agree to communicate the facts about HIV to their relatives and friends. According to Client Services Coordinator Sandra Pinto, "El Centro/ Children's Futures South Ward on South Broad Street is pleased to be able to collaborate with the City to inform the community and prevent HIV infections."
Children's Futures' South Ward Parent Child Center at El Centro/Catholic Charities Director Roberto Hernandez is shown about to introduce instructor Marisol Flores(seated in pink) for an educational session on HIV at the newest CF South Ward Center located at 327 South Broad Street. Please see the calendar below for information about a community health fair on May 3 and an open house/dedication on May 16.
Links to News Articles
Health Care Insurance Gaps Affect All of Us
The devastation that
can hit families who don't have health insurance is described
in the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Crean
Centro de Apoyo Para Familias
Reporte Hispano describes the recent dedication of the Children's
Home Society, Children's Futures and Department of Children and
Families-sponsored Family Success Center in the South Ward.
Testing Blood Leads to Diagnosis of Anemia
Children's Futures'
Board Member Dr. Kendall Sprott writes about children's health
and development issues in his weekly column for The Star Ledger.
Community Activities
Isles, Inc. is providing dust sampling in 115 homes to determine if hazardous lead levels are present. If high levels are found, Isles will counsel parents about next steps including---protecting their children, speaking to a landlord, working with a city housing inspector, and applying for loans or grants to make a home lead safe. For more information, please call 609-341-4703.
The New Jersey State Parent and Information Resource Center, a program of Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey, has valuable services available for schools and community agencies (including FREE workshops for parents to support parental involvement efforts) Workshops are provided on a first-come, first-serve basis with priority given to schools/agencies that can gather more than 30 parents per session. For more information please call 732-246-8060 ext. 110. To receive workshop application forms, please email Cdeisroth@preventchildabusenj.org
CitySmiles Offers Information About Programs Throughout the Year for Children and Families: For more information about fun and educational programs for children and parents contact CitySmiles at Lkasabach@aol.com or visit CitySmiles.org
CF Center-Based Programs for Parents and Children: Free programs at Children's Futures' centers provide expectant parents and parents of newborns and toddlers with opportunities to enhance their parenting knowledge and skills. Children's Futures' partners offer these sessions to improve literacy, promote nutrition, build children's musical awareness and encourage parent/child bonding. For more information, please call Tonya Bellamy at 609-695-1977 (ext. 109) or email tbellamy@childrensfutures.org. The next Weekly Briefing will include English and Spanish versions of the May 2008 calendar.
April 2008
Saturday, April 26:
Trenton CHANGE Coalition General Meeting-Parents of Trenton Public School Children and All Others Interested in Improving the Educational System Invited to Attend; free; 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon; Trenton Board of Education Administration Building Auditorium, 108 North Clinton Avenue.
Men's Prostate Cancer Education and Awareness Program Featuring Daniel Fram, M.D., Clinical Director, Capital Health System Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania Health System; free; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Shiloh Baptist Church, 340 Rev. S. Howard Woodson Way.
Health Fair and Health Screening Event; free; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Grant School, 159 North Clinton Avenue.
Zonta Club of Trenton's Rape and Violence Eradication (RAVE) Walk; Donations; 9:30 a.m. Veteran's Park in Hamilton. For more information, please visit zontatrenton.org/html/rave.html.
Sunday, April 27:
Fourth Annual "Trenton Real Men Cook" Prostate Cancer Awareness Program Featuring Prominent Trenton Men Sharing Samples of Their Personal Recipes from Appetizers to Desserts: $10 Donation requested at door; 1 to 4 p.m.; Trenton War Memorial. Event will feature performances by the Shiloh Praise Dancers and other local groups. For more information, please call 609-895-0101.
May 2008
Friday, May 2:
Deadline for Submitting 2008 Platinum Dads Nomination Forms: For more information, please call Ed Gittens at 609-695-3663 or use the links below:
Saturday, May 3:
El Centro/Catholic Charities Community Health Fair at the Children's Futures' South Ward Parent/Child Center at South Broad Street: free; 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m..; 327 South Broad Street; Event includes health screens, eye exams, blood pressure and cholesterol screening, food, raffles, gifts and more. Sponsors include El Centro de Recursos de Catholic Charities/CF South Ward Parent Child Center, Hispanic American Medical Association, Robbins Annex and Robbins School. For more information, please call Sandra Pinto at 609-394-3617 or email spinto@cctrenton.org.
Mother's Day Origami Gift Workshop: Free (refreshments included); 2 to 4 p.m.; Learn how to make beautiful origami gifts for mom at Classics Used and New Books, 17 South Warren in downtown Trenton. For more information, please contact Eric Maywar at book_cellar@mindspring.com.
The 3rd Annual Isles Trenton "Spirit Walk": free; 11 a.m.; Cadwalader Park; Trenton church choirs, praise dancers, singers and musicians will provide entertainment throughout the day. Registration begins at 9 a.m. The "Spirit Walk" is supported by a grant from the New Jersey Health Initiatives program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For information about how you or your organization can participate, please call Isles at 609-341-4700.
Monday, May 5:
Grand Opening of the Family Support Organization of Burlington/Mercer Counties: free; 5 to 8 p.m.; 3535 Quakerbridge Road, IBIS Plaza Suites 400 in Hamilton. Tour, refreshments and learn about workshops an classes. Please contact 609-586-1200 for more information.
Thursday, May 8:
Trenton Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Coalition: free; lunch provided; 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Thomas Edison State College, Prudence Hall, 101 West State Street. For more information please contact btift@cnjmchc.org
Friday, May 16:
SAVE-THE-DATE...Dedication of New Children's Futures' South Ward Parent Child Center at El Centro/Catholic Charities: Free; 2 to 4 p.m.; 327 South Broad Street. For more information, please contact Roberto Hernandez at 609-394-3617 or email rhernandez@cctrenton.org
Thursday, May 22:
Womanspace, Celebrating its 30th Year, Presents the 2008 Barbara Boggs Sigmund Award Dinner Event Honoring Author and Filmmaker Dr. Jean Kilbourne; $150; 6 p.m.; Princeton Hyatt Regency in the Carnegie Center, in Princeton, New Jersey; Womanspace is the lead agency in Mercer County serving domestic violence and sexual assault victims and their families. Womanspace operates the NJ statewide domestic violence hotline, 1-800-572-SAFE. Other programs include 24-hour hotlines, crisis intervention, emergency shelter, counseling, court advocacy, housing and domestic abuse training for the Children's Futures' initiative. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities or to acquire tickets, please call 609-394-0136 or visit womanspace.org.
Special Education Workshop: free; 6 to 8 p.m.; Learn the ABC's of Special Education Services; 3535 Quakerbridge Road, IBIS Plaza Suites 400 in Hamilton. Please contact 609-586-1200 for more information.
Thursday, May 29:
ACT- Adults and Children Together Against Violence: free; 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.; five week workshop sponsored by Family Support Organization of Burlington/Mercer Counties and presented by PEI Kids. Workshop is focused on how kids are influenced by violence they see every day via media images and news items; 3535 Quakerbridge Road, IBIS Plaza Suites 400 in Hamilton. Please contact 609-586-1200 for dates, times and registration information.
Saturday, May 31:
UIH Family Partners "Communi-Tea Celebration": $45 per person in advance; 2 to 4 p.m.; Grace Cathedral, 1217 Calhoun Street. For more information, please contact 609-695-1492.
June 2008
Saturday, June 7:
Trenton Heritage Days: free; Statehouse Complex, West State Street, 12 to 8 p.m.
Save the Date: Third Annual Platinum Dads Celebration: $25 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Trenton Marriott at Lafayette Yard. For more information, please call UIH Family Partners at 609-695-1492.
Sunday, June 8:
Trenton Heritage Days: free; Statehouse Complex, West State Street, 12 to 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 14:
Annual Formal Dinner Dance Honoring Trenton Youth, Presented by the Trenton Kappa Foundation, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Trenton Alumni Chapter and Children's Futures: 7 p.m.; Trenton Marriott at Lafayette Yard. For more information, including tickets, sponsorship and journal advertising opportunities, please email Garvester.Kelley@nffusa.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.