| Building Families Newsletter February 2009 |
Building Families Vision:
Every child, beginning at birth, will be healthy and successful.
Building Families Mission:
Building Families’ mission is for children, youth, and families to live in safe and nurturing environments that promote health, independence and success. Building Families will create a continuum of supports and services that embrace children and their families.
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| The next Building Families Board Meeting will be held on February 23rd from 3PM to 5:30 PM and the Committee Meeting will be held on February 19th from 9AM to 12 noon. At both meetings we will continue to develop our community plan and re-designation documents. All community members and service providers interested in assisting with this process are encouraged to attend. Board and committee meetings dates and times along with meeting notes are posted on our web site, www.buildingfamilies.net.
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Tax Preparation Assistance: Here is the initial listing of free tax preparation locations to date. Hamilton Co. Extension, 311 Bank in Webster City on 1/31/09 to 4/11/09 on select Saturdays (call first, 515-832-2525) and Senior Citizen Center, 749 Second St. on 2/1/09 to 4/15/09 Tuesday-Thursday from 1 to 4 PM (call 515-832-2525).
Wright County Extension at 210 1st St. SW in Clarion from 1/31/09 to 4/11/09 from 9-4 on select Saturdays (call 515-532-3453).
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| 2009 Parent Child Care Survey Summary-Hamilton, Humboldt and Wright Counties |
In October 2008 Building Families Staff handed out parent surveys at WIC clinics, school conferences, preschools, and Head Start and HOPES clients in Hamilton, Humboldt and Wright Counties. The purpose of the surveys was to determine the parent’s perceptions of child care and identify the needs of parents. This is a random collection of data and is in no way researched based or reliability tested. The following are the results of the surveys returned.
Surveys were randomly handed out with 320 returned. Of those returned, 80% had children under the age of 5, 60% had children aged 6-18 and four were grandparents. The first section of the survey focused on childcare. Registered and center care were used by 43% of the families while 49% utilized Friend, Family and Neighbor care, with 24% being grandparent care. 54% of the families had their child in care since birth and for as long as up to three years. Quality of care was rated as excellent by 57%.
Child care was chosen by:
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Quality
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49%
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Location
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29%
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Cost
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23%
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Parents believed their child care services met their child’s needs by:
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Social needs
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69%
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Emotional needs
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58%
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Pre reading skills
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34%
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Provides outdoor play
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65%
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Provides outings
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45%
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Variety of activities
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60%
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Allows movies and TV time
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8%
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The four most important characteristics of choosing a good child care provider included; caregiver’s interactions with the children, 58%; environment, 57%; activities the caregiver provided 55%; and the caregiver’s knowledge of child development, 51%.
Parents were also asked to identify what they believed a quality provider was. The top answers were:
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Children were safe and happy
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78%
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Caregiver likes children
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72%
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A balance of activities provided
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61%
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Parents were welcome to visit
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70%
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Toys were clean
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59%
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Caregiver was trained in CPR
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57%
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Parent and caregiver agreed on discipline procedures
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50%
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Caregiver meets the needs of children quickly
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50%
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Caregiver is licensed or registered
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37%
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Having a state rating under the Quality Rating Scale was an indicator to only 21% of the parents.
Parents stated that childcare in their community needed to be regulated, 33%, more available, 34%, and providers should receive more training, 14%.
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Michelle Olson, CCNC and Angie Halfwassen, I-Smiles Coordinator from Webster County Public Health have been busy visiting preschools providing dental screenings and varnishing for three, four, and five year olds. Here Angie is counting Dawson Seiser’s teeth. Dawson attends the St. Paul’s four year old afternoon program in Webster City. The dental screenings have been a collaboration between Webster County Public Health and Building Families for the past two years. Next year we hope to have all preschools in Hamilton, Humboldt and Wright Counties on board to assist parents in having a dental checkup for their preschooler.
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Power Up YOUth, Hamilton Counties Youth Coalition, announces three Community Champions for working with young people. Nominated by the youth and adults within Hamilton County, Mark Glascock from Webster City, Bob Welch from NE Hamilton, and Carlene Enderson from South Hamilton will all be recognized as Community Champions at an event in their community. Congratulations!! If you would like to know more about this year’s nominees or to be part of Power Up YOUth please contact Kathy Getting at 515 832-5432 ext 1411. For more information on the Power Up YOUth Coalition in Hamilton County visit their web site at www.udmo.com/power_up_YOUth.htm
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Upcoming Training-of-Trainer Institutes
FAMILY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE
The Family Partnership Initiative (FPI) Training-of-Trainers Institute provides participants with techniques to enhance partnerships between families and staff serving children birth to 12 years, in state-funded, child development programs and family child care home networks. The Institute is designed for leaders in the field of child development who impact the professional development of practitioners in their region. This may include teacher trainers, program leaders, program directors, consultants, and family leaders (parents who are active in family resource centers or parent associations).
The FPI Institute focuses on offering strategies that programs can use with families and staff to jointly support children's learning and development, to highlight the strengths each member brings to the partnership, and to explore innovative ways to nurture these partnerships with all families and staff to implement.
GO WHERE IT’S WARM!!!
February 20: Temecula/Murrieta | March 4: San Fernando Valley | March 12: Merced
May 14: San Francisco | TBD: Tahoe/Sierra Foothills
For further information, please contact:
Karen Charest, Conference Coordinator
Phone: 760.682.0200 or Email: kchares@wested.org
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