In This Issue

• Impact of Children's Futures
  • Progress Reported in Family Child Care Programs
  • PCORE's Next Focus: Childhood Obesity
  • 8th Annual CF Holiday Toy and Book Drive Gains New Fans
• Links to Print/Web Articles
  • Rising Tide of Obesity in America Continues Unabated
  • High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy Raises Risk of Serious Kidney Disease
  • Day Care Can Be Positive Experience for Child
• Upcoming Community Events Calendar
  • Grace Cathedral Fellowship Ministries Annual Back to School Event Saturday
  • Trenton Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Consumer Coalition Celebration
  • Community Health Fair Set for St. Francis Medical Center
• Ongoing Community Activities
  • Free CF Neighborhood-Based Center Programs Available Throughout the Year
  • Pre-School Registration for 2008-2009 School Year
  • Mom's Quit Connection Training Available to Clinicians

Impact Of Children's Futures

Progress Recorded in Family Child Care Programs

Child Care Connection (CCC), CF's partner in improving child care quality, has been strengthening the network of 20 Trenton family child care providers through monthly technical assistance visits, group training opportunities, individual in-home training, distribution of equipment and observations and assessments using the Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS) CCC's technical assistance visits help family child care providers engage children in rich learning experiences, model best business practices, share educational and community resources, and address concerns. Quality improvements are gauged with the use of the FDCRS, administered every six months.

Of the 20 providers currently in the network, comparison scores are available for 15 of them. Of those 15 providers, 14 showed an average overall score increase. In the "Learning Activities" subscale of the FDCRS, 14 out of 15 providers showed improvement. All fifteen providers are posting scores of five to seven in the "Language and Reasoning" subscale (rated as "good" to "excellent"). This subscale measures a provider's ability to effectively help children understand language through the use of books, conversation, and expressive activities.

The Best of Care program is one of the newest components of the improving quality in child care initiative. This innovative program provides an opportunity for additional family child care providers to receive services through Children's Futures. Each provider receives a series of three home visits. Two of the visits are focused on literacy and one on obesity prevention. Since beginning the program in January, CCC family child care coordinators have provided on-site modeling of early literacy techniques through an assortment of materials and resources such as multicultural books (for provider's library and distribution to children), puppets, and flannel board stories, as well as a copy of the provider resource book, Story Stretchers. Emphasis is placed on providing daily read-aloud small group times for each child, helping children write their own books, and helping teachers make stories more memorable through the use of puppets and flannel board visuals. As a direct result of the Best of Care visits on literacy, two providers have developed lending libraries so that children and families can borrow books to read at home.

According to Beth Ann Gardiner, Director of Family Training at Child Care Connection, "Family child care is often the last type of child care to have access to quality enhancing resources. Through the generous support of the Children's Futures initiative, there are a number of family child care providers in the City of Trenton positioned to offer high-risk children a significantly higher level of quality services. The training and materials the participating providers receive is a benefit for currently enrolled children and all of the children who will be using these providers' services in the future."

Child Care Connection has helped to promote scenes like this one in the homes of Family Child Care providers throughout Trenton. (Photo Credit Alethia Deans)

PCORE's Next Focus: Childhood Obesity

Having already achieved measurable improvements in Trenton's childhood immunization rates (as well as advances in detection and intervention of lead poisoning, childhood neglect and delays, postpartum depression and asthma), physicians and their office managers working with Children's Futures are next focusing their attention on childhood obesity, prevention and management. During their recent August Practice Innovator Meeting at the Henry J. Austin Health Center, leaders from the Pediatric Council on Research and Education (PCORE) described a new education model focusing on childhood obesity. This model will promote breastfeeding and also inform parents about nutrition practices through the use of guidance tools that describe appropriate food and activity choices for children and their families.

Through PCORE, the NJ EPIC (Educating Physicians in the Community)-Children's Futures' Program works with 11 physician practices serving approximately 90% of Trenton's children to provide quality improvement training to enhance child health outcomes. PCORE's experience with child obesity prevention also includes participation with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on a preschool obesity prevention program.

During the August PCORE Practice Innovator Meeting, physicians from throughout Trenton received updates from Children's Futures' President Floyd K. Morris, Jr. (center) about opportunities to encourage their patients to participate in CF's expanded range of programs at Family Success/Parent Child Centers.

8th Annual CF Holiday Toy and Book Drive Gains New Fans

Volunteers from Children's Futures and the Mercer County Regional Chamber's Young Business Leaders Council collected hundreds of dollars in donations for CF's 8th Annual Holiday Toy and Book Drive from fans attending Tuesday night's Trenton Thunder game with Harrisburg. While the Eastern League Double A Champion Thunder were winning on the field, the volunteers enthusiastically worked to secure donations through the sale of 50/50 raffle tickets. The event was the first of many community awareness activities to promote the 8th Annual Holiday Toy and Book Drive that will culminate in a celebration on the evening of Thursday, December 11 at the Trenton Marriott at Lafayette Yard. To make this drive the most successful ever, Children's Futures, the Mercer County Regional Chamber's Young Business Leaders' Council, The City of Trenton and Capital City Entertainment will be seeking additional monetary contributions as well as donations of new toys, books and gift cards.

This year, book and toy collection boxes will be located at many area retail businesses, office buildings, churches and hair salons throughout Mercer County. Information on collection box locations will appear in October on Children's Futures' website (www.childrensfutures.org) and the Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce Website (www.mercerchamber.org). In addition, secure donations can be made on-line at http://www.justgive.org/giving/donate.jsp?charityId=32966 by making a donation amount, typing in "Toy and Book Drive" in the Designate my Donation section and clicking on the "Add to Basket" button.

For questions or additional information about corporate sponsorship opportunities, please contact Spencer L. Lester ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Bill Rovner ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) at Children's Futures or call (609) 695-1977. You may also contact Janell Petrocelli of the Mercer Chamber's Young Business Leader's Council by email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or call her at (609) 689-9960, ext.18.

Pictured above are some of the volunteers from the Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce Young Business Leaders Council and Children's Futures who raised funds for holiday toys and books for Trenton children and families during Tuesday's Thunder game. (Photo Credit: Bill Cook, Trenton Thunder)

Links To Print/Web Articles

Rising Tide of Obesity in America Continues Unabated
Adult obesity rates increased in 37 states and no single state managed to slim down its total percentage of overweight people according to report issued by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation described in Medical News Today.

High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy Raises Risk of Serious Kidney Disease
Women who suffer from preeclampsia, which produces high blood pressure during pregnancy, are at a greater risk of developing end-stage renal disease (ESRD), new studies reported by All Headline News have found.

Day Care Can Be Positive Experience for Child
Children's Futures' Board Member Dr. Kendall Sprott, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, writes about children's health and development issues in his weekly column for the Star Ledger.

Helping The Medicine Go Down
Science Daily reports on research by the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia on children's rejection of unpalatable medications and bitter-tasting foods.

Upcoming Community Events Calendar

August 2008

Saturday, August 23:

Community Fest, Back to School Event and Health Fair: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m..; Grace Cathedral Fellowship Ministries, 1217 Calhoun Street in Trenton; featuring food, games, school supplies. Please call Coreen Grooms for more information at 609.658.3682.

Monday, August 25:

4th Anniversary Celebration of Trenton's Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Consumer Coalition: free (includes dinner); 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; Princeton Deliverance Center, 301 Southard Street in Trenton. Please RSVP by August 20th by calling Shardae Morris at 732-937-5437.

September 2008

Saturday, September 6:

Community Health Fair: free; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Francis Medical Center School of Nursing/Crean Hall on St. Francis Place. Event features physical examinations and immunizations for Trenton School students as well as screenings for everyone. For more information, please call 1-877-452-5333.

Thursday, September 11:

Explosive Child: free (includes free child care); 6-8 p.m.; FSO of Burlington/Mercer Counties; IBIS Plaza Office Suites 400; 3535 Quakerbridge Road; Hamilton, NJ. Sessions on consecutive Tuesdays will teach a sensitive approach to understanding and helping an easily frustrated and explosive child. For information, please call 609-586-1200.

Saturday, September 13:

3rd Annual Latino Parenting Conference-"Safety in the Latino Community": free; 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Children's Home Society of New Jersey, 635 South Clinton Avenue in Trenton. Organizations interested in reserving a community resource table or if you have any families who may be interested in attending, please call Maritza Raimundi Petroski at 609-695-6274 (ext. 160). Space is limited to 150 individuals and 25 community organizations.

Friday, September 19:

NAMI Basics-Support Program for Parents or Primary Caregivers of Children or Adolescents (ages 2-18) with Challenging Behaviors: free offered from September 19th to October 24th ; 7 to 9:30 p.m. at The National Alliance on Mental Illness Mercer Office, 3371 Brunswick Pike, Suite 124, Lawrenceville (next to the Mercer Mall). Please RSVP by Monday, September 15th by calling 609-799-8994.

Monday, September 22:

No I Won't and You Can't Make Me: free; 10 a.m-2 p.m.; FSO of Burlington/Mercer Counties; IBIS Plaza Office Suites 400; 3535 Quakerbridge Road; Hamilton, NJ.; Session on preventing power struggles and effective disciplining. For information, please call 609-586-1200.

Open House to Explore MercerResource.net: free; 2. to 5 p.m. Capitol County Children's Collaborative, 3535 Quakerbridge Road in Hamilton. MercerResourceNet.Org is a complimentary web tool providing a wide range of information about support, resources and services for families in Mercer County. To RSVP or for more information, please call 609-584-0888 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Tuesday, September 23:

Open House to Explore MercerResource.net: free; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Capitol County Children's Collaborative, 3535 Quakerbridge Road in Hamilton. MercerResourceNet.Org is a complimentary web tool providing a wide range of information about support, resources and services for families in Mercer County. To RSVP or for more information, please call 609-584-0888 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Wednesday, September 24:

Open House to Explore MercerResource.net: free; 4 to 7 p.m. Capitol County Children's Collaborative, 3535 Quakerbridge Road in Hamilton. MercerResourceNet.Org is a complimentary web tool providing a wide range of information about support, resources and services for families in Mercer County. To RSVP or for more information, please call 609-584-0888 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Trenton Board of Education, Office of Early Childhood 2nd Pre-K Fair: free; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Trenton Board of Education, Ellis Auditorium, 108 North Clinton Avenue in Trenton. Parents will also be able to register each child for school on the day of the Pre-K Fair if proper documentation is presented. To sign up. please call Denise Holguin at 609 656 4900x5669 or email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Thursday, September 25:

Open House to Explore MercerResource.net: free; 2. to 5 p.m. Capitol County Children's Collaborative, 3535 Quakerbridge Road in Hamilton. MercerResourceNet.Org is a complimentary web tool providing a wide range of information about support, resources and services for families in Mercer County. To RSVP or for more information, please call 609-584-0888 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Explosive Child: free (includes free child care); 6-8 p.m.; FSO of Burlington/Mercer Counties; IBIS Plaza Office Suites 400; 3535 Quakerbridge Road; Hamilton, NJ. Sessions on consecutive Tuesdays will teach a sensitive approach to understanding and helping an easily frustrated and explosive child. For information, please call 609-586-1200.

Saturday, September 27:

HOLD THE DATE: Second Annual CHANGE Coalition Trenton Parent Summit: free; 9 to 3 p.m. Joyce Kilmer School. For sponsorship information, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

December 2008

Thursday, December 11

HOLD THE DATE: Children's Futures' 8th Annual Holiday Toy & Book Drive Party in association with the Mercer County Regional Chamber of Commerce Young Business Leaders Council, the City Of Trenton and Capital City Entertainment; 6 p.m. to midnight; Trenton Marriot at Lafayette Yard. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, please contact Spencer Lester ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Bill Rovner ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) at Children's Futures or call 609-695-1977. You may also contact Janell Petrocelli ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) at the Mercer Chamber or call 609.689.9960 x18.

Ongoing Community Activities

CF Center-Based Programs for Parents and Children: Free programs at Children's Futures' centers provide families with the support they need to be empowered to succeed in life. Children's Futures' partners offer sessions to improve literacy, enhance employment opportunities, promote health, safety and good nutrition, address behavioral health issues, and encourage parent/child bonding and educational achievement. For more information on July, 2008 programs, 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 .

Pre-School Registration for 2008-2009 School Year: Beginning July 1, 2008, the Trenton Public Schools' Early Childhood Department will begin registering children every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning from 8:30am-11:00am. Children are eligible for free preschool if they turn three or four by September 30th and are Trenton residents. An appointment is needed in order for parents to complete the registration process for each eligible child. For appointments, please call 609 656-5667. Documents needed for registration: Child's Birth Certificate, Vaccination Record, 2 Current Proofs of Address (within 30days of registration date) utility bill, lease, home telephone, or cable bill will be accepted.

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 CitySmiles.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.

Moms Quit Connection provides free training to clinicians to help them help families provide smoke-free homes to growing children. This is a statewide program of the Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative funded by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. For more information, please contact Cathy Butler, BSW, CSW at 856-665-6000 (ext. 229) or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Swim Classes at the YMCA: The Greater Trenton Area Y.M.C.A. is now offering Adult and Youth swim lessons. Lessons are available every Saturday until August 30, 2008. Youth class- 9am to 10:30 (starting at 3years old) Adult class- 10:30 to 12:00 noon

Location-Greater Trenton Area YMCA 431Pennington Ave. Trenton, NJ Fee: $40.00 plus Associate Membership $25.00 total -$65. Pre-registration is required. Please call 609-599-9622 for more information.

Pre-School Center Openings still available at Greater Trenton YMCA for September: The Pre-School Center serves children living in the City of Trenton 3-5 years of age and is an all-day program. Please call 609-599-9622 for more information

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: All Six Flags Great Adventure Tickets Available Through Camp Fire USA of New Jersey Have Been Reduced to $20 Each. The $20 ticket is good for any one day admission to the theme park for adult or child. Camp Fire USA New Jersey Council, Children's Futures' Community partner in the Trenton Reach Out and Read program, is selling the discounted tickets for Six Flags Great Adventure as a fundraiser. All proceeds benefit Camp Fire programs for the prevention of violence, child abuse, abduction and substance abuse To order tickets: Send check or money order made payable to Camp Fire USA ($20 per ticket and $3 per order for postage and handling) to Camp Fire USA New Jersey Council, 535 East Franklin Street, Trenton, NJ 08610. Tickets may also be picked up at the Camp Fire office. 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.

Mercer County Office of the Youth Advocacy Programs, Inc. will partner with Macy's this year for the annual Shop For A Cause, to be held on September 20, 2008. For a $5 donation to YAP, people will be able to shop all day, at any Macy's of their choosing, and receive 20% off their purchases for most items, and 10% for many others. For more information, please contact Dan Winter, Lisa Wojtczuk, or Christina White at 609-637-0896.