Parent Education / Support > Create The Project
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| High | High | High |
Project: Sponsor Fair on Parenting
The purpose of a parenting fair is to show parents all the resources available in the community. The more services and organizations available to parents, the larger the fair will be. Give-aways, lectures onparenting, or special events can draw a large number of people to a parenting fair. Once the parents come,the exhibitors will have their chance to educate and inform.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Low to Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
Project: Awareness and Prevention of Child Abuse
To eliminate child abuse, society must understand that it occurs and that it is unacceptable. Clubs caninitiate an awareness campaign to help people understand the different kinds of child abuse and establish a clear public attitude. Activities can range from a survey of family support resources in the community to arranging for proclamations in support of Child Abuse Prevention Month (April).
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| High | Low to High | Low |
Project: Parenting Education
Just as parents-to-be attend a series of classes to prepare for childbirth, many parents would profit from classes on some of the questions that develop after mother and baby come home from the hospital. There are a number of professionally developed and run programs designed for new parents, all parents, or parents in crisis. A Kiwanis club could help sponsor one of these programs in the community.
A club also could develop less formal parenting classes using local resources, purchase a videotape education program, or support distribution of a parenting newsletter.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Low to Moderate | Moderate | High |
Project: Start a Parent Helpline
Fifty years ago, a new parent lived in a stable community where most people knew one another. The parent received advice from other members of the community, whether it was desired or not. By the same token, it was easy to see how other parents coped with their children. Today, many parents feel isolated. They have no one to talk to for advice or just to vent frustration.
One way to help these parents is to provide a telephone resource. Hotlines exist in most communities to deal with crime, drug abuse, emotional problems, or safety concerns. Thus, it is generally easy to learn about the logistics and costs of setting up a hotline. There is a potential to draw funds and experts (for training and overseeing the telephone volunteers) for this project from the large number of organizations that deal with families: hospitals, family physicians and pediatricians, child welfare and abuse groups, the mental health association, and family-oriented businesses. Kiwanians and other volunteers can man the phone after formal training. They should be equipped with a list of organizations and professionals who are willing to accept referrals.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate to high | Variable | Moderate |
Project: Parents Anonymous
Parents Anonymous helps families by offering free, professionally facilitated, peered support groups for parents with abuse problems. The philosophy of the organization is that parents have the ability to heal themselves by seeking solutions to their problems within themselves.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Low | Low |
Project: Shaken Baby Syndrome
Each year babies are permanently disabled or killed by parents and care givers who don't understand the fragility of a young child's brain. By shaking a child, tossing him up in the air, or bouncing him on a knee, an adult can cause permanent brain damage.
Clubs can prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) through a public education campaign on the dangers of shaking babies.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate to high | Low | Low |
Project: Start a Family Resource Library
Some hospitals, churches, and public libraries have set aside a bookshelf or a room for a family resource library, a collection of books and pamphlets that offer guidance to parents. If a club discovers that there is no family resource library in the community, it could work with any of the organizations mentioned above to develop a library. Books, newsletters, magazines, and videotapes on parenting belong in this library.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| High | High | Low to moderate |
Project: Initiate a Home Visitation Program
Home visitation programs were discussed in the maternal and infant health section as an excellent method of educating and guiding young women toward healthy pregnancies. These programs work equally well guiding men and women through parenthood.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| High | High | High |
Project: Develop a Family Resource Center
One of the most ambitious projects a club or division could undertake is to set up a family resource center. A center could provide all the services that have been described here, and it would offer other forms of counseling and support. To learn more about the logistics and financial concerns of setting up a center, purchase The Family Resource Program Builder from the Family Resource Coalition of America (312) 338-0900.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| High | High | High |
Project: Establish a Respite Care Program or Center
When a parent needs to get away from a child for his or her own sanity and the safety of the child, a respite care center or crisis care nursery could prevent a tragedy. The simplest form of respite care is a "Mother's Morning Out" or "Friday Night Out" program, at which parents can leave a young child for a few hours, once a week, to have time for themselves. These function as a dependable child care service and can serve everyone who wishes to participate in the program. An individual with a background in early childhood development could set up such a program.
The optimum program is open around the clock, provides counseling for the parent, and has enough space so that no one is ever turned away. It will serve parents who fear they will not be able to control themselves if their children remain with them. Setting up a respite care program requires the expertise of a social worker, to make sure the program meets state requirements, and trained personnel. For information on crisis care centers, contact the National Exchange Foundation (419) 535-3232.
| Funding | Hours | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate to High | High | Low to Moderate |
Project: Set Up a Family Development or Family Literacy Program
A child who is excited about school and wants to learn may be discouraged by his parents' attitude and limited ability to help. This can continue an unfortunate cycle that sentences each generation to poor education and poverty.
To counter this problem, several organizations have developed programs that teach parents how to support their children's learning. Many concentrate on developing literacy in parents as the children prepare to learn to read. Others take a broader view of the skills the parents need to develop. Described below are several of these programs, which Kiwanis clubs could help bring to their communities.
Two of these programs require significant expenditures, for an office or classroom, transportation, staff, and materials. But they also have a significant impact on the families involved.
HIPPY - The Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is a two-year program for educationally disadvantaged children four and five years old. Every other week a paraprofessional visits the home and works with the mother and child. On alternate weeks, the mothers meet together with the paraprofessionals and the program coordinator as a support group. HIPPY focuses on the school-readiness skills children need for a happy, successful school experience. The step-by-step instructions develop parents' confidence in their teaching abilities and encourage positive interaction with their children. The HIPPY program was developed in Israel and is used in Chile, Holland, Turkey, Germany, and the United States. To learn more, contact HIPPY 212/645-4048.
National Center for Family Literacy - Three days a week, undereducated parents go with their three- and four-year-old children to a school where learning takes place for both parents and children. The children attend a preschool class while the parents sharpen basic skills, undergo employment training, and learn about parenting. This program does more than teach the parents and children; it encourages them to learn together, which strengthens the family and develops the family members' roles as learners and teachers.
An adult education teacher, a preschool teacher, and a preschool assistant, who must be trained for two weeks, staff the program. Setting up such a program requires considerable funding and should involve government support. A booklet is available on possible funding sources. To learn more about the program, contact the National Center for Family Literacy, 502/584-1133.
Reading with Children - Reading with Children is a program that helps adults improve their own reading skills by preparing them to read to children. Developed by Literacy Volunteers of America, the program kit includes a trainer's guide, a handbook for literacy tutors, and a videocassette showing how to use the program. The kit could be used in a literacy program, library, or Head Start program. A club can order the kit for $95, from Literacy Volunteers of America, 315/445-8000.