Health Ministers Meeting

Join us Wednesday, May 4, 10-11 a.m. for our Health Ministers/Black Infant Health meeting.

Join us on Zoom from your computer, tablet or smartphone. You can also dial in using your phone: tel:+12532158782,,94132471470#,,,,*108595#

Meeting ID: 941 3247 1470 Passcode: 108595

Contact Taleema Love if you have agenda items to add, questions about the agenda or would like to present your agency at an upcoming meeting.

Family Resources

Education

• Together We Rise partners with the Fund ll Foundation to provide the Family Fellowship Scholarship, a scholarship program dedicated to propelling youth in foster care into higher education through financial assistance and family-like emotional support. The scholarship provides up to $12,000 per year for up to 5 years to help students earn a 4-year degree. Learn more and apply.
• Goodwill announces Goodwill Connect, a statewide collaboration to promote their new Connect Hotline. Call 1-844-GWCONNECT (1-844-492-6663) to access free digital technology help. Learn more.
• Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center (MCHFC) teamed up with WorkForce Pierce, Answers Counseling and Korean Women's Association to provide employment services for low-income, young adults who live in Pierce County. Work Advising for Youth helps youth ages 16-24 reach employment/career goals through case management, supportive services, employment and internship opportunities. Interested? Email kceabenites@mcfhc.org. Note “Young Adult Employment Program Inquiry” in the subject line.
• Greentrike’s 2022 summer camp is a collaborative learning experience for preschoolers ages 3–5 years old and school-age learners ages 5–9 years old. Join classes throughout the summer that feature art, science, engineering, storytelling and adventure. Learn more and register.

Family activities

• If you’re a Black Infant Health participant (or were in the past), join us April 10 at 3:30 p.m. at our first 2022 Celebration of Life. We will honor families with children who have turned 1 of age since our last celebration. If you’re a Health Minister who serves a family that wants recognition for their milestone, contact RaTanya Ozolin.
• Pierce County Library System offers a calendar full of events for kids and families. These are a few great programs for parents with young children:
  • Virtual baby and toddler time—every Monday at 10 a.m.
  • Move to learn—every Monday at 11 a.m.
  • Family storytime with Miss B, Mr. Bob and Miss Holly—every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
  • April’s theme is weather.
  • Click or tap for more events.
• Find all sorts of useful information and family activities at Tacoma Public Library’s kids & families web page and register for unique craft projects or special events.

Food

• Need help with a meal? Contact Lasagna Love! They connect neighbors with neighbors through homemade meal delivery. Lasagna Love seeks to feed families, spread kindness and strengthen communities.

Healthcare

• It's not too late to take advantage of the premium assistance program for licensed childcare workers (LCWs). If you're an LCW, get health coverage through Washington Healthplanfinder. Learn more and track program developments and materials on the Child Chare Premium Assistance webpage. Get a program overview in English, Spanish or Somali.

Pregnancy support

• Are you in your third trimester of pregnancy? Help University of Washington understand how regular texting can support expectant and new parents in their new study. Researchers will text you parenting information to learn what supports work best to maintain wellbeing in pregnancy and postpartum. For each 30-minute assessment, you’ll get a $25 gift card, a total of $125 for 5 surveys. Questions? Contact mcmh@uw.edu.

Parenting

• The Positive Parenting Program—or Triple P—gives you tips and ideas to bring out the best in your children. Triple P is free and open to families with children ages 0-17. Speak Spanish? No problem! Join a group with a Spanish-speaking practitioner. Each group is 8 weeks, 1-2 hours per week. And a bonus: After you complete all 8 sessions, we'll give you a $50 gift card! Don’t let this opportunity pass you up—decide which Triple P Group is best for you and reserve your spot today! Get a Triple P Group flyer to help us promote this great opportunity!  English | Spanish. Questions? Contact us at fspartnership@tpchd.org or (253) 649-1012.
• Join the Healthy Native Babies webinar April 13, 11 a.m.-noon. Honor the past and learn for the future in this live-streamed webinar series.
• Dad’s Connect is a great opportunity to meet other dads, form relationships, and make connections. Have a conversation with fathers and father figures. Learn more and register for a session:

• April 20, 6:30-8 p.m.
• June 15, 6:30-8 p.m.
• Aug. 17, 6:30-8 p.m.

• A baby lounge is a safe space for all families with babies to connect and learn together. If you have an 0-1- year-old infant, sign-up for a class!
• Filing your 2021 tax return? Check out these child tax credit resources:
  • FREE tax preparation—In English and Spanish.
  • Get Your Refund—Free tax filing, made simple.
  • Social media toolkit.
  • Flyers.

COVID-19

• Find your vaccine, testing options, current guidance and data. 

Behavioral Health

• Learn about prenatal alcohol exposure and mental health disorders, in a new University of Washington study. The authors examine the connection between prenatal alcohol exposure and mental health issues later in life.
• Do you enjoy a drink now and then? Many of us do, often when socializing with friends and family. For anyone who drinks, the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism (NIAAA) offers valuable, research-based information. Learn about alcohol use disorder, what “counts” as a single serving or “standard drink,” how to recognize the signs of a problem, and what to do if you or someone you know is ready to change their use.
• Need legal help? Tacomaprobono provides free civil legal aid to low-income Pierce County residents. Learn what they do and how they can help you with your legal issues:
  • Family Law resources.
  • Housing justice project resources.

Employment

• Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is looking for a Finance and Operations Director to lead and promote the efficient management of our public resources and assets. This executive-level position is essential to our senior leadership team. They will review applications April 25. The position closes May 8.
• Palmer Pathways pre-apprenticeship program serves young adults who don’t have higher education or gainful employment but want to pursue a career in the trades. This FREE program provides 345 hours of training, mentoring, 6 certifications, connections to industry professionals, and ongoing support services to pre-apprentices. The next group starts May 12. Interested? Apply by May 2.
• Multicultural Child & Family Hope Center is hiring:

• Bookkeeper.
• Early Learning Nurse Consultant.
• ECE Teaching Position.
• School Bus Driver.
• Street Outreach Coordinator.

• Are you a young adult looking for an opportunity that provides marketable skills, career training, and networking opportunities? Then the Hire Pierce County: Next Gen internship program is right for you!
• Washington Early Childhood Policy Fellowship is seeking a Fellowship Program Coordinator. The position plays an integral role in the development and implementation of our fellow and placement organization recruitment, application review and selection, event planning, and ongoing logistics and support for the ECP Fellowship program. Learn more.
• Washington State Department of Health is hiring. Learn about current job opportunities.
• Hire Pierce County—Next Gen Edition (HPC—NextGen) matches Pierce County young adults, with businesses to intern up to 30 hours per week (up to 16 weeks) for $15 per hour. HPC—NextGen runs through June 30. Learn more if you want to:
  • Host a Young Adult Paid Internship.
  • Build up your work experience and earn up to $5,000.

Professional Resources

Training opportunities

• Learn how a health equity task force in Kansas helped mobilize services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sign up for Preventive Medicine Grand Rounds. Earn free CEs through Oct. 5, 2023.
• Perinatal Support Washington is hosting Group Peer Support (GPS) consultation groups for those who have taken GPS training through Perinatal Support Washington. Attend these FREE virtual groups the second Tuesday monthly or the third Wednesday monthly, through June 2022.
• BUILD hosts many conferences, meetings, and webinars throughout the year–including the annual QRIS conference. See what's coming up at BUILD and from our partners. Upcoming webinars (11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.):
  • April 20—Head Start and Child Care for Children in Child Welfare.
  • May 19—Family First Prevention Services (FFPSA) Opportunities for Early Childhood Programs.
• Register today for Southwest Perinatal Education Consortium’s virtual conference We See You: Compassionate Strategies for Perinatal Nurses April 22, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Funding opportunities

• The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) announced licensed and certified childcare providers can apply for the Child Care Stabilization Grant. Apply in the Compass Provider Portal by June 30 at 11:59 p.m. If you’re a license-exempt Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) provider, apply on the DCYF FFN Stabilization Grant website. Questions? Email dcyf.stabilizationgrant@dcyf.wa.gov.

Find more family and professional resources here.