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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.
Bexar County
Congratulations to the Nurse Family Partnerships graduates and their families!
The Children’s Shelter of San Antonio hosted the Nurse Family Partnerships Spring Graduation at the Family Service Neighborhood Place celebrating the successful completion of the past two years of the NFP program by the 28 graduates along with their families. This program has seen a total of 61 graduate families this spring.
Jane’s Story
At the age of 18 Jane had aged out of foster care and found out that she was pregnant. She was referred to the NFP program at the Children’s Shelter of San Antonio and began working with a nurse. Through their partnership Jane has been able to create a better life for her and her child, including graduating from high school and enrolling into San Antonio’s local college. Since then, she has reconnected with her sister who is pregnant and referred her to the NFP program. This referral to the program is a great testament to how the nurse home visitor and the participant’s engagement and commitment to the NFP program.
Fort Bend County
George’s Story
When asked about his experience with DePelchin’s fatherhood program George stated “I am glad I was guided towards it given my circumstances. Although I had no reluctance and went in with an open mind and eager heart, I felt it was unfortunate that I let myself allow things to go so far to have my family feel the need to suggest such an organization.”
After completing the program George indicated that he has “a better understanding that nobody is alone, and we could all use a helping hand”. Through the program George indicated that one of the most impactful things was having someone willing to lend an ear “at the very least that is what I received and that is what I was able to give. To be honest, I enjoy lending an ear more than complaining [about] my problems. It helps me stay humble and work through my own situations. Hearing other fathers helped me under[stand] where I stand in the grand scheme of life and how I could work toward my goals of putting my name on the birth certificate of my daughter and working with the mother of my child to understand I am not asking for much, just respect, equality, and a little visitation for a start.”
George stated that having a group of men to discuss life with gave him some strength, boosted his motivation in the right direction, and heighten his confidence to be the father he never had and to “do it to 1,000% without any doubts.”
For more information on the Fatherhood EFFECT program visit: https://www.dfps.texas.gov/Prevention_and_Early_Intervention/About_Prevention_and_Early_Intervention/fatherhood_effect.asp
Buckner
Attendees and Presenters gather to take a photo.
Buckner hosted the SETX Fatherhood EFFECT Summit on February 10th. There were 82 attendees, including 12 fathers from the current Fatherhood EFFECT classes. During this event, the keynote speaker addressed men’s mental health awareness along with adding tools, such as “affirmation,” to their “fatherhood toolbelt”.
Impressed with the outcome and content of the Summit, Judge Guillory, a family court judge in Port Arthur, is currently wanting to host a similar summit with Buckner assisting. This will also help get Fatherhood EFFECT into family courts in Jefferson County.
A round of applause to Buckner for a successful event!
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.
My Health My Resources (MHMR) of Tarrant County is June’s spotlight Innovation Grant recipient.
MHMR is a HOPES provider that is innovating through their #WoWTalk Cafes. #WoWTalk Cafes are free opportunities for teens in the community to come together and discuss navigating challenges in day-to-day lives, share words of wisdom, and share and learn about area resources. This effort allows area teens to build community and find healthy ways to problem-solve challenges while also giving MHMR insight into the lives of those they serve and to help inform how to engage and support the teen demographic.
#WoWTalk Cafes have helped overcome the challenge of getting meaningful insight and communication from teens by building a trusting environment where the teens know that what they share stays in the Cafes unless someone’s safety is involved. Feeling secure in what they are sharing has given way for teens to be more open and honest with staff, especially around topics that can be difficult or uncomfortable to talk about. MHMR staff member Widelynne Rempart shares the importance of confidentiality and trust in programs like #WoWTalk Cafes, saying, “To truly understand the children you are hosting and what they are currently experiencing, it is important to consider the confidentiality that #WoWTalk promotes with both children and parents.” This type of honest dialogue is promoting maturity among teens, and is leading to the growth of young leaders in the community!
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.
Sign up for PBS KIDS Self-Paced Learning
Calling all PK-2nd grade Teachers and childcare providers!
Earn certificate hours and discover new tools to inspire young minds in the classroom for FREE with PBS KIDS Self-Paced Learning. Visit the robust catalog of learning paths at teach.pbskids.org to begin!
Benefits found from other educators:
“This made me think of using media in new ways in the classroom (and with families).”
“Our teaching is meant to be interactive and engaging to students, so I think it helps from an adult perspective and from a teacher perspective to have the professional development that way as well.”
“The microlearning has helped give me new ideas for lessons and ways to incorporate media into those lessons. I find trying new things in my profession exciting.”
The new Self-Paced professional development program from Austin PBS highlights how to incorporate media for classrooms. Crafted to fit your schedule, this is a chance to expand your toolkit and fulfill Texas professional development hours at the same time!
Seats are limited for the FREE, fully self-paced, TRS-approved program. When done, upload your certificate to TECPDS! Austin PBS is also a TEA CPE Approved Provider.
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As parents we want the best for our kids. GetParentingTips.com is here to support you with tips from infants to teens.
Build A Colorful Aquarium
June is National Zoo and Aquarium month!
This month is used to honor the role that zoos and aquariums play in the conservation and research of animal and fish species. Children will have fun with this craft by building their own aquarium.
Materials
- 1 large cereal box or shoe box
- Colored cardstock or Construction Paper
- Seashells (Optional)
- Kinetic Sand (Optional)
- Light Green Pipe Cleaners (Optional)
- Stones (Optional)
- Googly Eyes
- Turquoise Paint
- Silver Paint
- String
- Fish Template (see below for template instructions)
- X-acto Knife (adults only to use)
- Hot glue (adults only to use)
- Scissors
Instructions
- First you need to trace a cut-out on your box. We used a sharpie to make our lines and then used an x-acto knife (adults only) to cut out the center of the box.
- Now paint the inside of your box a turquoise blue color.
- Paint the outside of your box silver (to make it look like an aquarium).
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Now you can decorate your aquarium however you’d like!
Here are the optional elements:
Kinetic sand as a background on the bottom. The kinetic sand sticks together and holds in place so it’s easy to work with. You could also use real sand, cereal like cheerios or a puff style cereal to make it look like sand.
Green Pipe Cleaners – cut some strips of green pipe cleaners and glue to the bottom of your box to make it look like seaweed.
Seashells – use the seashells to hide the bottom of the pipe cleaners. Add some seashells wherever you think they will fit! These will need to be hot glued down.
Stones for the bottom of the aquarium. Stones will add some weight for the aquarium to stand up on its own. Stones can be placed at the bottom or hot glued down.
- Create a fish template for your cereal box aquarium.
- Now cut out your fish template and use it to trace your fish shapes onto your colored paper.
- Glue on googly eyes to your fish.
- Take a small piece of string and tape it to the back of your fish.
- Attach the strings to the top of your cereal box.
Now you have a finished cereal box aquarium. I hope you and your child had fun making their aquarium!
School's out so it is time to start the summer fun!
Below are fun activities for you and your children to do throughout this month!
- Host a game of water balloon baseball.
- Throw a backyard movie night.
- Set up a tent to use as a summer playhouse.
- Plant a butterfly garden with flowers.
- Make your own hard-to-pop bubbles with 1 cup of distilled water, 2 tablespoons of Dawn dish soap and 1 tablespoon of glycerin.
- Set up a mini-golf course in your driveway by laying different size containers on their sides.
- Clean up trash at a park in your neighborhood.
- Let kids brainstorm creative things to do with a boring brown paper bag — you’ll be surprised at how many things you can come up with
The Power of Play and Children's Games
Summer is here, which means figuring out ways to keep your children active through the week! Playing and reading are an essential part of a child's life since it helps them to learn, grow, and develop the skills they will use for the rest of their lives. For ways to keep your children active while they are out of school, we invite you to read the article and review the linked resources to get some fun activities!
Parent Resources for Summer Activities
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