news & updates Weekly Briefings Weekly Briefing: Volume 2, Number 22
| 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. |
| Weekly Briefing: Volume 2, Number 22 |
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June 20, 2008 In This Issue
Impact Of Children's FuturesUpdate: Homeless Teen Mom Graduates High School According to a published report, only about 40% of teenage mothers finish high school. In addition, they and their children often live in poverty and their babies are more likely to be born with low birth weights and face higher risks of infant death and developmental delays. Since 2003, a number of pregnant or parenting homeless women in Trenton have found help in fulfilling their educational goals through HomeFront's transitional housing program known as Huchet House. It's a place where caring staff members focus on ensuring these homeless women receive needed services like prenatal care, parenting education, educational opportunities and employment training. Many of the women are also linked to programs at Children's Futures' family success/ parent child centers. Huchet House was made possible with a start-up grant from Children's Futures. In a November 2007 article about Huchet House, Lashekia, a 19-year-old mother of two, told Weekly Briefing, "I would have been going from house to house if Huchet did not exist." Since the birth of her second daughter (now a healthy 10-month-old), she has improved her literacy and parenting skills and this past Wednesday evening graduated from Trenton Central High School. Sticking to a serious regimen of studies and programs was challenging for someone who has encountered more valleys than peaks in her life. At HomeFront's Huchet House, Lashekia is not alone...in her courage, resilience and achievements.
Mentoring and Movies Bring Families to South Ward Family Success/Parent Child Center Children's Futures' South Ward Family Success/Parent Child Center at Children's Home Society is using mentoring and movies to engage more residents in activities to strengthen families. One of these programs, the MAYA Mentoring Program (MAYA stands for Mujeres, Amigas y Apoyo or Women, Friends and Support) encourages families to share their experiences and recruit potential new mentors to help other men, women and children in the Latino community. The families also learn more about different resources, arrange play-dates with their children and develop relationships with South Ward Family Success/Parent Child Center staff. According to one participant, "Becoming a mentor is a way to give back to the program and help other soon-to-be moms and dads who are less fortunate or who find themselves in the same position I was in when I first came to the city." A second program offers family movie entertainment along with as learning opportunities. Free movie nights give parents quality time with their children in a nurturing and safe environment (along with healthy snacks). With the increased cost of entertainment, the program helps families who are unable to easily afford fun activities outside the home. On these evenings, parents and children discuss themes related to the movies. For example, a recent showing of the movie "Happy Feet " provided the setting for families to discuss how they deal with their emotions. For more information about the MAYA Mentoring Program or upcoming Movie Nights, please contact Maritza I. Raimundi-Petroski at 609-695-6274, Ext. 160 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Early Trenton Reads Kicks-Off Throughout the City Last Friday morning, children in family child care provider homes and child care centers throughout Trenton simultaneously focused on reading during the kick-off of Early Trenton Reads. The program, part of the TRENTON READS initiative co-chaired by Children's Futures, works with the family child care home providers and child care centers receiving technical assistance from the Child Care Connection through support from Children's Futures. A tool kit with a curriculum guide was created for this Early Trenton Reads event by a sub-committee spearheaded by the Mercer County Workforce Investment Board and Children's Futures. Sub-committee members included representatives from the College of New Jersey, the Trenton Board of Education, Child Care Connection, the Trenton Public Library, Mercer Street Friends, and Camp Fire USA. Early childhood literacy is part of Children's Futures' work in Trenton to ensure school readiness.
New Video Describes CF Initiative Weekly Briefing readers are invited to view a new video that describes how lives have been changed through the work of Children's Futures and its community partners. The video shows how investments being made in Trenton today are building a lasting foundation for children and families. To view the CF video, click here. Copies of the program are available in DVD format by writing to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tyrome E. Smith Named to CF Board of Directors Tyrome E. Smith has been named to the Children's Futures' Board of Directors. Mr. Smith is an organizational effectiveness and development expert who has held senior positions at Home Box Office, SENSA Solutions, Keane Federal Systems, Eagle Alliance, Training Resource Group, Inc., Johnson, Bassin and Shaw, Inc. and The Tenkan Group. He received his bachelor's degree in speech communications from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree in human communication at Howard University. Mr. Smith and his family reside in East Windsor.
Links To News ArticlesPrevious Caesarean Section Does Not Increase Risk of Stillbirth in Second Pregnancy Children Learn Smart Behaviors Without Knowing What They Know Expectant Moms Should Wait Out Due Date For Deliveries, Experts Urge Upcoming Community ActivitiesJune 2008
July 2008
August 2008
Ongoing Community ActivitiesCF 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 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 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 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or link to www.citysmiles.org Millhill Seeks Director of Behavioral Health Services: Child Welfare Agency in Trenton is seeking an experienced professional to direct Millhill's Behavioral Health program. LCSW with at least 5 years Administrative, Supervisory experience and a strong clinical background required with knowledgeable of Medicaid regulations. Candidates should submit resumes and salary requirements by fax to: Personal Department at 609-989-7381 or by email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by regular mail to: MCFDC, 101-A Oakland Street, Trenton, NJ 08618 Pre-School Center Openings at Greater Trenton YMCA: The Trenton "Y" has openings for both its Pre-School Center and the P.A.K. (Pennington Avenue Kids) Camp. The Pre-School Center serves children living in the City of Trenton 3-5 years of age and is an all-day program. The Greater Trenton Area YMCA's P.A.K. Camp serves children from the ages of 5-13 years, Monday-Friday 8am to 4pm. Please call 609-599-9622 for more information 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 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 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. Womanspace: Womanspace is seeking volunteers to join the Domestic Violence Victim Response Team (DVVRT) & Sexual Assault Support Services Advocate Team (SASS). Team members respond to local police stations or hospitals and meet with victims, providing them with support, information and referral. In the past ten years the teams have gone on 3,785 call-outs and served over 5,000 residents of Mercer County. DVVRT and SASS volunteers support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault when they need it most. Qualifications include the ability to communicate well with others and be a good listener, ability to maintain confidentiality, 18 years of age and resident of or employed in the Mercer County area, valid driver's license and available transportation, no criminal history or prior history as a defendant in a domestic violence or sexual assault related matter, and availability to attend classes and meetings. Volunteers will receive 80+ hours of extensive, specialized training on topics including the law, sensitivity to the needs of victims and their children, and how to provide appropriate responses at a very critical time. Trained volunteers need to be "on call" (available to respond to call-outs) for two to four shifts a month. Training begins on Tuesday, September 9, 2008. Interested persons must submit to a background investigation, including fingerprinting. Bilingual individuals (especially those fluent in Spanish, Polish, and American Sign Language) are encouraged to apply. Applications must be received by Monday, August 4, 2008. For more information, please contact Heidi Mueller at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and Alison Daks at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (609) 394-0136. |
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.
About The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years, the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime.