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Summer is here and July marks the start of SFI's third year. If you have comments or suggestions, please send us an email.
In This Issue
Small, But Significant Changes: Networks Talk About the Strengthening Families Difference
What does being a part of Strengthening Families Illinois really mean for the providers who participate in the monthly meetings, activities, and training sessions? In this e-update, SFI Learning Network members statewide answer that question. Their stories highlight the work SFI plans to continue as it moves out of its pilot phase and into implementation: deepening the practice shift in Learning Network programs, engaging parents in programs, and developing stronger relationships with child welfare staff locally. All of this work will become deeper and more widespread as the Strengthening Families approach is taken to scale statewide.
Connecting Families
“After participating in Strengthening Families training, I realized that we were not doing enough to connect families,” said Learning Network member Angela Buikema of Chicago West Side Christian School. Using ideas from the training, she’s been offering more activities that help parents meet each other and staff—and bringing her colleagues on board. “We’ve even gotten commitments from our administration to offer two days of Strengthening Families training during in-service,” said Buikema.
Sisters Lela Nelson and Maureen McGrath of Marillac House have created space for parents at their center, as well as a suggestion box for families. Just as important, SFI activities have “given us a common language across departments” to t alk about the importance of strengthening families, said Nelson—which is “really helpful when you’re writing grants or talking with the executive director.”
Southern Region's Learning Network participants presented their Strengthening Families portfolios at an end of the year celebration
“We’ve always known how important it is to partner with parents,” said Maxine DeLapp of WADI Head Start, “but since we started working with SFI, we’ve been able to increase participation in our parent activities.” She’s not alone. Several programs in the Southern Region Learning Network have revised their policies and procedures, especially around volunteering, to involve parents more. “Since participating in Strengthening Families, we’ve realized how important fathers are, and we’re building more opportunities for them to participate,” said Stacy Ward of Brookport Head Start. Many of these strategies for success are showcased in portfolios created by members of the network, which include self-assessments, activity fliers, pictures, thank you letters from parents, and other mementos.
Collaborating for Success
Collaboration among network members is quickly becoming the norm. The Kane County Learning Network took a big step toward serving more Spanish-speaking families last year when it secured funding for a Spanish helpline. But families still need more ESL classes, scheduled at a range of times. Together, network members created a plan where each program would host a class each week and provide free childcare. Inneabelle Mercado, who coordinates the Spanish helpline, is identifying community organizations to provide teachers. Coordinating ESL in this way will allow the programs to reach five times as many families.
Many programs are finding their Learning Networks useful in developing stronger relationships with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). “You hear so many negative stories about DCFS,” said Creative Play’s Donna Kent, an Evanston Learning Network member. But through SFI, her program has gained a “better understanding of the role of DCFS”—and of her own program—in strengthening families, and her staff encouraged a parent recently to contact the Department for help. “When we actually did talk with DCFS, we were able to share what we knew and be a part of the solution for this parent, and she’s getting the services she needs.” Hub Coordinator Tanya Brown sees Creative Play’s experience as just one example of how “Strengthening Families has greatly enriched all of our Learning Network programs.”
New SFI Partners
- Illinois Association for Family Child Care: Ida Butler
- Illinois Childhood Trauma Coalition: Anne Studzinski
- South Cook Educational Consortium: Sharifa Townsend
- The Association for Infant Mental Health: Marsha Hawley
Memoranda of Understanding are Developed With The Illinois Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) System
In July, Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies across the state will start informing early care and education programs about Strengthening Families Illinois training opportunities, making them more accessible to early care and education providers outside of communities with Strengthening Families Illinois Learning Networks. SFI already had this type of collaborative agreement with Action for Children and John A. Logan Community College who serve Chicago and the state's Southern Region, but now all 16 agencies serving 102 counties statewide are onboard. “Together we can help improve quality early childhood practice,” said Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA) Executive Director Jan Maruna who helped coordinate the agreements. “We can help engage parents and promote healthy parent-child relationships. It’s a win-win for families and programs.”
Parent Cafes Spring from IFPN Partnership
Thanks to Illinois Family Partnership Network (IFPN) communities across Illinois are getting introduced to Parent Cafes; an interactive parent engagement and education process where parents learn from other parents about what it takes to keep their family strong while also sharing their own knowledge and expertise.
As a partner of SFI, IFPN developed the Parent Cafe as a way to carry the message of Illinois’ parent led campaign, Love Is Not Enough To Keep Your Family Strong, which seeks to raise awareness among parents of the six protective factors and ways to build them in their own family. At Love Is Not Enough Parent Cafes parents can gather for a series of three café discussions on Taking Care of Yourself, Raising Strong Children, and Building Healthy Relationships with Each Child. Each discussion incorporates the protective factors.
In the coming year, all of SFI’s six Learning Networks will provide the series of Cafés and SFI hopes to develop local teams of parents in the network communities to continue hosting them.
Beyond SFI Learning Networks, IFPN is partnering with Illinois’ All Our Kids Early Childhood Networks and in three Chicago area schools within STARNET’s Region V to bring the Cafés to their communities. Through these partnerships IFPN will be providing Parent Leadership training and a Café Training of Trainer session to build community capacity for parents to host them.
“Parents feel safe bringing up their issues and asking questions in the Café setting,” said Madelyn James, Project Director of STARNET Region V. “We’ve been able to identify children with special needs that we would have never known about, because they feel more comfortable coming for help and talking about it.”
IFPN Director Lina Cramer with staff members Renee Jackson and Letechia Williams
To learn more about IFPN’s Parent Leadership Training and the Parent Cafés, contact Renee Jackson. For more information on IFPN click here.
South Cook Hub Kicks Off with Biggest Parent Café Yet
The new South Cook County SFI Learning Network isn’t due to launch until this fall—but that didn’t stop network coordinator Sharifa Townsend from hosting a Parent Café for more than 70 parents from Riley Preschool in Harvey. The Café was the state’s largest yet.
“We’re very excited about bringing Strengthening Families to our schools and keeping the families involved,” said Townsend, who is a member of the South Cook Educational Consortium, which will serve as the new hub in Southern Cook County. The new network will be made up of 13 school districts and will provide valuable insights into how Strengthening Families Illinois can be implemented through schools. A similar model is being started in Rockford.
Parents from Riley School having conversations at the Love Is Not Enough Parent Cafe in south surburban Alsip
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nized for its accomplishments. Summit attendees flocked to the Parent Café orientation sessions offered by the Illinois Family Partnership Network, where partners from other states were introduced to the Café process and the Love Is Not Enough To Keep Your Family Strong message campaign.