Frederick County Interagency Early Childhood Committee met June 7.
Here is the agenda provided by the Committee:
Present: Kathy Allen, Jennifer Barker-Frey, Leslie Barnes-Keating, Nancy Boyd, Chris Bugher, Hannah Cobb, Lynn Davis, Leslie Frei, Diana Fulchiron, Monica Grant, Colleen Guardia, Martha Gurzick, Jim Lee, Barbara May, Darcy O’Daniel, Pilar Olivo, Cindy Powell, Pat Rosensteel, Ann Ryan, Virginia Stranad, Shelly Toms, Amy Tzortzinis, Janet Vogel, Stacy Wantz
Meeting Minutes Recorder: Pat Rosensteel
Welcome and Introductions: Stacy Wantz, Janet, Vogel, Kathy Allen
Review and Approval of Minutes: – All
Motion made by Pilar Olivo to approve the minutes as written; motion was seconded by Colleen Guardia; minutes for the May 3, 2018 meeting were approved.
Announcements/Information:
1. Sign-up sheet for meeting minutes recorder was circulated.
2. Membership sheet was circulated for members to check their email addresses.
3. Sign-up sheet for Frederick’s Child article writing was circulated.
4. Sign-up sheet for presentations at upcoming meetings was circulated.
5. A vote was taken on canceling the July meeting. Motion made by Shelly, seconded by Leslie, and passed by the group.
6. Stacy gave an update on Ginny Simoneau, as related by Jolena, which included that Ginny has been home since 5/21 with at-home care. She had a follow-up with her surgeon at Georgetown and the wound looked good. She will remain on IV nutrition for several more weeks. She thanked everyone for their love and care.
7. Martha asked for someone to present to the pediatric nurses group about Ready Rosie, and Stacy agreed to do so or to coordinate if she is not available.
Presentation: Shelly Toms, Director, Family Partnership of Frederick County
Shelly reviewed a PowerPoint presentation with the group describing the services that Family Partnership (FP) offers to children, youth, and parents. (The presentation was a handout and will be emailed to members.). She explained that FP is a program of Maryland Family
Network, and a department within the Citizen’s Services Division of Frederick County Government.
FP is a strengths-based, two-generation program that celebrates the accomplishments of its clients. The population served includes children from birth to 12, youth from 16 to 24 years of age, and parents. Children and their parents are served on site at the same time.
FP is a “one-stop shop” of services for their clients. Services encompass secondary education, job readiness and career exploration, child development, parent education and family enrichment, case management, life skills, health education, peer support, in-home intervention, and a youth program. The staff partner with many groups and organizations to provide this array of services.
Some of the specific activities within these areas include a nurturing curriculum, Bright Futures literacy program, lending library, parent/child activities, developmental screenings, scholarships, monthly meetings with clients on goal progress, field trips, parent cafes, clubs, and referrals to other community organizations.
Questions from the group elicited the following information:
As of 2017, youth in Maryland must be 18 years of age before they can drop out of high school.
Interns are between 18 and 24 years of age. Janet said that they use the interns and that they are well supported by FP.
Parents and youth get referrals through DSS, DJS, FCPS, Healthy Families, Health Department, and word of mouth.
There are a total of 217 children in care during the year, with about 30 at a time, divided between three classrooms.
Home visits are conducted with about 35 families a year, and the staff tries to keep them engaged as long as possible.
FP currently has a waiting list of 50 families, due to limited child care space.
Shelly brought a number of resources to share and said she can email a referral form to you if needed.
Mid-year Checkpoint Survey Results - continued discussion from the last meeting
Dr. Lee and Amy shared their thinking about Ready Rosie, ACEs and Born Learning - specifically how and if there should be some linking of these initiatives as we move forward with parent engagement. They met previously with Malcolm about Born Learning and what resources and activities are available, as well as possible funding.
They envision a larger scope that would be unique to Frederick County, multi-sensory, interactive, and widespread enough to make an impact. Parks and Recreation could be a partner in developing the nature/learning trails idea. Dr. Lee encouraged us to read the article about little aces. Amy said that a new ALICE report will be coming out this fall and will shed further light on the needs. Some funding will be available through the United Way to address them.
Some information and thoughts on this topic expressed by members:
The only case study on Born Learning was done in Illinois.
The IECC did some work with the Born Learning materials in 2015 (Children’s Festival bags, etc.).
Judy Center found that printed materials only go so far and that presenting information at playgroups and mentoring worked best to get the messages across.
Head Start and the Visitors Center partnered on a walk with children and parents to explore their community and have learning experiences.
Need a Ready Rosie for parents – need to be creative in our approach.
Evidence-based programs have been the ACEs workgroup’s focus, but most of them are large scale. It takes real money to make a real impact (Pilar).
Kathy said the surveys showed an interest in where we go from here, and what the goal would be over the next three years. She said that there seem to be lots of interest in parent engagement, whether evidence-based or not. It was suggested and agreed that we will set the August meeting aside (2.5 to 3 hours) to further analyze and discuss this topic (no presentation that month).
Networking/Announcements:
Malcolm handed over the reins of the ACES workgroup leadership to Pilar.
Janet – Brought a number of library items to pick up today. If you would like additional library resources, please contact her.
Barbara – Summit of Intersections – 6:45 p.m., September 27th (handout)
Martha – Workshops for children with asthma, 7-11 years of age. She will send info.
Darcy – Live in Harmony - music-based strategies to reduce stress and support wellness – June 23, July 28, Aug. 25. (handout)
Chris - New online class for relationship building (handout)
Pilar – Parent Café – can take 32 parents and 20 children; Wegman’s donating dinner; Curious Iguana and Dancing Bear donating door prizes. Will follow up on the event at another meeting.
Adjourned for the Combined Subcommittee Meeting - Pilar
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