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 19 | May 30, 2008 |
In This Issue
- Impact of Children's Futures
- 2008 Class of Platinum Dad Honorees and Legacy Award Winner Named
- Teen Mom Provides Personal Account of Pregnancy and Parenting
- Community Survey on Health and Well-Being Improvements Continues
- Links to News Articles
- It Takes a Strong Man to Be a Dad
- Childhood Lead Exposure Linked to Criminal Behavior in Adulthood
- Survey Sheds Light on Unplanned Pregnancies
- Community Activities
- UIH Family Partners "Communi-Tea Celebration"
- Platinum Dads' 2008 Awards Breakfast
- Trenton Heritage Days Set for June 7 and 8
Impact of Children's Futures
2008 Class of Platinum Dad Honorees and Legacy Award Winner Named
At a Trenton City Hall press conference yesterday, the 13 members of the 2008 Platinum Dads' class were named along with the newest Legacy of Fatherhood winner. New and past honorees were joined by Trenton City Council President Paul M. Pintella and Platinum Dad event organizers from UIH Family Partners, Children's Futures and the Trenton Housing Authority for the announcement. The Platinum Dads' Award recognizes men from across Mercer County whose lives demonstrate the special attributes that distinguish them as exemplary fathers. This special honor spotlights the important contributions that responsible, involved fathers make both to their children's lives and to their communities. The 2008 award winners were selected by a panel of judges from nominations received from throughout Mercer County.
During the press conference, representatives from the 2006 and 2007 awardee classes described their special feelings and sense of obligation to encourage more men to excel at fatherhood. The 2008 class includes, Kenneth Dodson, Rudolph Galiber, Irvin Harmon, Jamaal James, Peter Kasabach, Jean F. Massenat, Jason Mills, Darryl Nicholson, Stanley Reece, Jose Sanchez, Terrance Stokes, Keenan Ward, and Bryan Wyszynski. One of these new 2008 honorees, Rudolph Galiber, described what he termed the "humble audacity" of fatherhood. He noted that good fatherhood is achieved through endurance, listening and spending quality time with children.
The "Legacy of Fatherhood" award is presented annually to a gentleman who both embodies all the best qualities of a Platinum Dad and whose life has inspired subsequent generations of men to embrace parenting excellence. The year, the award will be presented posthumously to John S. Watson, Sr., who served six terms in the New Jersey General Assembly and was the first Africa-American elected to the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders. In comments during the news conference, John S. Watson, Jr. noted that while his father not only raised his own biological children, he also, "raised a community". One of the greatest passions of John S. Watson, Sr. was his work to ensure that all children had access to quality educational opportunities. His children continue the family legacy of public service in state government, through participation on nonprofit agency boards and in numerous community projects.
This year's Platinum Dads' Awards breakfast ceremony will be held on Saturday, June 7th at the Trenton Marriott Hotel beginning at 10 a.m.
The keynote address will be delivered by Mike Quick, former Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl standout and current analyst for the Eagles Radio Network. More information is available in the Community Activities section below.
During yesterday's Platinum Dads' press conference, Mel Weldon of the Trenton Housing Authority described how growing up without a father served as the impetus for him to be the best father he could be for his own children.
Pictured following the announcement of the 2008 class of Platinum Dads and "Legacy of Fatherhood" awardee are (l to r) Terrance Stoke; John S. Watson, Sr.'s sons Aaron T. Watson, William A. Watson, and John S. Watson, Jr.; Rudy Galiber; new UIH Family Partners Executive Director Karen Andrade-Mims; Trenton City Council President and Councilman-at-Large Paul M. Pintella; UIH Family Partners Director of Fatherhood Programs Ed Gittens; and, Keenan Ward.
2007 Awardee Horace Grant, Sr. welcomed the members of the 2008 class and added his advice on the responsibilities of becoming a Platinum Dad.
Teen Mom Provides Personal Account of Pregnancy and Parenting
As National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month draws to an end, there are some new and sobering statistics to digest. The Centers for Disease Control recently reported that in 2007, the teen birth rate rose for the first time in 15 years. Nearly 750,000 teens will get pregnant this year. The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate among developed countries in the world. According to sources, approximately 65 students attending the main campus of Trenton Central High School are currently pregnant or have given birth since the beginning of the school year last September.
One of the teens behind these statistics, C.K. is an 18-year-old senior at Trenton Central High School. She wanted to share with Weekly Briefing readers what it's like to go through an unplanned pregnancy as a 17-year-old high school student (see related article about unplanned pregnancies below), how the birth of her daughter earlier this year has changed her life and what she has learned about parenting by attending Children's Futures' East Ward Parent/Child Center programs.
C.K. is not the first teen in her family to have a baby. Her younger sister has a two year-old.
"I just didn't think it would happen to me. And when I thought I might be pregnant, I was in denial for the first two months," she said. When she finally came to grips with the pregnancy, she sought out the help of a high school health teacher who guided her to a first prenatal appointment at Capital Health System and pointed her to the "Fridays at St. Francis" support group program at Children's Futures' East Ward Parent Child Center. "They and the teenage parenting skills program at the high school taught me a lot about breast feeding, how to care for my baby, CPR and how to keep her from choking," she explained. For about six weeks after her daughter's birth, C.K. was home-schooled. She then enrolled in the high school's parent-linking program which allows her to go to school and have free child care.
As a teen mom, she says she has battled depression, sadness that her daughter's 18-year-old father is totally uninvolved with their child and concerns about her daughter's frequent childhood illnesses. On the plus side, in addition to her health teacher and the East Ward Parent/Child Center staff, she has enjoyed continuing support from her mother, her grandmother, and the parents of her daughter's father.
And when she brings her daughter to school at the request of her peers, C.K. also takes the time to share some of her personal life lessons with them.
"I tell them they need to understand birth control and think twice about bringing a baby into this world. It is not easy. Don't let any guy brainwash you," she said. C.K., who plans to obtain her cosmetology license after graduating high school this June added, "While I'm happy with my baby and I don't regret it...if I could go back...I would do things differently." For more information on the "Fridays at St. Francis" support group program at Children's Futures' East Ward Parent Child Center, please call 609-599-5764.
Teen moms receive parenting advice and access to resources through CF's' East Ward Parent/Child Center's, "Fridays at St. Francis Program"
Survey on Health and Well-Being Improvements Continues
Public/Private Ventures (P/PV), a national research organization based in Philadelphia (www.ppv.org), is still conducting an evaluation of the Children's Futures initiative. As part of the evaluation, in March, interviewers from the Center for Survey Research at the University of Virginia began calling Trenton residents who were randomly selected to complete a 25-minute telephone interview, the 2008 Children's Futures Community Survey. This is the second time that Trenton residents will have participated in this interview - 654 residents completed a similar interview in 2002. Trenton residents eligible to complete the interview include parents of children aged 5 years or younger. Those who complete the interview will receive a $10 gift card from Wal-Mart as compensation for their time. The interviews ask residents questions about their background, neighborhood, child care, health, health insurance coverage, family planning, and social services utilization. Interviewers will continue to call residents primarily during the evening hours and on weekends. The evaluation will help Children's Futures identify the ways in which Trenton agencies have met the initiative's goals of improving the health and well-being of Trenton's young children.
Links to News Articles
It Takes a Strong Man to Be a Dad
The Trenton Times describes yesterday's Platinum Dads' news
conference at Trenton City Hall
U.S. Report Faults State's Efforts to Provide Health Care to
Kids
High costs and lack of insurance prevent many New Jersey kids
from getting the care they need, according to a national scorecard
being released this week by the Commonwealth Fund and reported
in the Star Ledger.
Childhood Lead Exposure Linked to Criminal Behavior in Adulthood
Science Daily describes new research from the University of Cincinnati
(UC) showing the first evidence of a direct link between prenatal
and early-childhood lead exposure an increased risk for criminal
behavior later in life.
Survey Sheds Light on Unplanned Pregnancies
A Chicago Tribune
report on a survey from the Guttmacher Institute provides reasons
why half of the pregnancies in the United States are unplanned.
Dating Gang Member Ups Pregnancy Rate
According to United Press
International, U.S. researchers have found that teenage girls
whose boyfriends are gang members are nearly twice as likely
to become pregnant as girls not dating boys in gangs.
Roseola Affects Almost All Children By Age 3
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
May 2008
Saturday, May 31:
The Trenton Mortgage Foreclosure Mitigation Task Force Information Session; free; 11 a.m.; New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) Building at 637 S. Clinton Ave. Event will help equip community residents to help their family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers obtain resources to help save their homes from foreclosure. Event will be hosted by Mayor Douglas H. Palmer and HMFA Executive Director Marge Della Vecchia.
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
Tuesday, June 3:
The Game of Life-A Program Aimed at Enhancing Student Decision-Making Skills: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Munoz-Rivera Elementary School, 400 North Montgomery Street. Organizations providing services to Trenton youth are invited to participate. For more information, please call Brenda Tift at 609-394-7454.
Trenton Youth Communications Partnership Student Showcase: free and open to the public; 5 p.m. (reception begins at 4 p.m.); Trenton Central High School Community Room, 400 Chambers Street. Trenton Central High School students will showcase projects on how to communicate messages through media outlets about family and health issues that affect the lives of residents. For more information or to RSVP, please call Mary Burks at 609-278-7260 ext. 7553 or email mburks@trenton.k12.nj.us.
Friday, June 6:
The Trenton Book Fair Day 1: Part of Heritage Days Festival on Warren Street in downtown Trenton featuring authors, workshops, readings, poetry jams and more. For more information and a complete schedule, please link to trenton-downtown.com/bookfair.
Saturday, June 7:
Save the Date: Third Annual Platinum Dads Celebration: $25 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Trenton Marriott at Lafayette Yard. Special Keynote Speaker: Former Philadelphia Eagle star receiver and current radio analyst Mike Quick. For more information, please call UIH Family Partners at 609-695-1492 or 609-695-3663.
Trenton Heritage Days: free; Statehouse Complex, West State Street, 12 to 8 p.m. Come Visit the Children's Futures' Tent and the Trenton Reads Tent!
The Trenton Book Fair Day 2: Part of Heritage Days Festival on Warren Street in downtown Trenton featuring authors, workshops, readings, poetry jams and more. For more information and a complete schedule, please link to trenton-downtown.com/bookfair.
Sunday, June 8:
Trenton Heritage Days: free; Statehouse Complex, West State Street, 12 to 7 p.m. Come Visit the Children's Futures' Tent and the Trenton Reads Tent!
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
Ongoing Community Activities
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, address behavioral health issues, 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.
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 link to CitySmiles.org
Camp Fire USA of New Jersey: Children's Futures' Community partner in the Trenton Reach Out and Read program is again selling discounted tickets for Six Flags Great Adventure. All proceeds benefit Camp Fire programs for the prevention of violence, child abuse, abduction and substance abuse The $30 ticket is good for any one day admission to the theme park for adult or child. To order tickets: Check or money order should be made payable to Camp Fire USA ($30 per ticket and $3 per order for postage and handling) and sent to Camp Fire USA New Jersey Council, 535 East Franklin Street, Trenton, NJ 08610. For more information, please call: (609) 695-8410.
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.