Governor's Office for Children and Families QUARTER 4 APRIL 2011 Meet Our Staff Jen Bennecke Executive Director Cora Alexander System of Care Coordinator Dahlia Bell Research Analyst Robert Clark Special Projects Coordinator Sarah Dempsey Family Violence Training Specialist Pat Holloway Domestic Violence Grants Monitor Heather McDaniel Youth Development Program Coordinator Quincie McKibben Grants Monitor Frances Milton Financial Operations Raelene Noles KidsNet Project Coordinator Keith Parkhouse Compliance Monitor Danielle Ruedt Family Violence Program Coordinator Lydell Samples Finance Director Helena Schneider Administrative Assistant Susan Smithgall Budget Officer Carole Steele Prevention Programs Coordinator Joe Vignati Justice Program Coordinator Quarterly Newsletter GOCF and your communities work hard to strengthen Georgia's children and families. The intent of this publication is to keep you updated with recent events, new trends and research, and upcoming opportunities that are being provided by GOCF and your communities. We hope that it will be a useful resource for you! Community Highlight Georgia Afterschool Investment Council GOCF supports the Georgia Afterschool Investment Council with a grant that advances the work of the afterschool field in Georgia through a multi-pronged effort to promote great quality programming and to enhance the professional development learning opportunities among front-line staff and directors of youth development and afterschool programs. This multi-pronged approach is focused on three areas: The Georgia Afterschool Institute is a statewide, multi-day afterschool and professional development opportunity that mirrors the evidence-based Afterschool Academies national model that was developed and tested around the United States. Regional Professional Youth Development Networks create a forum for local afterschool providers to share best practices, exchange information on program challenges and possible opportunities for collaboration, and set community-wide priorities on issues relating to out-of-school programs. About 10-20 programs participate in a network and the agreement would be to meet at least four times a year outside of attending the annual Georgia Afterschool Institute. The creation and adoption of standards for afterschool programs in Georgia Research shows that high-quality afterschool programs allow youth to develop the skills, attitudes, and behaviors that will help them be successful in school, work and life. The efforts of these initiatives will provide for the development of high-quality programs which will aide youth in their education, health, safety, and growth. Please check GOCF's training calendar to attend one of the Institutes, Academies or the Regional Networks. To learn more about GAIC, click here. DATES TO REMEMBER: Youth Development Statewide Educators Conference April 11-13, 2011 System of Care Academy June 27-29, 2011 GOCF Advisory Board Members Judge Steve Teske, Chair Steve Lowe, Vice Chair Susan Allison Andy Barclay John Bowden Gaylyn Cole Judi Davis Ken Dobbs Rachel Ewald Michelle Girtman Brittany Jean Carole Kaczorowski Mika Kawana Shaquita Ogletree Linda Parker Gene Pope Dan Provence Kathy Schrader Michele Smith Duane Whitley We Unite and Empower Communities So They Can Unite and Empower Families We Unite and Empower Communities So They Can Unite and Empower Families QUARTER 4: PAGE 2 National and Statewide Celebrations Georgia Celebrates Month of the Young Child in April Although Week of the Young Child (WOYC) is celebrated nationally April 10-16, 2011, Georgians celebrate the Month of the Young Child (MOYC) throughout April. Join the celebration with special events in your program and display yellow ribbons signifying young children as Georgia's "Ray of Hope." Please visit the Georgia Association on Young Children website at www.gayconline.org to learn more information about how you can make a difference in your community. National Child Abuse Prevention Month is April April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This month and throughout the year, the Governor's Office for Children and Families encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making Georgia a better place for families. By ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, we can help prevent child abuse and neglect by strengthening families and communities. To find out how you can play a part and help create positive change in our State, please click here. National Sexual Assault Awareness Month is April GOCF is proud to commemorate April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and is committed to working alongside advocates and service providers across Georgia to reach out to those affected by sexual violence. As part of this commitment, GOCF is offering some resources and information related to sexual assault. This information is currently available on our website or can be downloaded here. National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day is May 3, 2011 The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day is a grassroots initiative designed to demonstrate that children with emotional health needs can thrive in their communities. This year's national focus is on "Building Resilience in Young Children Dealing with Trauma." Check back soon on GOCF's website to see how you can get involved with Awareness Day! National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is May 4, 2011 The National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy will take place on May 4, 2011. The astonishing declines in teen pregnancy over the past two decades have proven that progress can be made. Despite this progress, it is still the case that 3 in 10 girls become pregnant by age 20. This suggests that we all need to continue to support Abstinence Education programs that deliver the best health message to youth: abstinence until marriage. This tenth annual National Day will help deliver this message to youth all around the country. To order materials that will help celebrate the National day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, visit the GOCF orders page! Request for Proposal Releases GOCF releases the 2011 System of Care Funding Opportunity Today, GOCF released the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the System of Care grant program. The grant program provides up to $175,000 in funding for a fifteen (15) month grant period with a possibility of up to two (2) years of additional funding. This RFP provides a unique opportunity for Georgia's communities to integrate and coordinate their child prevention and intervention programs in the areas of child maltreatment prevention, delinquency prevention, and youth development to improve child and family well-being. To access the RFP, please click here. We Unite and Empower Communities So They Can Unite and Empower Families QUARTER 4: PAGE 3 New Research, Publications and General News GOCF Releases New Weekly Grant Writing Tips The Governor's Office for Children and Families is pleased to introduce weekly grant-writing tips on the homepage of its website beginning April 2011. The goal for the tips is to support communities in locating grant writing resources, enhance grant writing skills and increase funding to provide services and ensure program sustainability. Please be sure to visit GOCF's website at www.children.ga.gov to see this week's grantwriting tips. Georgia's KidsNet Collaborative is Moving to GOCF! Effective April 1, 2011 the Georgia KidsNet Collaborative will transfer to the Governor's Office for Children and Families. The Georgia KidsNet Collaborative was previously housed in the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities through a federal grant from SAMHSA. The KidsNet Collaborative is a System of Care group that is a family-driven, youth-guided and community supportive approach for serving youth, and their families, with serious emotional disturbances and addictive disease within in their own community. This System of Care group aligns with GOCF's mission, "To empower Georgia communities to achieve improved and sustainable outcomes by working in a systems of care framework, which will ensure that all children and families are educated, healthy, safe, and growing." GOCF looks forward to leading this statewide effort. Runaway and Homeless Youth White Paper Project GOCF's latest white paper project is complete! The paper takes a multidisciplinary approach to the assessment of and solution to the problem of youth homelessness. In addition to the discussion of the characteristics of runaway and homeless youth and risk factors, the paper includes a discussion of the connection between youth homelessness and the family violence continuum. The paper concludes with recommendations that are supported by research and could allow the state to chart a new course in protecting one of its most vulnerable populations. This report is currently available on the GOCF website or can be downloaded here. Trainings and Conferences Upcoming trainings hosted by the Governor's Office for Children and Families that are not listed on this newsletter can be found by visiting GOCF's training calendar at http://gocfweb.com. Be sure to check them out! Early Childhood and Family Engagement Trainings The Governor's Office for Children and Families is sponsoring the following April - June on-site trainings provided by Sheltering Arms Georgia Training Institute: Nutrition Building Blocks for Young Children, birth to age five and their Caregivers, Preventing Childhood Obesity Engaging Staff and Families in Moderate to Vigorous Activity Motor Development, Birth to Five - Preventing Childhood Obesity Inclusion: Warm and Welcoming Environments for Children with Special Needs, ages birth to five, based on the national Special Quest Promoting Strong Families, based on the national Stronger Together series by the Parents Services Project Affirming Diversity, based on the national Stronger Together series by the Parents Services Project Please visit our training calendar for more information or click here. Trainings and Conferences Section Continued on Next Page. We Unite and Empower Communities So They Can Unite and Empower Families QUARTER 4: PAGE 4 Trainings and Conferences Section Continued Online Training Opportunities GOCF has partnered with Care Solutions, Inc. to make several valuable online trainings available for free any time or day that you may want to use them. Each quarter, three new trainings will be available under this partner-ship. Please click here to view the on-line courses provided April - June. The System of Care Academy is Returning! Please mark your calendars for the SOC Academy IV on June 27-29, 2011. The Academy will be held at Legacy Lodge and Conference Center in Lake Lanier, GA. This year's Academy will focus on Systems of Care in the Early Childhood, Education, Behavioral Health, Juvenile Justice, and Child Welfare arenas! Please check the GOCF website for more details. Youth Development - Statewide Educators Conference The Governor's Office for Children and Families is hosting its statewide Educators Conference on April 11-13, 2011. The conference, themed "THINK Outside of the BOX!" will be held at the Wyndham Hotel and Conference Center in Peachtree City, GA. For more details and to register, please visit GOCF's training calendar or click here. In addition to this conference, GOCF will also be hosting several youth development trainings: Georgia Afterschool 1 Day Institute May 13, 2011 - Athens, GA Abstinence Education Workshop: "Reaching Vs. Teaching- How to Connect with Youth to Create Positive Behavior Change" June 7, 2011- Savannah, GA Abstinence Education Workshop: "Reaching Vs. Teaching- How to Connect with Youth to Create Positive Behavior Change" June 14, 2011 - Athens, GA Positive Youth Development Training: High Impact Learning Experiences June 22, 2011 - Athens, GA CSEC Spring Training Series for Mental Health Providers The Governor's Office for Children & Families is pleased to announce training for mental health providers on the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). This session dispels some of the stereotypes about CSEC victims and covers who is vulnerable to recruitment, pathways to entry, risk factors, and engaging survivors therapeutically. To view the training flyer and RSVP information click here. Scheduled trainings are listed below. Monday, April 11 - Macon, GA Monday, April 25 - Savannah, GA Friday, April 29 - Atlanta, GA Friday, May 13 - LaGrange, GA Monday, May 23 - Rome, GA Quarterly CSEC Train-the-Trainer Events In addition to the Mental health trainings, GOCF will be sponsoring Quarterly Train-the-Trainer events to equips concerned citizens to provide a basic community orientation to the issue using Georgia specific CSEC content endorsed by the Governor's Office for Children & Families. To find out more, please contact Family Violence Training Specialist, Sarah Dempsey at Sarah.Dempsey@children.ga.gov.