Amala’s Story

Amala’s family arrived in Rhode Island just a few months ago. They had been forced to leave their home in Sudan and seek refuge in the United States. Amala is the baby of the family, at four years old. When she arrived, she spoke only Arabic and a local Sundanese dialect. Through our partnership with Dorcas International, Children’s Friend learned about Amala and the incredible barriers she would need to overcome to have a chance at success in kindergarten. Children’s Friend was able to provide critical early education to Amala in our summer learning and enrichment program thanks to the support of donors like you. Amala is making friends and learning to speak English now. She’s getting familiar with an American classroom environment. Most of all, Amala loves going on field trips with her teachers and her new friends. She and her family are excited for her to start kindergarten.

Summer Learning & Enrichment

Summer, a season of fun for many, can be a time of struggle for some children and families. Children from low-income families are at the greatest risk: a lack of resources can lead to kids spending their days in hot apartments with little to do and inadequate meals and supervision. These are the immediate challenges, and the long-term consequences are more severe. Children who lack access to high-quality learning and enrichment programs through the summer often experience a decline in skills and knowledge, which sets them back compared to their peers.

Summer learning programs at Children’s Friend are designed to build foundational skills so our kids can arrive in kindergarten with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.

We provide a safe educational environment chock-full of experiential enrichment, like trips to the zoo, the beach, and local parks. Our teachers are degreed experts in early education, and students receive nutritious meals and snacks while they engage in classroom activities that bolster their social-emotional development.

Learn more and apply.

The post Summer 2024 Newsletter appeared first on Children's Friend.

Advocating for Our ChildrenOn May 9, children from our Berkshire center visited the Rhode Island State House to call for investments in our children’s future as part of Child Care Awareness Day at the Rhode Island State House. Our children and families put real faces to the issues before our state legislators, and several members of our dedicated staff have made the case in passionate testimony. This year Children’s Friend staff have testified in support of the Child Care for Early Educators program, the Child Care is Essential Act (H7124), and in support of First Connections and Early Intervention programs. Each of these programs are critical to nurturing Rhode Island children and empowering families. Visit our advocacy page to find out more about our legislative priorities.

Your voice is needed now to encourage legislators to prioritize these issues. Our partners at RIght from the Start have an easy-to-use tool to send a message directly to your representatives. 

Are you interested in making an even bigger impact? We’re seeking new members for our luncheon planning committee, as we celebrate 190 years! Learn more and apply.

The post Spring 2024 Newsletter appeared first on Children's Friend.

The enduring impact of quality early education and community 

If you attended the 2023 Investing in Our Children Luncheon, then you likely remember the story of the Ledesma-Hunt family, whose two sons, Jeremy and Jeremiah, attended Head Start. You might recall how access to quality early education allowed the family to build and grow their business. Today, they continue to give back to Children’s Friend in countless ways. 

Children’s Friend was thrilled to honor J&A General Contractors with our 2023 Friend of Children Award in October. Learn more about their story:

In December, Jeremy continued his family’s tradition of generosity by helping facilitate the pick up of hundreds of toys and clothes donated to Children’s Friend through the Olivia Knighton Foundation‘s Christmas Toy Drive. 

Children’s Friend is grateful to be a part of honoring Olivia’s short but beautiful life, spreading her light, love, passion, and kindness by distributing these items to families in need this season. 

Family Engagement

One of the core elements of a Head Start education is family engagement. We are committed to supporting not just the children we teach, but their parents and families, too.

Family culture and communication play a key role in healthy child development. Family engagement activities teach practical strategies to implement right away to develop and maintain strong parent relationships.

These activities also help build a child’s ability to follow a series of directions, their fine motor control, and their ability to concentrate on the details of a project or task. 

Children’s Friend has hosted the Spirit of Giving Holiday Drive for over 30 years. The agency is actively involved with every child or family who benefits from the holiday drive, which means that the children and their families will continue receiving wrap-around support from the agency, even after the holidays.  

Your gift today will help Children’s Friend continue its critical work year-round!

The post Winter 2023 Newsletter appeared first on Children's Friend.

Project Connect keeps children safe and families together. The program serves families statewide who are identified by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). It is designed to support children ages 0-17, their families, and pregnant and parenting youth.

We recently sat down with Geneva Washington, Project Connect Home Visitor, and asked about this special program. This October marks nine years since Geneva joined the Project Connect team at Children’s Friend.

Q: What are the program goals?

Geneva: The children are our focus. Ultimately, we are working to find the most appropriate living situation for the children.

Q: How do you set the individual goals for the people you’re working with?

Geneva: A lot of it depends on why they were referred. If the goal for that parent is reunification, we are trying to get their mental health stabilized, we are trying to get them to achieve sobriety.

Q: What are some of the supports and services Project Connect offers?

Geneva: We have a parent educator that we assign to the case to help clients. The parent educator supports visitations with parents and children. Some of the visitations are supervised, which means someone must constantly be in the room. Others are lightly supervised, which means someone must be close during the visit. The visitation program provides an independent eye to see what’s going on and how the parent interacts with their children.

Q: How do you monitor progress during treatment?

Geneva: Every client has a case plan with the department (DCYF). We help them to achieve each of the goals outlined in the plan. Each goal achieved marks their progression towards reunification.

Q: How often do you meet with clients?

Geneva: Twice a week. 

Q: How do you deal with a crisis or emergency?

Geneva: It depends on how and when that crisis happens. Depending on the nature of the crisis, I help the client work through it and make the appropriate decisions. If it’s calling the police, contacting the landlord, or contacting DCYF. If it’s something beyond that, I work with my supervisor to decide the next steps. In an elevated crisis, this might include getting the family out of the home to someplace safer. We also have an on-call staff person here at Children’s Friend. All our clients have that emergency number, so they have someone to call after hours.  

Q: Are you able to treat clients with dual diagnoses?

Geneva: Many of our clients have mental health issues along with substance abuse issues. So, we help them find mental health support.

Q: What milestones does a client need to achieve to graduate from the program?
Geneva: They need to accomplish their case plan goals laid out by DCYF. We attend court with clients as part of Project Connect. It could be family court, child protection court, or drug court. The requirements for completion for each of them are different. Getting to that point is inspirational, but the closure looks different depending on which court the client is in. 

Q: What continuing care resources are available after a client closes?
Geneva: They can always contact us if they need support. We’re always here for them. If they’ve done Project Connect, we try to get them to get an understanding of the nature of their illness and to stay connected to recovery support, whether that’s getting a recovery coach or a sponsor, or going to meetings. We keep them focused on avoiding anything that would result in a relapse.

I had a client once relapse because she went to a bar. She had been clean and sober for over a year and said that she thought that she was cured. She actually said, “I thought I was cured.” The clients who relapse are usually clients who did everything they needed to do to get their children back, to get clean and sober, but they didn’t do something like get a sponsor or get a recovery coach or go to NA or AA. And obviously, some make choices to get back into bad relationships with people who are substance abusers. Unfortunately, Rhode Island is so small, and we have a big drug problem. With a lot of our clients, especially the low-income clients, what corner can they turn down and not run into a trigger? Where can they stand and wait for a bus and not see a liquor store across the street?

It’s an uphill battle, and there are only so many places they can go to avoid people and places that are triggering.

Q: Is there a time limit for services?
Geneva: We try to say no, and I’ve had some clients for a long time. They’ve opened, they’ve closed, they’ve reopened, but we usually say 18 months. Anyone serious about reunification or recovery can get on the right track. If they accept the support and do the things they need, from start to finish, they can be done within 18 months.

Q: What do you do in cases where a client experiences relapse?
Geneva: Start all over again. If they were not connected with a substance abuse therapy program, we help them to get enrolled in one. We help to try to determine what’s the best program for them. If outpatient is the best for them, then we will make a referral to things like Women’s Day, Project Link, or the Providence Center – whatever is available in the area. If more support is needed, we help get them into an in-house residential program.

Q: What keeps you in this position and coming back to these families?
Geneva: It’s a population that I’ve come to embrace because I understand them, I understand them because of the work I do. I understand them because it’s the family that I come from. I enjoy seeing them accomplish anything, any little accomplishment. If it’s something they’ve never accomplished before it IS an accomplishment. Getting your kids to every medical appointment when they’ve been behind for years is an accomplishment. Getting up and getting your kids to school on time is an accomplishment.

A lot of our clients relapsed during Covid. That was the worst thing that could have happened to people who were struggling to maintain a hold on anything. Their mental health issues, especially depression, were at an all-time high. During that time, even if it was for no other reason than to let them know they’re not alone, I would try to see them in person. I’ve stood out in the rain with an umbrella. I’ve stood out, burning up or sweating on a sunny day. I’ve stood there on a cold day when I couldn’t feel my toes, even though I was only out there for 15 minutes. I prefer that contact because clients understand and appreciate the fact that someone went out of their way to come check on them, to make sure they were okay. They couldn’t even have visits with their children during that shut-in period. Some parents went months without visits. It was tough. It was very difficult, and it was lonely.

I do it because I honestly believe that I have something to offer that population, and I do it because it’s a good job. It’s rewarding.

The post Autumn 2023 Newsletter appeared first on Children's Friend.

Meet Carina

Carina is a Head Start student currently enrolled in our Summer Learning & Enrichment program. At three-and-a-half years old, Carina is small for her age. She has more difficulty with speech than many of her peers. She’s often mistaken for a much younger child.

The Summer Learning & Enrichment program is especially helpful for kids like Carina. Instead of being set back, Carina is spending her summer in a high-quality early education environment where she can continue building on what she learned in the previous school year.

She’s retaining hard-won skills, and her teachers can continue supporting her development and reinforcing the important progress she has made as a student at Children’s Friend.

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The post Summer 2023 Newsletter appeared first on Children's Friend.

Foster Care, Foster Love

Tracy laughs these days when she recalls her very first placement as a Children’s Friend foster parent.  

“They called me at work and asked if I could take a newborn. All I heard was that a baby needed a home,” Tracy recalls.  

She agreed to the placement immediately, then panic ensued. It was 2 p.m. She was at work, and her home was not baby-ready. She left the office early and got the place ready before Baby Benjamin arrived.  

Like many new parents, Tracy marveled as she watched him sleep. She took countless pictures of his little expressions. “He was just so adorable,” she recalls. “On the first day, he grabbed a handful of my hair and looked right at me.” It was the beginning of a very special bond.   

Benji went everywhere with her in those early days, and their bond grew stronger. But little did they know, another special bond would soon develop. 

The first time Tracy met Benji’s birth mom, she said: “Your baby is loved, and he is well cared for. Go do whatever you need to do.” 

Clara, Benji’s mom, remembers that day, too.

“I wasn’t thinking, I was just in ‘go mode.’ All I could think was ‘Oh my God, I just want my son back.’  You hear all these scary things about foster care, but Tracy just had my best interest at heart.” Tracy treated her respectfully, Clara said. “She didn’t have to ask my permission for things, but she always did.” 

As they got to know each other better, Tracy saw that Clara had nobody to lean on, so Tracy became her support system.

Three months later, a judge ordered reunification. Clara had not had any unsupervised visits at that point. One was arranged, and it went well. Another was planned, and the judge said that Benji was to remain home at that time and not be returned to Tracy’s care. 

Clara quickly became overwhelmed caring for her baby. “I wanted him back,” Clara said. “But he hadn’t been with me for three months.” 

Tracy reassured her, “We’ll work this out.” She began taking Benji for a day or overnight, allowing Clara to go to her own appointments. Tracy would sometimes pick him up from daycare since Clara had no transportation. Their bond grew stronger.

Together, they navigated the pandemic, working through their fears for Benji’s safety. The two women did errands together, including pediatrician appointments and grocery shopping. At first, Tracy would show Clara what to do. Then she backed off and watched Clara manage it herself, once her confidence grew. Within two months, Benji was at home full-time, and Clara felt she had the tools to be a successful parent.

May is National Foster Care Month, a time to recognize foster parents, family members, volunteers, mentors, policymakers, child welfare professionals, and other members of the community who help children and youth in foster care find permanent homes and connections.

Advocating for Our Future

Child Care Day at the Rhode Island State House

On Tuesday, May 2, a group of Children’s Friend children represented the agency well by performing during Child Care Awareness Day in front of legislators and advocates. Staff also met their legislators and encouraged them to support Children’s Friend’s legislative priorities.

Children’s Friend staff are using their voices to advocate for the families we serve!

Last week, President & CEO David Caprio, Kristen Caine from our Early Childhood Partnership program, and Lea Kabbas from our First Connections program all testified at the Rhode Island General Assembly. Geneva Washington from Project Connect also sent in written testimony.

Now it’s your turn to make your voice heard! Click below to quickly send an email directly to your Representative or Senator asking them to support our legislative priorities

You can help save First Connections and family home visiting

Act Now!

Share your support for increased funding for affordable, quality child care to prevent closure of Pre-K, Head Start, and Early Head Start classrooms

Act Now!

Tell your representative to help solve Rhode Island’s early educator staffing crisis

Act Now!

The post Spring 2023 Newsletter appeared first on Children's Friend.