E-Update from Strengthening Families Illinois

Oct/Nov 2006
E-Update
Highlights for Leaders and Partners of Strengthening Families Illinois
Fall is in full swing for SFI! As the holidays approach, Learning Networks are in the midst of their second year of training and the efforts of staff and partners continue to push the initiative's goals forward. If you have comments or suggestions, please send us an email. In This Issue Staff Training Deepens Connection to Families Other Hub Updates Chicago Children's Museum Hosts Training of Trainers Mental Health Consultants Become New Training Resource on Strengthening Families Illinois Takes the Lead on Developing On-Line Evaluation Tool for Centers Strengthening Families Illinois Featured on CAN TV Leadership Team Meeting Report Shows Strengthening Families Growing Nationally Centers Show Their Commitment to Families Chicago Metropolis 2020 and U of I Making Progress With Early Childhood Asset Map Refill Your Tank: Quick Tips for Managing Separation Thanks to Calendar Staff Training Deepens Connection to Families Cook County Early Childhood Center Trains Hundreds in Protective Factors: “I never realized that I have an impact on the children and families at our center,” said a worker at Carole Robertson Center after a recent SFI training. “I’m going to try harder to smile and talk with families when they come in or I see them in the halls.” This man was not a teacher, but a janitor. Knowing that every contact with a parent is an opportunity, the Center recently provided every one of its 186 staff members at three sites—from teachers to bus drivers to kitchen staff—with training on the protective factors. Carole Robertson Center is addressing one of the challenges facing SFI learning networks: taking the learning deeper. While pairs of staff from over 60 centers have taken part in SFI trainings and monthly meetings, it has been difficult for them to spread that learning back home. The Carole Robertson Center received funds from the Steans Family Foundation and the Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation to support training not just for all of its own staff, but staff from other network programs—especially the larger citywide agencies. “The training is giving everyone the same message,” says Hub Coordinator Leslie Janes: “We are all doing this together to support families.” *Other Hub Updates: Kane County:* More than 200 families from DeLacey Family Education Center and Tom Thumb Community Child Care Center had fun receiving health and safety information at a Family Night September 29. The local police and fire departments, as well as, health care providers shared information, and a storyteller from the Dundee public library kept participants entertained. Peoria: A Family Fun Night brought families together around the theme, “Families that Play Together, Grow Stronger Together”. More than 375 attendees came, and all network members and DCFS representatives achieved their goals of helping parents “connect with each other, learn about the resources available to them, and have fun!" Southern Illinois: WADI Head Start held a successful Back to School event with over 50 network and DCFS staff members in attendance! Staff received door prizes and were treated to presentations from WADI’s Head Start Director, DCFS representatives, and the local child care resource and referral agency. Feedback from the event was positive and it continued to strengthen relationships among the Southern Region’s network members. Southern Cook: A number of participating centers have been struggling with enrollment issues which has hampered their ability to participate fully in the network thus far in year two and some centers have been forced to let go of their staff. SFI and South Cook’s Hub Coordinator are working together to solve the issue by engaging schools and Head Start programs to participate. If you are part of (or know) a program in South Suburban Cook County that would be interested in helping to strengthen this network, contact Lina Cramer, Senior Consultant for SFI. In other news, South Cook’s hub, Community Mennonite Early Learning Center, recently celebrated its NAEYC Accreditation. Congratulations! Evanston: The Stronger Together training is going strong, with 12 half-day sessions in the works. Chicago Children’s Museum Hosts Training of Trainers Everyone knows children’s museums help kids have fun while they learn. And that’s what 28 early childhood center staff and professionals did at the Chicago Children’s Museum on October 11 and 12 during a train-of-trainers (TOT) session for Stronger Together: Family Support and Early Childhood Programs. This curriculum helps childcare centers make the shift from child-centered to child focused, family-centered practice. Lisa Lee, one of the principal authors of the Parent Services Project curriculum, led the TOT. In attendance were members of Learning Networks from across Illinois, including new Hub Coordinators and members from Kane County and Peoria, as well as individuals from Rockford and Granite City who are interested in forming their own ad hoc SFI networks. Many thanks to the Chicago Children’s Museum for hosting! Contact SFI if you are interested in having Stronger Together training in your community. Mental Health Consultants Become New Training Resource On Strengthening Families Caregiver Connections is at the top of the resource list for childcare providers who need help working with a child or family, whether the issue is a possible developmental delay, drug abuse, neglect, or another challenging behavior. So it makes great sense for the program’s mental health consultants to be trained in the protective factors so they can help providers strengthen families. On September 26, 20 of these consultants—along with SFI Learning Network members—took part in a Protective Factors Training of Trainers provided by the Midwest Learning Center for Family Support. There are over 80 qualified trainers across Illinois, including not just mental health care providers, but child care nurse consultants and Prevent Child Abuse Illinois’ Prevention Resource Developers. If you want Protective Factors training for your staff, contact your local Resource and Referral Agency or Linda Henderson at Prevent Child Abuse Illinois. Illinois Takes the Lead on Developing On-Line Evaluation Tool for Centers Through SFI, early childhood centers statewide have action plans for how they will strengthen families. In order for programs to gauge their progress with embedding protective factors and the Strengthening Families model, SFI and its Evaluation Workgroup have started developing an on-line staff survey that will enable early childhood centers to evaluate the impact that Strengthening Families is having on staff and how effectively the training and practice shift is deepening within an organization. Multiple versions of the survey will be tailored to different types of staff, such as administrative, teachers, and family support staff. Beyond gauging the progress of individual centers, the survey will help those piloting Strengthening Families to make the case on how the model is impacting practice change in centers and among parents. Other pilot states have been invited to support the survey’s development, as SFI envisions it as a common tool that can be used nationally to benefit the Strengthening Families Initiative. Five states—Missouri, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Arkansas, and Georgia—and the Alliance of Children’s Trust Funds have agreed to collaborate. Illinois will be partnering with Metropolitan Chicago Information Center to develop the initial draft before the national partners contribute to the final version.
Calendar November 7: Election Day November 8: Southern IL West Sub-Hub Learning Network Meeting, Marion; Evanston Learning Network Stronger Together Training, Evanston November 9: Quality Assurance Sub-Group Meeting, Chicago November 14: Protective Factors Training, Action for Children Home Daycare Providers, Chicago November 15: Peoria Learning Network Meeting, Peoria November 16: Evaluation Workgroup Meeting, Chicago; Kane County Learning Network Meeting, Dundee; Hub Coordinator Monthly Call November 21: Professional Development Workgroup Meeting, Chicago; Southern IL Southern Sub-Hub Learning Network Meeting, Carbondale November 28: Southern IL Eastern Sub-Hub Learning Network Meeting, Harrisburg December 13: Rockford Learning Network Meeting December 20: Peoria Learning Network Meeting, Peoria December 21: Hub Coordinator Meeting	Strengthening Families Illinois Featured On CAN TV Be on the lookout for Strengthening Families Illinois to make an appearance in your living room! SFI was featured on DCFS Dialogue, a weekly television program on Saturday mornings hosted by the DCFS Division of External Affairs. The goal of the program is to inform and educate families on the child welfare services provided through the department and share information on family-focused programs and prevention services. DCFS representatives involved with the initiative, Michael Byrd and Diane Fitzhugh, joined Chicago Learning Network Hub Coordinator Leslie Janes to answer questions about the Strengthening Families Illinois project and its connections to other DCFS early childhood initiatives. The show will air Saturday, November 18 on Chicago CAN TV, Channel 21! Click here to learn more about CAN TV. Leadership Team Meeting Report Shows Strengthening Families Growing Nationally SFI’s Leadership Team met on October 27th to report on the progress of the initiative and discuss plans for the next six months. The national report by Nilofer Ahsan, of the Center for the Study of Social Policy, highlighted the growing interest in the approach nationally, with 40 states currently participating in some type of Strengthening Families related activity. Click here for presentation. The Communications work group also presented the latest materials, in draft form, from SFI’s parent-to-parent public awareness campaign scheduled to debut in January. The committee was impressed and recommended that they be translated into multiple languages, in addition to Spanish. To review highlights from each of the workgroup reports click on the appropriate category: Sustainability, Pilot Sites, Professional Development and Training, Communications, Building Resiliency, or Evaluation. Centers Show Their Commitment to Families The new SFI poster will brighten up any early childhood center—while showing families they can and should expect friendly, respectful treatment. Developed by the Hub Coordinators in SFI’s six pilot communities, the new “Our Commitment to Families” poster spells out nine characteristics of early childhood centers that strengthen families. “We hung posters in each of our classrooms as a constant reminder to staff and families of the commitment we have at Crittenton Centers,” said Peoria’s Hub Coordinator Julie Brem. A matching flier allows centers to customize the information by inserting the center’s name before duplicating. To download the flier, click here. To view a PDF of the poster, click here. To order the free poster, contact us.
Chicago Metropolis 2020 and U of I Making Progress with Early Childhood Asset Map Attendees at the most recent meeting of Illinois’ Early Learning Council had the opportunity to review a new tool that will give state and local officials and decision makers a clearer picture of the early childhood landscape in Illinois. The new IECAM (Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map) website pulls together interim data on state-funded Pre-K, Head Start, Licensed Child Care Centers, and birth-to-3 programs in every county statewide, as well as previous Census demographic data. By the end of June, a Geographic Information System with the latest data available will replace the interim data. Users will also be able to access information by geographic levels such as, county, school district, legislative district, Illinois Department of Human Services regions, and Illinois State Board of Education regions. Click here to browse the current site. Refill Your Tank: Quick Tips for Managing Separation This is part of a series of strategies for “refilling your tank” by Marcia Zumbahlen, Ph.D., Infant Child Mental Health Specialist and SFI Consultant. Throughout the year, many young children and their families deal with transitions in early childhood education, from entering care for the first time to changing providers and meeting a new teacher and friends. Transitions like these can evoke powerful feelings in young children and families. Parents who witness their children’s tears often feel the child’s separation anxiety in their own bodies. Sometimes parents have a hard time even though their children are transitioning well. Children can sense their parents’ anxiety by tuning into a parent’s hovering and concerned tone. It is as if parents and children are mirrors to each other. This back-and-forth flow of emotion is part and parcel of significant relationships. That means that early childhood care and education professionals can be mirrors to families too. As teachers watch this separation dance between children and their families, they may feel the excitement of new opportunities and the loss of separation as well. Such sensations may mix with feelings a teacher is carrying from his or her own life. Many providers are parents themselves. They, too, may be dealing with separation transitions such as a child entering school, going to college, or getting married. Without a space to acknowledge this mix of emotions, providers may react inconsistently when separation comes up at work, sometimes reacting strongly to parents and children, other times minimizing the feelings at hand. There are many ways to provide that space and manage separation. Click here for strategies that you can start using now. For more ways to refill your tank, request our 101 Ways to Nurture Your Spirit poster. Thanks to … Prevention First for generously hosting SFI's Leadership Team meeting in Chicago and Springfield ... Nilofer Ahsan, Leonette Coates, Karen Freel, Jamilah Jor’dan, Kendall Marlowe and Letechia Williams for their presentations at the Leadership Team meeting and input into the agenda ... Action for Children, Illinois Family Partnership Network, Metro Chicago Information Center, and Voices for Illinois Children for hosting SFI Workgroup and sub-group meetings ... Partnership for Quality Childcare for piloting SFI's new training ... The Baby Fold and Caregiver Connections for hosting SFI's Protective Factors TOT and Pat Brady and Margie Perzynski for facilitating it ... The Chicago Children's Museum for hosting the Stronger Together TOT and Leslie Janes, Lisa Lee, and Cynthia Stringfellow for facilitating it ... llinois AEYC and Prevent Child Abuse Illinois for including Strengthening Families Illinois in their fall conference programs … Elizabeth Calhoun and Bridgette Glickman at the DCFS Division of External Affairs for featuring Strengthening Families Illinois and Michael Byrd, Diane Fitzhugh, and Leslie Janes for representing Strengthening Families Illinois on DCFS Dialogue ... Martha Arnston, Tanya Brown, Teresa Cronin, Renee Jackson, Maria Ochoa, Michelle Smith, Ashley Tomes, and Letechia Williams for organizing parent focus groups ... all of SFI's Learning Network hubs and centers for their tremendous commitment to this initiative and to strengthening children and families … and the many other people who contribute their time and support to strengthen Illinois children! Know someone involved with SFI who deserves thanks? Send us an email. SFI Speakers Available To have an SFI representative speak at your next event, email us.
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