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One of our favorite times of the year is approaching - - PARENT RECOGNITION MONTH - - in February!
As 2023 is quickly approaching, we are gearing up for our annual Unsung Hero campaign in honor of Parent Recognition month (February) and we are hoping you can help us spread the word far and wide.
Since 2011, with your help, we have honored 309 parents and caregivers in Washington for the roles they have taken with their families, schools and communities. They have been recognized because they have shown strength, courage and empathy in their communities. We also acknowledge that for the past two years parents and primary caregivers have been called upon more than ever to be the buffer for the traumatic experiences that our world has been facing. Parents and caregivers around Washington State are supporting their children, families, and communities in exceptional ways through this pandemic and we want to show our appreciation. Please help us in honoring 28 more in February 2023 by nominating a parent/primary caregiver/guardian for the Unsung Hero award. The nomination form is available in three languages (English, Spanish and Somali) and can also be found here on our website.
All nominations must be submitted by January 3, 2023. The nominations can be emailed to strengtheningfamilies@dcyf.wa.gov.
Strengthening Families Washington is excited to announce that as a result of our recent Family Recent Family Resource Centers Capacity Building funding opportunity, we are supporting nine Family Resource Centers. Funds are intended to build the capacity of family resource centers and similar organizations to provide services and programs that prevent child abuse and neglect. Many awardees are increasing family navigation and case management and provide parenting support parenting programs. Funds are also supporting youth outreach, staff training, and expansion of services into new locations.
Funded organizations are located around the state. Three are in Eastern Washington, one is in rural Clallam county, and five are in the Puget Sound area. They serve families furthest from opportunity, including Black, American Indian, Latinx and immigrant families. Two focus on families of children with special health needs or disabilities. One focuses on expectant and new parents with imminent or active substance use disorder.
These nine Family Resource Centers are:
- Amara, Seattle
- Children's Village, Yakima
- Family Works, Seattle
- First Step Family Support Center, Port Angeles and Forks
- Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center, Tacoma
- Open Doors for Multicultural Families, Kent
- Room One, Twisp
- Washington Gorge Action Programs, Bingen
- YWCA of Snohomish County/Homeward House, Everett
For information contact Marilyn Gisser, Primary & Community Prevention Specialist, Marilyn.gisser@dcyf.wa.gov.
Home visiting programs offer a range of services for expectant parents and families with newborns and young children. These services nurture the attachment between parent and child and enrich parents' capacity to support their children's physical, social, and emotional development. Home visiting programs have a proven local and national track record of helping deliver better outcomes for children and families. As a result, the state of Washington has made a deep, sustained, and growing commitment to supporting a range of home visiting programs across the state.
This spring, the Strengthening Families Washington team (SFWA) at the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) led two home visiting services application processes. The first wrapped up in July and increased the number of families served by the Home Visiting Services Account (HVSA) by approximately 300 slots through a competitive award process.
Of the 23 applications for funding, 11 programs were awarded contracts through the Spring 2022 HVSA Expansion Funding Opportunity.
In addition to the general home visiting expansion, SFWA also underwent a specific home visiting funding opportunity for federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations within Washington State to serve approximately 50 families.
After two round of reviews from a panel, we are pleased to announce three programs that were successful in their applications:
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Tulalip Tribes Family Spirit (expansion) to serve additional Tulalip families
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Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services Family Spirit (Start Up) to serve Urban Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian families
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Cowlitz Indian Tribe Child Care Development Program Parents as Teachers (expansion) to serve additional tribal families.
Congratulations to these programs!
Many of you know Erinn Havig, who has served in various roles on the Strengthening Families Washington team for over a decade. Erinn will be transitioning this month to a new role where she can serve children across the country at Zero to Three. Thank you so much for your years of dedication and service to the children and families of Washington State Erinn! You will be missed.
Strengthening Families Program Funds Poetry & Screenwriting Classes for Youth
As part of DCYF’s commitment to providing therapeutic and trauma-informed environments for youth in the agency’s care, Juvenile Rehabilitation (JR) has launched exciting collaborations and partnerships to bring creativity, resilience, and healing to young people at Echo Glen Children’s Center. For the 2022-23 school year, DCYF is partnering with Pongo Poetry Project, First Sight Productions (FSP), DCYF’s Strengthening Families Washington, and Echo Glen School to provide therapeutic poetry writing workshops and filmmaking to students at Echo Glen.
FSP has been creating emotionally powerful content for organizations since 2004. The short film “In Between” is a strong example of FSP’s previous work. Lindy Boustedt, the owner of FSP, teaches screenwriting at Echo Glen through her organization SHARE (Screenwriting for Healing, Self-Actualization, Redemption, and Empathy). Soon, FSP will produce a short film showcasing Echo Glen students sharing their experience of what it means to be resilient.
Pongo Poetry Project engages youth in writing poetry to inspire healing and growth. Pongo was founded on the knowledge that poetry writing offers a unique vessel for healing from devastating trauma. At the heart of this program is the Pongo Method, an evidence-based, trauma-informed technique for teaching poetry, created in collaboration with prominent community psychiatrists from the University of Washington School of Medicine. Toward the end of the program year, Pongo will collaborate with Echo Glen youth to create an anthology showcasing their poetry.
These programs are possible through funding from Strengthening Families. The Pongo anthology will tie directly to this partnership by highlighting the Strengthening Families protective factors framework, including parental resilience and children’s social and emotional competence. In that light, the anthology will serve two critical functions; 1) educate parents and families on how to promote healthy outcomes for children; and 2) showcase the honesty, creativity, and resilience of young Echo Glen writers.
Resources for Families Seeking Childcare
Do you know or are you a family that needs assistance for childcare? Apply for child care with DCYF’s Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) subsidy program by calling 1-844-626-8687, visiting Washington Connection, or submitting a paper application. Families interested in enrolling their children in Head Start or ECEAP may contact a Head Start or ECEAP provider near you. Local Head Start and ECEAP providers can be found on the DCYF website. Applications are processed, on average, within 10 days.
Another resource is Child Care Aware of Washington, who can help families with various aspects of child care such as locating providers in their area, obtaining a provider’s Early Achievers score, and resources for families experiencing homelessness. Child Care Aware can be contacted by calling 1-800-446-1114 or by visiting ChildCareAwareWa.org.
Facilitating Attuned Interactions (FAN) Grant Opportunity
FAN (Facilitating Attuned Interactions) is a framework for building attuned, collaborative relationships between human service professionals and the families they serve. FAN helps you listen deeply and offer the kind of support families need moment to moment. It also helps you feel more confident and competent. FAN shows you that it’s not your job to fix everything, but to stay attuned and to make parents feel understood. This grant opportunities allows agencies already offering Home Visiting and/or Early Intervention services (not funded by DCYF Home Visiting) in Washington state to become trained in FAN. Learn more about FAN and View the funding opportunity.
Materials
Washington state receives $1.4 million SBA grant to boost small business exports
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has awarded the Washington State Department of Commerce a tenth year of funding to help state small businesses grow through exporting. The $1.4 million grant to Washington, part of the SBA’s State Trade Expansion Program (STEP), is one of the two largest awarded from a total $20 million to 52 states and territory international trade agencies. Read more here.
Mental health in America. Mental Health America released its 9th annual State of Mental Health in America report. This report uses federal data to rank states according to 15 mental health access and prevalence measures. According to the 2023 report, Washington ranked 30th for adults and 40th for youth. Visit Mental Health America's website or read the full report.
In the News
Treehouse Store in need of donations for King County foster children, KING 5 News
Childcare funding covers training and supplies, The Goldendale Sentinel
Indian Child Welfare Act, documentary focus of Studium Generale, Peninsula Daily News
Racial Equity Resources
Below are resources and opportunities to engage:
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Art by Indigenous Artists: These artworks in Washington's State Art Collection were created by artists who are Native American, Alaska Native, First Nations, Indigenous Mexican, and more. They represent over one hundred artists, more than twenty tribes in Washington State, and more than fifty tribes and cultures in total, in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and more.
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How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. An essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond an awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a truly just and equitable society.
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A Little Book About Culture by Denise Morales Soto. What is culture? It’s your traditions, the food you eat, the music you listen to, the stories you’re told culture can be found in everything! And the best part? Everybody’s culture is unique!
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