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Our weekly e-newsletter to providers combines grantee resources, stories of interest, exclusive educational opportunities, and grant information. In this issue:
Submit your proposals for presentation today!
The 2022 Partners in Prevention (PIP) Conference will be September 13-15, 2022 at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas! The event will be geared toward in-person attendance and presenters, with limited session selections offered via livestream.
About the PIP 2022 Conference
Our 2022 conference theme is “Anchored in Purpose.” The past two years have been marked by many waves of uncertainty and instability. Even amid these storms, prevention and early intervention professionals across Texas have proven to be innovative, supportive, and have stayed the course. PEI believes this resolve and focus comes from a firm connection to our vision of creating a Texas where all children thrive in their families and communities.
This year we invite you to be part of the conversation, anchored in purpose, filled with hope and determined to reach our destination, where every family in Texas remains safe, secure, and thriving. We are seeking diverse voices, experiences and innovative concepts that answer questions like:
- How do we as professionals stay anchored to our vision, mission, and goals?
- What tools do we need to keep our connections strong?
- What new research, data and projects exist that can reinforce our efforts in our respective communities?
- Where have we found resources that give us renewed purpose?
Order your 2022 Get Parenting Tips Calendars today!
The Get Parenting Tips Calendar is filled with helpful tips for parents and caregivers of children of all ages. It’s available in English and Spanish, and endorsed by The Texas Pediatric Society. Calendars are shipped for free in quantities of 100 calendars per box.
All users of the PEIRS application are required to complete an IT cybersecurity training on an annual basis. To meet this requirement, PEI offers a training created and hosted by Texas Health and Human Services. This training is approved by the Department of Information Resources.
When you arrive on the website, select the option for HHS Information Security/Cybersecurity Training for Contractors FY2022.
You will see this image next to the training:
If this is your first time using the HHS Learning Portal, you will have to register for a new account before enrolling in the course. Note that this account is different from the HHS Enterprise Portal registration and the DFPS Learning Portal.
Once the training is completed, users should complete the knowledge test, print the completion certificate, and save with other contract compliance documents.
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 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.
Foundations of Infant Mental Health Practice in Home Visiting
Caring about the parent-child relationship is a primary purpose of home visiting with families. By using the power of observation, listening, and inquiry with a family, you activate a parent's learning so they use the same strength-based skills with their child. This course covers critical issues in infant mental health, including brain development and attachment. It provides practical ways home visitors can use observation and listening to strengthen the parent-child relationship. It also incorporates strategies for incorporating reflection to extend the 'learning together. This Achieve OnDemand learning experience qualifies for .3 IACET Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Full completion and/or attendance of the learning experience, a passing score on any post-test(s), and completion of the end of course evaluation are required to be awarded IACET CEUs.
Performance Management: Coaching & Energizing Your Employees
Learn tips and tricks on how to coach and energize your employees.
 Access the Essentials of Home Visiting live webinars through the Essentials of Home Visiting Portal free of cost.
Use this link to register for any webinars from Start EarlyTM
Being Present with Families
Date: March 2nd
Time: 12:00 P.M. - 1:00 P.M. CST
Register by: March 1st, 12:00 P.M. CST
How do our personal values and experiences impact the work we do? The qualities of being nonjudgmental, present and an active listener will be covered as well as some potential barriers to active listening. This webinar complements the Basics of Home Visiting self-paced course.
Exploring Values and Beliefs Around Parenting
Date: March 8th
Time: 12:00 P.M. - 1:00 P.M. CST
Register by: March 7th, 12:00 P.M. CST
We all come to the table with our own beliefs about parenting. This webinar covers how to acknowledge and monitor those beliefs and address how they may impact the work we do with families. This webinar complements the Foundations of Infant Mental Health in Home Visiting self-paced course.
Virtual NFSN Standards of Quality Certification
PEI and FRC host the NFSN Standards of Quality Certification training:
Dates/Times:
March 9th from 9:00 A.M. – 3:30 P.M. CST
March 10th from 9:00 A.M. – 2:45 P.M. CST
Register
March 22nd from 9:00 A.M. – 3:30 P.M. CST
March 23rd from 9:00 A.M. – 2:45 P.M. CST
Register
March 29th from 9:00 A.M. – 3:30 P.M. CST
March 30th from 9:00 A.M. – 2:45 P.M. CST
Register
This two-day virtual certification training details how the nationally adopted Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening and Support can enhance work with families. Whether you are setting up a new program or strengthening an existing one, the Standards provide a blueprint for implementing best practice.
Participants who complete the full session will receive a certificate from the National Family Support Network that is valid for two years.
For more information on this training, please see the NSFN website here: https://www.nationalfamilysupportnetwork.org/standards-training.
Maximization: What Is It? How Do We Do It?
Funds Maximization is vital and essential to serve Texas families well and for the success of our partnership. Join PEI’s Contracting and Program Teams to gain a better understanding of PEI’s overall Funds Maximization efforts. As a PEI grantee, managing your program’s budget is a priority in our ongoing efforts to maximize PEI dollars in each community. This webinar will provide practical tips, tools, and ideas grantees can use when considering funds maximization work. Also, this webinar will help you understand the process PEI uses to review and evaluate budgeted line items and transfer requests. Together we can achieve more!
Please sign up for the webinar specific to your program area:
Early Childhood - MIECHV Grantees
Date: March 22nd
Time: 9:30 A.M. - 10:30 A.M. CST
Early Childhood (MIECHV)
Early Childhood Grantees (Excluding MIECHV Grantees)
Date: March 22nd
Time: 11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. CST
Early Childhood (NO MIECHV)
FAYS and SYSN Program Grantees
Date: March 23rd
Time: 9:30 A.M. - 10:30 A.M. CST
FAYS/SYSN Grantees
Youth and Family Grantees (Excluding FAYS and SYSN Program Grantees)
Date: March 23rd
Time: 11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. CST
Youth & Family Grantees (NOT FAYS/SYSN)
In Case You Missed It: TANF Pandemic Basic Needs Money
PEI was recently allocated a portion of these funds to aid specific programs (HOPES, FAYS, SMVF, and FRCs) in providing certain non-recurrent, short-term benefits for needy families with dependent children. An applicant should have a method for assessing and documenting family need and for administering these funds to participants. If you have administered basic needs assistance prior to this, your process should suffice. The webinar took place on February 23rd and the recording is available on the link below:
Please note that registration is required to view the recording.
Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) is committed to ensuring our grantees have the training and professional development they need to navigate Texas families’ needs. In order to ensure that PEI is offering the support you need to create opportunities for partnerships with families, we are asking you to complete the survey below to determine what topics require additional focus and support. You can complete the survey on behalf of your overall organization’s input or share the link with your staff and sub awardees to fill out on their own.
Please take 10-15 minutes to complete this survey by March 25th.
Virtual Texas Suicide Prevention Symposium
Date: March 1st through 3rd
Register Now
The Virtual Texas Suicide Prevention Symposium is the largest gathering of suicide prevention stakeholders in Texas. This year, over 30 outstanding experts at the national and state level will be joining us to exchange important suicide prevention, intervention, and post-vention information, resources, and expertise.
What has historically been a one day event has been transformed into three full days of learning. The virtual Symposium format enables us to ensure Texans from across the state can participate in this outstanding learning opportunity.
Visit the Texas Suicide Prevention Collaborative to learn more and register.
Texas Suicide Prevention Symposium 2022, Coming Together to Care #TxSP22
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 The Power of Prevention: Promoting Healthy Development in Children
Date: March 1, 8, 15, & 22
Time: 10:00 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. CST
Register
On Tuesdays in March, the 2nd annual HHS Office of Disability Prevention for Children Statewide Virtual Conference will host a series of free webinars to highlight key topics on preventing intellectual and developmental disabilities in children.
The goal is to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders, including community-based and government organizations, health care professionals, educators, families, caregivers, and others to discuss and learn about strategies for creating positive change in the lives of children and families across Texas.
Two hours of continuing education credits/contact hours are available for each day of the conference. A total of eight credits/contact hours will be awarded for attending all four days.
Trauma Transformation Team Webinar Series
Texas Health and Human Services Commission presents 2022 Trauma Transformation Team Webinar Series titled “Trauma-Informed Practice from Information to Application” that will take a deeper dive into the six principles of trauma informed care and how to apply them in the workplace. The first webinars are on Wednesdays from 2:00 - 3:30 P.M. CST:
- April 20th
- June 15th
- August 17th
- October 19th
- December 21st
For more information, contact: Holly Fullmer at holly.fullmer@hhs.texas.gov www.MentalHealthTX.org
Unspoken: Debunking Myths and Delivering Strategies to Foster Relationships with Underserved Communities
Date: March 9th
Time: 11:00 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. CST
Register by March 2nd
TIEMH has invited all Help Me Grow Texas Communities to “Unspoken: Debunking Myths and Delivering Strategies to Foster Relationships with Underserved Communities” training. This training event focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Families and community stakeholders, of all demographics, are necessary to understand needs, identify solutions, advocate for change, and create an environment where children and families thrive. Unspoken thoughts and practices, at the core of our culture and climate, often determine whether family and community engagement relationships fail or flourish.
If registration has filled, please add your contact information to our interest list here.
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Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation:
Equity from the Start
March 21 – 23, 2022
FREE, virtual conference is specifically geared towards IECMHC consultants, supervisors, managers, consultees, parents, leadership, and funders, but all are invited to attend. Join us to access a range of presentations related to implementing infant & early childhood mental health consultation and promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion for infants, children, families, and the workforce.
Join for:
- Over 50 professional learning sessions
- Opportunities to connect with other individuals in the field of IECMHC
- On-Demand access through May 30, 2022.
Spots are limited
If you are unable to make the live event, please do not register as spots are limited. All recordings and handouts will be available one week following the Conference at our website, www.iecmhc.org/conference.
HRSA Discretionary Grant Opportunity: Catalyst Infant Health Equity
- Open to State/City governments, for-profit and non-profit organizations
- Goals- reduce infant mortality and address racial/ethnic disparities
- Priority to counties/jurisdictions with larger numbers of excess infant deaths (deaths contributable to disparity) will be considered priority areas
- $500,000 per award (2.5 million appropriated)
- Recipients are expected to implement action plans that address the social determinants of health (i.e., environmental, social, and economic conditions), and/or the structural determinants of health (e.g., institutions, systemic barriers, policies) that contribute to disparities in IM. The policy and systems change strategies in such action plans should be targeted and specific to reducing disparities among the racial or ethnic group(s) with the highest IM rates or excess infant deaths (i.e., priority population) in a target county/jurisdiction. The plan must be implemented in partnership with cross-sector state and/or local partners (including agencies that administer the State Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Program), community members, and individuals with lived experience
Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests. The tests are completely free. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days. An order contains four tests, and there's a limit of one order per residence.
Order your tests now so you have them when you need them.
How to Order
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Visit the CovidTests.gov website, or
- Call 1-800-232-0233 (phone line is open from 8 a.m. to midnight ET seven days a week, and offers assistance in more than 150 languages).
The tests available for order:
- Are rapid antigen at-home tests, not PCR
- Can be taken anywhere
- Give results within 30 minutes (no lab drop-off required)
- Work whether or not you have COVID-19 symptoms
- Work whether or not you are up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines
- Are also referred to as self-tests or over-the-counter (OTC) tests
If you need a test now
- Locate providers in your area using Vaccines.gov or texting your zip code to 438829 (822862 in Spanish) to find a nearby clinic.
- Residents can also call 3-1-1 (512-974-2000) for more information regarding COVID-19 testing and vaccinations.
- Visit the Texas DSHS and HHSC websites for more updated statewide COVID-19 information and resources.
Thoughts, comments or suggestions to make PEI Grantee News work better for you? Send them to PEInews@dfps.texas.gov!
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