|
Resource Update
JULY 2007
In This
Edition:
Please note: Some of the links say
"click here" because the length of the link interferes with our newsletters format. If you need the full link, please contact Kristen Rogers at:
kristen@wcpcan.wa.gov.
|
 What's New at Children's Trust
New Name, New Address, Same Focus on
Children and Families Just a reminder: WCPCAN’s name
officially changes to “Children’s Trust of Washington” on July 22nd. In addition, we moved offices!
We are still in Pioneer Square, but in a new building. Our new address is: 605 1st Ave, Suite 412, Seattle, WA
98104. Our email addresses, website, phone numbers and most importantly, our focus on supporting children and families all stay the same. If
you need directions to our new offices, contact Sophy Chan at: sophy@wcpcan.wa.gov. If you have questions
related to the name change, contact Kristen Rogers at: kristen@wcpcan.wa.gov.
GRANT OPPORTUNITY: Evidence Based Home Visiting RFP Process Now Open!
WCPCAN/Children's Trust is pleased to announce that funding will be available beginning August 1, 2007 for
implementation of evidence based and promising home visitation programs throughout Washington. This is a SEPARATE pot of money from our traditional
three-year grant process. The dollar amounts available are larger, and the funding period will be longer, provided that performance outcomes are met.
The deadline for applications is July 13, 2007. For more information about what programs qualify as “evidence based or
promising” and how to apply, go to: http://www.wcpcan.wa.gov/temp_ebp_grant_process.asp.
Department of Health’s Patty Hayes Taking on New Challenges
Patty
Hayes, a WCPCAN/Children’s Trust agency representative for the Department of Health for many years and Assistant Secretary for Community and
Family Health, is leaving DOH to be the Executive Director of Within Reach in Seattle. We will miss Patty on the Council, but know that her
incredible talents will be well utilized at Within Reach and look forward to working with her in her new role.
NEW! PR/Communications Networking
Group
First Monday of each month, Seattle
Area
We are thinking about forming a new monthly networking meeting
for PR / Marketing / Communications professionals in the Seattle area. If you are interested in sharing your expertise and learning from other
professionals, please feel free to contact Chris Jamieson, Children’s Trust (chris@wcpcan.wa.gov) or Melissa
Jennings, Foundation for Early Learning (melissa@earlylearning.org). The group will meet on the first Monday of every month for
coffee, conversation and brainstorming, so please feel free to join us!
|
 Events
Teleconference Training
Series
June – July,
TELECONFERENCES
The National Abandoned Infants
Assistance Resource Center at Berkeley announces its 2007 Teleconference Trainings Series. The Center is funded by the Children’s Bureau.
Upcoming conferences include: Taming the Ghosts in the Nursery June 26th, 2007 11:00am – 12:30pm Pacific; and Supporting Families
in Recovery through Infant Mental Health Interventions July 17th, 2007 11:00am – 12:30pm Pacific. These calls are $25 per session.
For more information or to register, go to: http://aia.berkeley.edu/training/teleconference/.
Stakeholder Input Requested –
Prevention Day
July 13th, 2007
The Mental Health Transformation Project developed
the Prevention Advisory Group (PAG) in order to explore the opportunities and challenges of promoting mental health, intervening early and preventing
the devastating impacts of mental illness. The PAG is developing a framework for a public health approach to prevention of mental health problems in
children, youth and adults, including prevention of secondary problems for people living with mental illness. The State Board of Health is developing
a paper describing this framework. The PAG is inviting stakeholders to participate in Prevention Day on July 13, 2007 to provide input for the SBOH
report. A follow up meeting is planned for fall 2007. Dissemination of the paper is scheduled for early 2008. A spring 2008 summit is planned to
engage policymakers in the framework, paper, recommendations and priorities for more coordinated, statewide approach to prevention of mental health
challenges. In developing the framework, the PAG and SBOH are engaging stakeholders with interest in five population groups: early childhood (birth
to kindergarten entry); school age (kindergarten – 12th grade); youth transitioning to adulthood (high school – 24 years
old); children, youth or adults entering psychiatric residential placement for the first time; and older adults (65 years and older). If you are
interested in more information on how to participate in Prevention Day, please contact David Brenna at: BRDC300@dshs.wa.gov.
NCAST-AVENUW Summer Institute 2007 Focuses
on Infant Mental Health
July 20th – 21st,
Seattle, Washington
This is a conference for diverse practitioners to
consider dyadic approaches in helping parents or young children who have experienced trauma. Internationally renowned speakers include: Pat
Crittenden, PhD from the Family Relations Institute and Charles H. Zeanah, MD from Tulane University Health Sciences Center. There are three reasons
you must not miss this training opportunity! You will learn how to implement new effective approaches to improve parent-child relationships; you will
learn who to refer for psychotherapy and how that will change behaviors; and you will learn a new set of attachment organizations and how they are
relevant to decision-making about young children and their families. NCAST-AVENUW has nearly 30 years of experience providing effective,
multi-disciplinary, well-respected training to professionals working with families with young children. Space is limited! Registration will be
available online only. To ensure your attendance, click here.
Effective Interventions for
Children & Youth with Challenging Behaviors
August 6th –
10th, Shoreline, Washington
The Office of the Superintendent of
Public Instruction and The Washington Re-Education Association presents this conference: Effective Interventions for Children & Youth with
Challenging Behaviors. This training provides frontline workers in schools and mental health agencies with effective strategies for working with
children & youth presenting challenging behaviors. Participants learn to implement strategies in a variety of clinical and school settings. Teams are
encouraged to attend. The cost is $50 per person. For more information, go to: http://warea.org/Re-ED2007.pdf.
Children’s Alliance
Advocacy Camp
October 15th –
17th, North Bend, Washington
Want to take your advocacy for
children to the next level? Join together and learn how to power up and speak out at the Children’s Alliance 10th Advocacy Camp!
Advocacy Camp is a three-day, interactive training that will equip you with the skills to be an effective child advocate and local leader. Tuition
for Camp is $350 per person ($200 for Children’s Alliance members) but scholarships are available. Applications are accepted NOW until
September 20th. For more information about Advocacy Camp including applications and scholarship forms, go to: www.childrensalliance.org/whatwedo/advocacy-camp.cfm.
If you are a Current WCPCAN Funded Program and would like a scholarship, limited opportunities are available on a first-come,
first-served basis. If you are interested in receiving a scholarship, contact Kristen Rogers at: kristen@wcpcan.wa.gov.
SAVE THE DATE: American Humane 2007
Conference on Differential Response in Child Welfare
November 14th –
16th, Long Beach, California
This conference aims to build knowledge,
disseminate ongoing practices, and provide a platform for cross-fertilization and exchange across states, counties, and provinces on a range of
topics related to implementing differential response in child welfare. For more information or to register, go to: http://www.americanhumane.org/.
|
 Policy & Advocacy Information
Senate Fully
Funds the Combating Autism Act
The Senate Labor,
Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Committee approved its version of the FY 2008 spending bill, including a 52 percent increase
for autism-related activities at the CDC and Health and Resources Services Administration. This is the full amount authorized for these programs
under the Combating Autism Act. Specifically, the bill provides $37 million for the Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Residency Program and the
Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Training Program, which both provide long-term, graduate-level interdisciplinary training, as well as services
and care for infants, children and adolescents with disabilities. The Committee also provided $16.5 million for CDC’s autism programs, which
include the Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Epidemiology (CADDRE) and the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM)
Network. The House also provided $16.5 million for these programs. Because funding levels for autism are different in the House and Senate bills,
they will need to be worked out in a conference committee. To read more, click here.
Building
Relationships: Parallels Between Infant-Toddler Development and the Public Policy Process
Working with infants,
toddlers and their families is all about relationships. We know from scientific research that every domain of development is impacted by nurturing,
caring relationships in early childhood. Babies are born with a drive to relate to and connect with others, and they continue to develop the social
skills necessary to form strong, healthy relationships throughout their lives. These findings teach us not only about babies, but about the ways in
which people of all ages relate to others. Our understanding of relationships and early childhood development can help guide us in various aspects of
our lives. Relationship-building is at the core of our work with young children, and it truly lies at the heart of effective policy, advocacy and
systems work. That makes those of us in the early childhood community perfectly suited for policy work. This article from The Baby Monitor explores
relationship-building in early childhood and in the world of policy and advocacy. With a deeper understanding of relationships and how to build them,
we can be stronger advocates for babies, toddlers and their families. To read the full article, go to: www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/BuildingRelationships.pdf?docID=3641.
House Home
Visitation Legislation Reintroduced
On May 16th,
Representatives Danny Davis (D-IL-7) and Todd Platts (R-PA-19) reintroduced the Education Begins at Home Act (EBAH, H.R. 2343). EBAH would establish
the first dedicated federal funding stream to support parents with newborns and young children through quality, voluntary home visitation. Senators
Kit Bond (R-MO) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) introduced the Senate version of EBAH (S. 667) earlier this year. Of the $500 million authorized in EBAH,
$400 million would be provided to states on a formula basis to expand and enhance home visiting programs, while the remaining $100 million would be
divided between two competitive grants to reach military families and families with English Language Learners. If enacted, EBAH would extend to a
broad range of families the opportunity to benefit from home visiting programs. To bring EBAH closer to enactment, we need to demonstrate broad
support for the legislation by building the list of cosponsors. Prevent Child Abuse America has created a sample e-mail asking members of Congress to
cosponsor EBAH. They encourage you to personalize the e-mail with local information before sending it on to your Senators and Representative. For more
information or to take action, click here.
|
 Marriage & Disabilities Research
Barriers to Marriage: A White Paper Regarding
Social, Cultural, and Economic Barriers to Marriage in the United States
This article from Florida Families examines some of the
social, cultural and economic barriers faced by couples interested in marriage in the United States. The context and patterns of American marriage
have changed in the last half century. Though a vast majority of couples openly express interest in getting married in the U.S., this remains an
unrealized dream for many couples, particularly those with lower incomes. Marriage has a high and symbolic value for low-income couples and/or
unmarried parents. Marriage is associated with achieving an economic and relational stature. It represents that one has achieved a type of middle
class lifestyle and a fulfilled romantic relationship. Barriers standing in the way of marriage for many people include social and economic factors,
as well as cultural ones. Even low-income couples who do marry face more relationship strains and continued economic difficulties. The likelihood of
divorce is greater for less educated and lower income couples than their middle and upper-class counterparts. There are a myriad of policy
alternatives that may assist these couples both to get married and to maintain healthy marriage relationships over time. To read the full article, go
to: http://floridafamilies.org/pdfs/BarrierstoMarriage-March2007.pdf.
Dissemination of Couples Interventions among
African American Populations: Experiences from ProSAAM
In this article, the authors discuss general
observations about successful delivery of culturally sensitive variations of empirically grounded strategies for relationship enhancement and divorce
prevention. This discussion focuses on the importance of religious traditions in culturally sensitive marriage enrichment services. In particular, the
authors highlight their ongoing investigation of the Program for Strong African American Marriages (ProSAAM) and share some of our experiences in
disseminating ProSAAM to communities in northeast Georgia. For more information, or to read the full article, click here.
National Organization on Disability Announces
Partnership Awards Program
The National Organization on Disability has announced
the National Partnership Awards program, a new competition for forty eligible non-disability associations from across America designed to recognize
their work on behalf of people with disabilities. The associations are invited to demonstrate, via the competition, their leadership in supporting
local initiatives that benefit people with disabilities. The competition, which is sponsored by Prudential Financial, Inc., will commemorate the
25th anniversary of the founding of the National Organization on Disability. Five winning associations will receive $2,000 each to
acknowledge one of their chapters or affiliates for an outstanding program or project that showcases how their members help citizens with
disabilities participate in and contribute to the economic, social, and cultural vitality of the community. The list of eligible associations,
program guidelines, and entry forms are available at the NOD Web site. For more information, go to: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10007788/nod.
|
 Sustainability & Resources
Foundations Willing To Fund
Nonprofits' Overhead
By Marla E. Nobles
A recent study showed a surprising
disconnect between the willingness by most foundations to fund overhead costs, and either a lack of awareness or an unwillingness by nonprofits to
accept that support. The study found that more than two-thirds of the foundations surveyed said they're willing to fund all types of nonprofits'
overhead costs. On the other end, many nonprofits are hesitant to use foundation funding to cover overhead costs despite some claiming inadequate
infrastructure. To read this article, go to: http://www.nptimes.com/instantfund/07June/IF-070614-1.html.
Create a Culture of
Evaluation
From “Information Gold Mine:
Innovative Uses of Evaluation” by Paul Mattessich
You don’t need a degree in psychology
to know that individuals tend to do what they like and tend to avoid what they dislike. You also know that getting people to try something new
requires motivation. They have to see the benefit, and they have to overcome the usual human fears and discomfort that change brings. Therefore, a critical ingredient for developing and maintaining momentum within your organization to
use program evaluation is the establishment of a positive, productive image of program evaluation and its use within your organization’s
culture. Here are some ways to go about that: Involve all appropriate staff in the development of evaluation; Have staff
regularly review, discuss, and act on evaluation findings; and Board members and top leadership must own and act on the evaluation findings. To read
this article, click
here.
Getting School Ready! Booklets
Available
The Foundation for Early Learning is pleased
to announce that the “Getting School Ready!” booklets have arrived and are available for distribution. The booklets are available in
Cambodian, Chinese, English, Russian, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese. To request your free booklets, complete the online order form at: http://www.earlylearning.org/getting-school-ready-booklets-available.
Making Measures Work for You:
Outcomes and Evaluation
By Craig McGarvey – Evaluation
Techniques: A Series of Brief Guides
An outcomes-based approach to evaluation
works, proponents say, because it uses straightforward metrics to assess actual impact. How else to know if the work you're supporting is leading to
the desired changes? Other grant makers counter that outcome measurement should be approached with care. Hasty assumptions or over-confidence in the
idea that program impacts can be translated into hard data can skew not only the evaluation but the work itself. This guide looks at tensions that
drive the debate about outcomes measurement, as well as common questions about its potential risks and rewards. To read the full guide, go to: http://www.grantcraft.org/pdfs/guide_outcome.pdf.
GRANT OPPORTUNITY: Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation The
mission of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation is to give back to and to strengthen the thousands of communities where their employees and customers
work and live through charitable support. They endorse and underwrite a variety of initiatives and causes throughout the markets where Enterprise
operates in support of four key focus areas: They assist many local causes by joining their employees and providing a 50 percent match of their
contributions to United Way campaigns throughout these communities; they believe it is important to provide financial resources to worthwhile
nonprofit initiatives that are actively supported by their employees, their spouses, and loyal Enterprise customers; they strive to provide more
sizable special grants to nonprofit groups or causes of significant strategic or social importance to Enterprise and its employees; and they support
relief projects or causes the company deems important as they arise, such as natural disasters that affect their customers and employees. The average
grant amount is $2,500 to $5,000. September 7, 2007 is the application deadline. For more information or to apply, go to: http://aboutus.enterprise.com/what_we_believe/our_foundation.html.
|
 Home Visiting & Parent
Education Tools
Supporting Family Friend and Neighbor (FFN)
Care Providers with Home Visiting Programs
July 19th, 2 pm EST,
ONLINE
This interactive, online webinar will feature Diane
Paulsell, Principal Researcher with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., discussing topics such as: Early Head Start’s enhanced home visiting
project as a model for home visits to FFN providers; Increasing continuity and consistency in caregiving and improving the relationship between
parents and caregivers; Partnering with a number of community partners, including child care resource & referral agencies, family support programs,
health care providers and child welfare agencies; Offering health and safety equipment, as well as other materials and stipends for additional
supplies to providers; and Overcoming certain obstacles, including the reluctance of some providers to participate, provider turnover, and low
attendance at group events. For more information or to register for this event from the National Women’s Law Center, click here.
An Investigation of a Community-Based
Intervention for Socially Isolated Parents with a History of Child Maltreatment
A randomized field trial was conducted to test the
effectiveness of a community-based intervention to enhance the prosocial interaction and psychological well-being of urban, Head Start parents with a
history of child maltreatment. One-hundred and sixteen socially isolated parents participated. Forty of these parents had a history of child
maltreatment. Maltreatment and non-maltreatment parents were assigned randomly to intervention and control conditions. The intervention involved 10
group-training sessions focusing on the relationship between stress and social support. Analyses revealed a significant main effect for the
intervention group with intervention parents reporting lower levels of stress and higher levels of social activity than controls. No main effects for
maltreatment status or maltreatment by intervention group interactions were found. Implications for community-based treatment were discussed. For more
information on how to purchase this article by John Fantuzzo, et al. and published in the February edition of the Journal of Family Violence,
click here.
|
 Birth to Three & Early Learning News
Quality Pre-K
Provides Significant Economic Benefits
High-quality
pre-kindergarten education predicts higher earnings, lower crime, and a stronger overall economy, according to a report from the Economic Policy
Institute. The report, entitled “Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation,” concludes that the economic benefits of providing quality
pre-k for all three- and four-year olds living below 125% of the poverty line in Oregon would exceed the annual cost in 10 years. The annual benefit
would increase each subsequent year. To read the full article, go to: http://ga3.org/ct/9139u851XRTt.
|
 Feature Topic: Fatherhood
National Responsible Fatherhood
Clearinghouse Website
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced the launch of the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) website. The
website offers resources for a broad audience, including Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Marriage program grantees, fathers and families,
community partners, policymakers, and researchers. Visitors to the website can access electronic publications, statistics, media materials, and other
resources on the topic of fatherhood and improving the lives of children and families. They can also search the online library’s extensive
collection and sign up to receive email updates of the site. To view the site, go to: http://www.fatherhood.gov/.
Website for New Dads
This online “boot camp for new dads”
is a great resource for first-time fathers with specific advice on taking care of your baby or toddler. To view the site, go to: http://www.newdads.com/.
|
 General Prevention
Preschoolers
Affected Most by Child Abuse
Child abuse has a more
significant impact on children between the ages of three and five than on other children, according to new research. Preschool-age children who
experience abuse face more anxiety and depression in adulthood than children who first experience abuse at later stages of childhood and adolescence.
To read the full article, go to: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/articles.cfm?article_id=1336&ref=htmlEml.
|
 Annoucements
Have an Announcement?
Submit any announcements you'd like to get out into the world to Kristen Rogers at: kristen@wcpcan.wa.gov and she will happily include them in the next Resource Update. If possible, include a
website for readers to get more information and a contact person at your agency for questions or comments.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
