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Products -- Safe from the Start Newsletter Archives
SFTS January 2005 Newsletter
SCHOOL READINESS INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of Education has released the fiscal year 2005 Early Reading First application. Early Reading First, part of the President's "Good Start, Grow Smart" initiative, is designed to transform existing early education programs into centers of excellence that provide high-quality, early education to young children, especially those from low-income families. The overall purpose of the program is to prepare young children to enter kindergarten with the necessary language, cognitive and early reading skills to prevent reading difficulties and ensure school success.
For more information, check out http://www.ed.gov/programs/earlyreading/index.html
As part of the effort to support preschool for all, Children Now released a report, "The Importance of Family Engagement" which discusses how to build a preschool-for-all system in California that involves the families of English language learners. The report outlines research findings that highlight challenges and effective strategies for engaging culturally and linguistically diverse families in young children's education.
For more information, check out http://www.childrennow.org/policy/earlycare.cfm
Jumpstart, a national non-profit early education organization, is offering Pearson Teacher Fellowships to support future teachers in the Early Childhood Education field for two years while they work in a low income Head Start or preschool center. Fellows will receive a stipend in addition to their teaching salary, professional development, and mentoring. Applications are due February 14th.
For more information, check out http://www.jstart.org/pearson
NEW RESEARCH
Recognizing the increased attention that has been focused on children who may be impacted by violence in the home, either as direct victims or as witnesses to domestic violence, the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information has published a review of state statutes relating to children and domestic violence. It includes definitions, legislative language, and an overview of legal responses to domestic violence committed in the presence of a child.
For more information, check out http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/general/legal/statutes/domviol.cfm
NEW RESOURCES
The National Crime Prevention Council has a new online resource for adults who teach children personal safety and crime prevention. McGruff.org is now featuring downloadable worksheets for kids on topics like bullying prevention, stranger awareness, bicycle safety, and much more. Adults can pass out these free resources to kids at community events, elementary schools, and scout troop meetings and to parents interested in teaching their kids how to stay safe.
To download these worksheets, check out http://mcgruff.org/Grownups/materials.htm
A technique called emotion coaching can help parents help children overcome the effects of family violence, according to a University of Washington study. It found that when mothers in families where there is domestic violence use emotion coaching, their children are less aggressive, withdrawn and depressed. The intimacy of parental emotion coaching can also help create a strong parent-child relationship that makes children feel comfortable about discussing their fears and worries with their parents.
For more information, check out http://www.4woman.gov/news/english/521851.htm
This new handbook is designed to help agencies, community development groups and leaders of all kind mobilize communities to stop family violence. Funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Family Violence Prevention Fund set out to learn from programs and systems that are using community mobilization strategies to prevent and reduce family violence. It includes information on getting started, strategies for effective engagement, advice on funding a project, and information on measuring a project's effectiveness.
For more information, check out www.endabuse.org/programs/display.php3?DocID=346
UPCOMING TRAINING AND CONFERENCES
The 3rd annual "Children in Trauma" Conference, presented by In-Service to Families, Children, and the Courts, will be held January 14th and 15th at CSU Chico. The conference features presentations on “Child and Adolescent Pharmacology” on the first day, and “Child Sexual Exploitation and the Forensic Interview” on the second day.
For more information and to register, check out http://www.rce.csuchico.edu/inservice/childrenintrauma.asp
The Family Resource Center is offering three-day interactive workshops that will be held January 19th - 21st in San Mateo and March 1st –3rd in Ontario. The workshops will provide essential tools needed to operate a quality Family Resource Center. This workshop is designed for teams of at least 3 people. Administrators, specialists, childcare, line staff, parents, board members, and community members are welcome.
To view the Family Resource Center Training Calendar, check out http://strategies.lv0.net/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=2&tabid=21#
The Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic is sponsoring a statewide conference on January 27th at the Burbank Hilton to help reduce the impact of childhood trauma on young children ages 0-5. This conference will serve as a training and learning forum to increase understanding, knowledge, and skills of early trauma intervention approaches, models, treatment strategies, and best practices.
For more information, check out http://www.lachild.org/
The theme of the California Head Start Association's 7th Annual Conference to be held in Pasadena on February 10th – 12th is, "Head Start: Stepping Stones to the Future."
For more information and to register, check out http://events.caheadstart.org/
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