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Welcome to PEI Provider News! Our weekly e-newsletter to providers combines provider resources, stories of interest, exclusive educational opportunities, and grant information. In this issue:
 PEI is developing our Five-Year Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2022-2026. Join PEI leadership to discuss the objectives and strategies we’ve compiled to help guide prevention efforts in Texas over the next five years.
Strategic Plan Forum
Date: July 19th
Time: 12:00-1:00 P.M. CST
The Child Tax Credit Expansion begins this week. This policy is expected to have a huge positive impact on the number of children living in poverty in the U.S. Additional information is available at https://childtaxcredit.gov/.
The American Rescue Plan increased the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 per child to $3,000 per child for children over the age of six and from $2,000 to $3,600 for children under the age of six, and raised the age limit from 16 to 17. All working families will get the full credit if they make up to $150,000 for a couple or $112,500 for a family with a single parent (also called Head of Household).
For details on the new monthly program see the infographic below.
 
Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under the age of five, and the second leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1-14. Drowning claimed the lives of 80 children in Texas in 2020, and has taken over 20 lives in 2021. Drowning is preventable; education and safety are the keys.
Visit Colin's Hope for training resources for your organization, quizzes, water safety cards, and infographics for children and families.
PEI Grantees who complete training via the Colin's Hope website have access to free Water Guardian cards.
 Join us every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month as we explore current, relevant topics based on state trends, featuring PEI speakers and guest experts.
Disability Resource Guide for Families in Texas
Date: July 27th
Time: 2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. CST
Register
When a loved one receives a disability diagnosis, family usually feel overwhelmed by the news. They go through a grieving process, so this is the time when professionals must be prepared to help and provide them with the right tools to overcome the situation and reach the best outcome for the whole family. Come and learn how to tailor a list of resources to help and guide families in Texas.
 To take these courses: Type or paste the course names below into the search bar on the PEI Learning Hub:
- Click on the course and select “request”
- On your transcript select “launch” to begin
- When the video is complete, go to "completed" courses in your transcript
- Select "evaluate" to provide feedback
For questions, contact PEITraining@dfps.state.tx.us.
Challenges in Home Visiting: Substance Abuse (Self-Paced Course)
Substance abuse and addiction are prevalent, often reoccurring issues in home visiting. Addiction can interrupt a parent's personal growth and interfere with their ability to fully engage with their child. This course will strengthen both new and experienced home visitors’ knowledge and ability to recognize signs of substance use and explore ways to address concerns with a parent in the context of their role as home visitor. Topics include the impact of substance use on family systems, parenting, child development and safety issues encountered in home visiting. Note: this Achieve OnDemand learning experience qualifies for .3 IACET Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
Managing Conflict with Skill and Confidence
When conflict is unavoidable, learning how to manage it is key. This course will help participants in understanding conflict and resolving disagreements with confidence at work and in life.
 Access the Essentials of Home Visiting Portal free of cost. Use this link to register.
Partnering for Change: Having the Conversation
Date: July 22nd
Time: 12:00 P.M. - 1:00 P.M. CDT
Register by: July 21st at 12:00 P.M. CDT
As a home visitor, how do you engage with families around the topic of substance abuse? This webinar explores strength-based strategies and conversation starters you can incorporate in your work with parents to successfully engage families around the issues of substance abuse and support the growth and development of their children. Note: This webinar complements Challenges in Home Visiting: Substance Abuse self-paced course.
Trauma in Families and Communities
Date: July 28th
Time: 12:00 P.M. - 1:00 P.M. CDT
Register by: July 27th at 12:00 P.M. CDT
How can you support yourself and the families you work with in an intentional and trauma-informed manner? This webinar identifies common missteps in working with families impacted by trauma. We will examine different strategies you can employ to support your families who are experiencing trauma. Note: This webinar complements the Impact of Trauma in Home Visiting self-paced course.
Child Trauma and COVID-19: An NCTSN Summit Supporting the Long-Term Recovery of Our Nation’s Children and Families
Registration is still open for Child Trauma and COVID-19: An NCTSN Summit Supporting the Long-Term Recovery of Our Nation’s Children and Families on July 27-28th.
During the summit, participants will:
- Learn about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted children, families, communities, and services for families.
- Discover ways specific groups have been disproportionally impacted by the pandemic and how that has influenced long-term recovery for those communities.
- Obtain recommendations and strategies to help support long-term recovery and healing.
- Hear challenges families, communities, providers, agencies, and systems have encountered while trying to support recovery following COVID-19.
- Gather innovative ways to overcome these recovery challenges to better support healing.
The Latest in Wraparound Research
The latest research on Wraparound and related topics includes a study examining financing strategies that are used to sustain Wraparound and other key services within Systems of Care. Two other recent studies focused on implementing evidence-based practice in a context of Wraparound and Systems of Care.
To check out synopses for these and other articles visit the National Wraparound Initiative Research Page.
Bridging the Word Gap Practice Briefs
Recently released practice briefs from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) aim to support home visitors and healthcare professionals in educating parents and caregivers on different strategies they can use to promote early language and help bridge the word gap with their children:
- The Community Action Plan brief aims to educate community leaders on the word gap and support community sectors in ways they can organize to help bridge the word gap.
- The Dual Language Learners brief aims to educate policymakers on strategies that lead to positive outcomes for Dual Language Learners. These resources provide easy-to-use, proven strategies to make sure children are ready for kindergarten.
 Heat isn't the only danger of summer. When school is out, many children lose access to ready and nutritious meals.
Children need nutritious meals to learn, grow and thrive — even when school is out. With Summer Meal Programs, children and teens ages 18 and younger, and enrolled students with disabilities up to 21 years old can continue to eat healthy throughout the summer at no cost at any participating meal site.
No form of identification is required, kids simply need to show up.
Use one of the following tools to find a summer meal site near you.
Once you've located a meal site using one of the tools above, call or visit the location's website to see if they are offering drive-thru meals or multiple meals at one time and when these meals are available. No ID is required and no reservations are required - simply show up during the meal time specified. These meals are for you and your community. Visit a meal site today!
Teachers and Advocates, click here for other ways to support summer meals.
If you have any events or news that you would like to share in the next e-newsletter please email PEINews@dfps.texas.gov
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