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Fall 2012
WELCOME TO 

STRENGTHENING FAMILIES GEORGIA

Strengthening Families Georgia Accomplishments for 2011-12

 

This was an extremely productive year for us. 

The following is an overview of accomplishments for 

October 2011- September 2012.


Training:

  • Provided training to many diverse audiences including statewide and national early childhood educators, child welfare and family-serving practitioners, parents, policy makers and the community-at-large. As of September 30, 2012 over 1,200 individuals across the state received SFG training. 
  • Revised the Strengthening Families Georgia overview module (1) and training modules for each Protective Factor (5) and conducted a Train the Trainer on the SFG overview and each SF protective factor bringing the total number of SFG trainers to 62. 
  • Conducted Parent Leadership Academy Training (PLAT) for 20 participants through a partnership with the Georgia Department of Education and Sheltering Arms Early Education and Family Centers.
  • United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta funded SFG to identify Strengthening Families champions in the Atlanta Promise Neighborhood (APN) and conduct SFG training for child care providers in APN over a two year period. (July 2012 - June 2014)
  • Bright from the Start funded SFG to develop the SFG Overview 2-hour training into an online course for programs applying for BFTS Quality Rated.
Outreach:
  • The SFG Partnership promoted and participated in several initiatives that embedded Strengthening Families, e.g., Georgia's November as Parent Engagement Month, Child Abuse Prevention Month, Georgia Month of the Young Child, Georgia Department of Education 2012 Parent Engagement Conference, 2012 Georgia Home Visiting Institute, and Georgia Association on Young Children (GAYC) and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Annual Conferences. 
  • Strengthening Families Georgia leadership met individually with agency/organization leaders to share our vision of embedding SF into agency work: BFTS, DFCS, Families First, Parent As Teachers, and Home Visiting.
  • SFG partners participated and contributed to national partner activities, e.g., conference calls, webinars, resource sharing (Center for the Study of Social Policy, National Alliance of Children's Trust & Prevention Funds).
  • SFG developed and distributed SFG Newsletters for Professionals and a SFG Parent Newsletter.
Capacity-building and Sustainability:
  • SFG developed a sustainability plan for Parent Cafes in Georgia.
  • The SFG Leadership Team participated in an extensive SFG Evaluation process with the SFG Evaluation Work Group and evaluation consultants. The resulting Evaluation Plan, Logic Model and Foundation Visual will guide SFG in its ongoing efforts to improve outcomes for children and families in Georgia.

Voices for Georgia's Children: Georgia's Child-Serving Agencies - 2012 Guide 

  

This new resource was developed for policymakers, advocates and practitioners alike and features detailed information on child-serving state agencies in Georgia. The complete guide can be accessed at: http://georgiavoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Child-Serving-Agencies-Guide-2012.pdf

 

Voices for Georgia's Children provides legislative advocacy and awareness of children's issues in the state of Georgia. They support policy that helps children grow up safe, healthy, educated, connected to their family and community, and employable.To learn more visit www.georgiavoices.org.

   

Georgia Department of Education Selects 3 Schools as First Ever Winners of Family-Friendly Partnership School Award

  

Three elementary schools have been selected as the first ever winners of the Georgia Department of Education's Family-Friendly Partnership School Award.

  

The winners were selected because they represent the best in customer service for Georgia families, whether it's on the phone, at the front office or on the Internet. The schools have welcoming staff members, comfortable waiting areas, clear signage and engaging student work throughout the building.

 

They have easy-to-navigate websites and are forging partnerships with parents to help improve student achievement. The schools also provide unique, engaging and innovative parent engagement programming that is successful in reaching all families in the school.

  

"These schools are models for the entire state on how to engage families and make parents feel welcome from the moment they walk in the door," said State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge. "We must find more ways to get parents involved in the education of their children, whether it's online or in person."

 

The winners are:

  • W.C. Britt Elementary School in Gwinnett County
  • Morningside Elementary School in Houston County
  • Miller Elementary School in Houston County
Each school received phone calls and visits from "parents" looking for information or assistance. They also received a walk-through by department staff, which conducted interviews with school workers, parents, students and community members as part of the selection process.


Schools can apply for next year's Family-Friendly Partnership School Awards. To qualify, a school must be Title I - which means it receives additional federal dollars due its high percentage of low-income students to help those students meet the school's educational goals. Schools also must not be designated as Priority or Focus schools under the state's Elementary and Secondary Education Act waiver.

 

For more information on the Georgia Family-Friendly Partnership School Initiative or to apply, go to  http://www.gadoe.org/School-Improvement/Federal-Programs/Pages/Georgia-Family-Friendly.aspx.

 

Each Week 877-ALL-GA-KIDS is Giving Away $250 to a Different Family to Help Pay for Child Care

 

 

Free Week of Child Care  

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration Community Action Guide

 

Supporting Babies and Families Impacted by Caregiver Mental Health Problems, Substance Abuse and Trauma: A Community Action Guide, is a new ZERO TO THREE publication prepared for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The guide presents resources that service providers, advocates and practitioners can use to better understand and engage their communities in responding to children whose caregivers are negatively impacted by mental illness, substance abuse or trauma.

 

From the Toolbox - New Resources Available From Strengthening Families

 

Learn more about program models that are "making the link" to state Strengthening Families work:

About Strengthening Families Georgia

 

The state lead for Strengthening Families Georgia (SFG) is the Governor's Office for Children and Families (GOCF). SFG is administered by the Georgia Association on Young Children (GAYC) and represents a partnership of national, state, local, and public/private organizations dedicated to embedding five research-based protective factors in service/supports for young children and their families.

  

Vision: All families with children birth through age five in Georgia have the resources and support necessary for a meaningful and successful life.

 

Mission: To utilize the Strengthening Families assets-based framework of Protective Factors in all systems, programs, services and activities supporting families with young children as the approach to achieving the vision. These five Protective Factors are the foundation for the Strengthening Families approach:

  1. Parental Resilience - Parents can bounce back
  2. Social Connections - Parents have friends
  3. Knowledge of Child Development - Parents know how children grow and learn
  4. Concrete Support in Time of Need - Parents know where to turn for help
  5. Social and Emotional Competence of Children Children learn to talk about and handle feelings

A large group of Strengthening Families Georgia stakeholders, organized into a SFG Leadership Team, Partnership, and Supporters includes over 70 representatives from more than 30 organizations. The Leadership Team, made up of 20-25 members, provides direction and guidance for embedding the five protective factors in all areas of related work via:

  • Policy and systems change
  • Data driven decision-making
  • Integration and prioritization of work
  • Identifying and leveraging resources
  • Coordination and collaboration with similar state efforts
Funding Information

This project was supported in part by the Governor's Office for Children and Families through the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Grant Program (CBCAP). Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the Governor's Office for Children and Families or the Community Based Child Abuse Prevention Grant Program (CBCAP). 

 

For more information on Strengthening Families Georgia contact Jeanette Meyer, Strengthening Families Georgia Statewide Coordinator: [email protected] 
In This Issue
Strengthening Families Georgia Accomplishments
Georgia's Child-Serving Agencies - 2012 Guide
Georgia Department of Education Family-Friendly Partnership School Awards
877-ALL-GA-KIDS
New Community Action Guide from SAMHSA
From the Toolbox
About SFG