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A Texas Home Visiting Newsletter |
Vol. 2 Issue 5 |
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The end-of-the-year is a great time to reflect on all the impactful ways your organization has touched the lives of children and families. As Texas Home Visiting continues to transition to the Division of Prevention and Early Intervention within the Department of Family and Protective Services, we will continue the work of our vision for all Texas children to reach their full potential in nurturing family and community environments.
As with any transition, we are working through a challenging season and the blueprint for our new normal is still being mapped out. As mentioned in the December 9th Quarterly Newsletter, by Kathryn Sibley-Horton, "...the core of what we do remains: a resounding commitment to families across Texas and a dedication to collaborate with communities, stakeholders, and families to improve outcomes by providing world-class prevention services and family support programs." We will keep you updated on the latest developments of the transition as new information comes.
Below you will see the top 5 stories of 2015, plus a bonus. The Texas Home Visiting staff wish you and your family a safe holiday season filled with joy!
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Top 5 Spotlights of 2015!
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Dallas Daddy Derby (May)
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On Saturday, May 30, nearly 160 family members came out to celebrate the 2nd Annual Daddy Derby in Dallas. Families enjoyed good food, fun activities, a special performance by the Dallas Aztec Dancers Group and a derby competition. Dads teamed up with their children and made their own handcrafted, life-sized derby car for a chance to win some amazing prizes! Click here for what happened next...
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Kinder College Camp (July)
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Fondant squid, scientific predictions, and counting lessons with Skittles were just some of the activities children participated in July during Kinder College in Odessa, TX. The free week-long camp was designed to give children starting kindergarten with basic writing, math, and problem solving skills in a social setting. Continue reading the article by clicking here.
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NFP in Longview, TX (November)
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Behold the rare accomplishment for a single father to graduate with special honors at his Nurse Family Partnership graduation. Jeremy Davis' inspirational story began after his daughter's mother passed away in childbirth. He decided to continue the curriculum with his NFP nurse home visitor, Marsha Lewis.
After two years in the NFP program, Jeremy received the STAR Award for being an exceptional participant of the NFP program. Jeremy's successes encourage other the male participants in THV programs to be involved in the care of their children and family.
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Nurse home visitor, Marsha Lewis, with father participant, Jeremy Davis, and his daughter Journee |
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"L-R: Melissa, her son (daughter not pictured), and Rosemarie Brown. " |
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BONUS! Special Bond with Nurse Home Visitor (December)
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Melissa was overjoyed when her twins, a boy and a girl, were born on December 14 last year. She has had the support of her family and friends and her Harris County Nurse-Family Partnership, nurse home visitor, Rosemarie Brown.
Rosemarie and Melissa have celebrated various milestones during Melissa’s pregnancy and continued buiding their bond as the twins experienced their first haircut this month. Rosemarie helped Melissa with the twins other “first-times” such as riding in a car seat, eating solid foods, and teething.
Together, Rosemarie and Melissa not only discuss the twins’ accomplishments, but Rosemarie supports Melissa with her life goals as well. Melissa hopes to become a nurse when she is older and her first step is to complete her GED. As the new year emerges and the twins celebrate more milestones and “first-times,” Rosemarie and Melissa’s partnership grows.
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What a great year it has been- it was hard to choose only five site spotlights! In the 2016, please send your success stories and photos to your community development specialist or Monique.Hennington@hhsc.state.tx.us. We look forward to hearing from you!
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News You Can Use!
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Congratulations to Tarrant County’s Coalition
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Recently, the early childhood coalition with Fort Worth ISD in Tarrant County, was presented the Child Care Partner Award at Tarrant County’s Workforce Solutions annual ceremony. Coalition partners were present to accept the award including: the Educational Alignment for Young Children Chair, Kara Waddell; CEO of Child Care Associates; Rose Bradshaw of the Community Foundation of North Texas; and Sandra Lamm, coalition coordinator.
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2016 Prevention Calendars Now Available!
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The 2016 PEI Prevention Calendars are available to share with families. To order, follow the directions through the DFPS portal. If you are a new user to the portal, you will need to register and create a username and password. There are 100 calendars per box. Click here to order.
Questions? Contact Clarice Rogers at Clarice.Rogers@dfps.state.tx.us
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Prevention Resource Guide Ready for Preorder
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Child Welfare Information Gateway is pleased to announce the preorder for the 2016 Prevention Resource Guide: Building Community, Building Hope. The guide is produced each year to support service providers in their work with parents, caregivers, and their children to prevent child maltreatment. Although it is released in preparation for National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the guide can be used throughout the year as a resource to promote social and emotional well-being in children, families, and communities. Contact your community development specialist for preorder details and click here for more information.
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Texas Fatherhood Summit Registration now open!
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You are specially invited to the Texas Fatherhood Summit hosted by the Child and Family Research Partnership at The University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Texas DFPS' Prevention and Early Intervention
division in Austin on Wednesday, February 3, 2016. The Texas Fatherhood Summit will bring together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the field of fatherhood to exchange ideas and assess the state of fatherhood programs throughout the state and the country. A diverse group of speakers and panels will review the evidence base for fatherhood programs and reflect on how programs and policies can be shaped to better support fathers’ involvement, parenting skills, relationship quality, and economic stability. For registration information, click here.
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