Family Connect Update:
What We're Up To Lately
We're still working on our five-part series of Parent Cafés. The one scheduled for March 7th had to be cancelled because several of our local school districts had snow days, and I was so bummed about that! But the upside is that if you missed signing up for the March Parent Café but are still interested in the discussion on "Pandemic Parenting: How has the pandemic affected your parenting life?", we're going to be discussing that topic in April instead! If you're interested in the free Parent Café on April 4th, you can sign up here!
We're also currently putting together our "What's Next?" Child Development kits! These are free kits for families with kids from birth to age 5 1/2, and they include a packet of goodies (children’s books, tip sheets, activities, self care strategies for parents and caregivers), sent right to families' home every six months. The kits will give them great information about what to expect from their children over the next six months, and it has activities and books to help them bond with their children and support their social-emotional development. If you're interested in getting these kits for your kids, Sign up here! There are a number of items going into the kits, and we're in the process of getting all of our materials together. The books have been ordered and should be arriving this week, I'm going to be putting in a big order for the rest of the supplies on Monday, and there's also a bunch of stuff to print. We should be ready to assemble the kits themselves very soon, so I'm going to schedule a day to put them together sometime after spring break. If you're interested in helping out, just fill out this poll and let me know when works for you, and we'll get the date scheduled! I'll get some snacks for the kit assembling party, and we can also give you a $30 stipend for helping out!
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, March 15th, 10 AM-12 PM: Great Start Collaborative Board Meeting. After the Family Connect meeting, the full Great Start Collaborative Board gets together to learn more about what's happening in programs that affect families with young kids and work on projects. It's super important for the board to get insights from real families and parents so we can make sure we're focusing our efforts where they're the most valuable. That's where the Family Connect folks come in! And because it's so important to have family representation at the board meetings, we're offering a $30 stipend for any parent or caregiver who attends the board meeting. Here's the link for that meeting!
Monday, April 4, 11 AM- 1 PM: Great Start Parent Café! Since our Parent Café on March 7 had to be cancelled because a bunch of our local school districts had snow days, we're going to be having our Parent Café discussion about Pandemic Parenting on April 4 instead! Parent Cafés are safe spaces for parents and caregivers to relax, reflect, and talk about the joys and challenges of raising a family. They're judgement-free zones where we share experiences and resources while learning from one another. We'll also be providing lunch, a reimbursement for any childcare you might have to line up in order to attend, and there will be chances to win gift cards to Walmart and Meijer. And it's all FREE! So if you're interested in participating, just fill out this registration form! We'd love to have you there!
Community Resource of the Month
If you'd like to get good information and resources specifically tailored to your child's age sent directly to your phone, sign up for Bright by Text! They'll text you twice a week with tips, educational tidbits, activities to do with your child, and things happening around the community that might interest you. Just text YouGotThis to 274448 to sign up!
Question of the Month
