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Each month, PEI shares a variety of information for professionals, families, parents and children to support strong and thriving families.
For more information about PEI and its programs visit us online.
Killeen
(left to right) Anthony Simmons, Brandy Odom, Anjin Owens, Tiana Quick
The Boys & Girls Club of Central Texas celebrated the grand opening of their Counseling Center on March 1st! The Counseling Center is part of the newest expansion of the McLaurin-Boyd Unit and will provide youth and their families with the support and tools for mental health wellness. It is also the first ever counseling center to be in a Boys & Girls Club facility nationwide.
This new facility also includes a College & Career Center for teens and a new gymnasium.
Bryan/College Station
 The Texas A&M University (TAMU) HIPPY program with the assistance of the Aggie Belles hosted an "Artful Bounds: Parent & Child Fun" themed Parent Enrichment meeting in February! This theme was designed to highlight the benefits of creative expression for families by using ten interactive craft stations for parents and children to create art together. Among the 40 participants, 14 families enjoyed spending time exploring their creativity while doing activities such as painting and collage-making.
Bastrop County
(left to right) David Bryant, Jesse Medina, Todd Patman, Greg Coy, Dallin Belt
Congratulations to Bastrop County Cares for a successful kickoff of the formation of the Bastrop County Fatherhood Collaborative!
65 attendees gathered for the Fatherhood Summit on March 7th to participate in interactive presentations, network with vendors, and hear from a panel of fathers moderated by Dallin Belt, Fatherhood EFFECT Program Specialist. During the panel session, panelists shared their wisdom and personal moments with the attendees. The Fatherhood Summit organizers are looking forward to hosting the event again next year!
Each month, one of ten PEI Innovation Grant recipients will be spotlighted to share about their innovation and what they have learned along the way with the broader prevention community.
Yes to Youth Montgomery County is March’s spotlight Innovation Grant recipient.
Yes to Youth has innovated by adding a Family Support Navigator to their FAYS program. This role supports families by providing case management, coaching, and basic needs. The position enables other FAYS staff to focus entirely on direct service programming. Area families have benefited greatly from this innovation over the past two years in many ways, such as families getting support to avoid eviction and access to counseling supports through the Family Support Navigator.
While supporting families’ basic needs may appear straightforward, there are challenges to consider. For example, assisting with rent or utilities has been very helpful to families, but addressing unexpected issues such as home repairs or medical expenses has been more challenging with regard to high costs and coordination with other systems. Yes to Youth has emphasized collaboration among staff, families, and other organizations to help overcome these challenges and fill in any basic needs gaps families may encounter. Andrea Martinez of Yes to Youth shares her perspective on the impact of collaboration in their work, saying “collaborating with other groups will enable you to reach more families, and establishing connections with community resources is critical,” to best support parents. She also adds that compassion, partnerships, and being able to listen to parents to understand their needs are all keys to success.
 Check back next month for the next Innovation Grant Spotlight!
The 2024 Calendars are now available for order. This free family resource 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 can be ordered in multiples of 100 with a maximum order of 500.
Governor Abbott Launched the “One Pill Kills” Statewide campaign to combat the growing national fentanyl crisis. We are sharing the attached information to help you spread the word in your local communities about fentanyl and provide you with resources. According to the latest information:
- Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is the leading killer of Americans between the ages of 18-45.
- More than 2,000 lives were lost to fentanyl in Texas last year.
- Texas has experienced a 500% increase in fentanyl-related deaths since 2019 (according to provisional data from the Texas Department of State Health Services).
- Under Operation Lone Star, Texas law enforcement alone has seized over 380 million lethal doses of fentanyl since 2021—enough to kill every man, woman, and child in America.
Share the QR Code above to spread awareness of Narcan locations in your community, and click the link below to access additional resources for the "One Pill Kills" campaign.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), the System Agency, is accepting Applications for the Abstinence Education Program Services (AEP), Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) for eligible Applicants to provide abstinence-based SRAE to youth ages 10 through 19 years. HHSC AEP SRAE announces the expected availability of funds for Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 in accordance with funding opportunity announcement HHS-2018-ACF-ACYF-SRAE-1359, which provides funding to support AEP activities for SRAE in Texas. This Request for Application (RFA) is not limited to this source of funding if other sources become available for this Project. The HHSC System Agency has discretion to change funding amounts
This event has been publicly posted to the HHS Grants website:
In most states, the prevention of child abuse and neglect is limited to services
provided after maltreatment occurs and once the family is involved with child
protective services.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) sought to end this cycle by creating a division solely devoted to addressing risk factors that
lead to abuse and neglect. Rather than waiting for a child to be harmed before
intervening, the division of Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) applies a
public health approach to keeping children safe: providing population-based
services to all families; normalizing a parent’s need to seek help; and instilling a
collective sense of responsibility for the safety and well-being of all children.
As parents we want the best for our kids. GetParentingTips.com is here to support you with tips from infants to teens.
Make a Bubble Snake Blower
Looking for a fun, early Spring activity? This easy to create bubble snake blower can create hours of outdoors fun for you and child!
- Cut the bottom off a plastic drink bottle (see image above). This is a great way of recycling old bottles that you no longer need. Any plastic bottles will work, but those with a sports bottle cap are better as they mean it is harder to accidentally breath in any of the bubble mixture.
- Pull a sock over the bottom of the bottle and secure it in place with an elastic band. Any sized sock will work, or even a piece of material, but a child's sock is a perfect fit.
- Dip the sock covered bottle into your bubble mixture. To make the mixture simple mix washing up liquid (dish soap) with water in a small bowl.
- Blow through the top of the bottle.
- Have lots of fun making bubble snakes.
Materials You'll Need:
- Washcloths or Flannel - one per bunny
- One Elastic Band
- One piece of Ribbon
- Googly Eyes
- A cotton ball or pom pom
- A button or small pink pom pom for the nose
- Glue
Instructions:
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Lay your washer flat on the table and roll it into a long tube starting from one corner.
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Fold the tube in half and pinch together.
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Bend the two tips back over themselves and tie with an elastic band. The shape now resembles a bunny and all you need to do is decorate it.
- Tie a piece of ribbon over the top of the elastic band.
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Glue on your eyes, nose and tail and your bunny is complete!
Real Help For First-Time Moms: The Texas Nurse-Family Partnership
(left to right) Rhonda, Kai, Ronnica, BSN, RN
Many first-time moms can find it to be overwhelming, from seeing a positive pregnancy test to leaving the hospital with their baby. Moms want the best for their little ones, but as first-timers, they may not have the support needed.
The Texas Nurse-Family Partnership (TNFP) helps provide that support for first-time moms like Rhonda. After leaving an abusive relationship, Rhonda found out she was pregnant. But with the help of her TNFP nurse, Ronnica, she has grown into the mother and woman that she wants to be for her son.
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