Family Matters - 2023

Support for young families is close to home

By April Larson Parent educator, Early Education Center

Becoming a parent is a life change like no other. It is filled with new emotions, joys, challenges, roles and routines. Parents successfully adjust to a new lifestyle over time with simple strategies. Research suggests parents will positively navigate the transition into parenthood with a few evidence-based strategies, including taking tender care of themselves, validating the myriad of new emotions in themselves as well as their co-parent, accepting practical support and maintaining emotional connection to others. The good news is that parents do not need to make this adjustment alone. Support

is in place for parents to sail new waters feeling confident, empowered and connected – at all stages of their child’s early years.

One such support is through the Early Childhood Family Education program. This parenting education program is offered through Minnesota public school districts for families with children from birth to school age.

The goal of ECFE is to support parents as their child’s first and most enduring teachers. It is built on the understanding that parents provide their child’s first and most significant learning environment. Licensed program educators are trained to support families with evidence-based tools to support healthy early childhood development based on current brain science.

Families can ask questions, connect with other parents and learn more about supporting their children with a strong developmental start.

Everyone with young children is invited to participate in ECFE classes. Whether you have one child or six; whether you are parenting biological children or adopted; whether you are a custodial grandparent, parent or hired caregiver, ECFE might be a great fit to support you as you support the growth of the young children in your life.

You can learn more about your neighborhood ECFE program by calling your local school district. Alexandria Public Schools residents can find a list of class opportunities at alexandria. ce.eleyo.com.

Life Connections – here for families

By Julie Desautels

Have you heard of Life Connections?

We’re a non-profit organization serving families in central Minnesota.

We support parents throughout pregnancy and beyond with education, clothing and moral support.

Need to know if your car seat is safe? Call us. We can check it out for you. Can’t afford a car seat? We can help with that, too.

Want Red Cross certified training in CPR and choking? Call us.

Over 300 families are enrolled in Life Connections’ Diaper Club and receive a monthly

package of diapering supplies and formula. Families can find clothing at our office or pick up donated quilts and blankets handcrafted by friends in the community.

REGION 4 SOUTH

MomTALK, our newest project, brings moms together each Tuesday to connect, learn and support one another. Generous community members serve a delicious lunch and the children get to play while the moms visit.

Life Connections supports life. We serve people from all counties. There is no income limit. All our services are confidential and free. Whether you need our services or want to help, check us out at 1309 Hwy 29 N., Alexandria. Call 320-762-1224 for hours. You can also find us at LifeConnectionsMN.org. We’re here for you!

Safe Families for Children serve families in Alexandria lakes area

By Sarah Boll Safe Families for Children

Safe Families for Children-West

Central Minnesota partners with churches, community agencies, ministries, government organizations, hospitals and clinics, schools and local volunteers to create communities of support for families experiencing a crisis situation.

Based on volunteer ability, we serve families with minor children within one hour of Alexandria.

By providing free, voluntary support when and how our families need it, we see families move out of a state of crisis and accomplish their long-term goals, impacting generations.

When a crisis strikes, many parents rely on friends and family, whom they can contact for help and guidance.

Unfortunately, many families do not have the support they need at the time they need it.

Parents often experience a lack of informal/social support due to strained family relationships, relocating to a new community, divorce or separation, or simply not having friends and family locally when help is needed.

By equipping the caring individuals in our communities to support those around them we see families transformed, the need for foster care placements reduced, families build genuine friendships and belonging, and trauma and neglect prevented because family units are stronger. Through relationships, we’re building a healthier community, family by family.

Preschoolers, older students working together is a win-win

By Jan Campbell Osakis Preschool

Osakis Preschool has the benefit of being housed in the same building as the rest of the school. Being a PreK-12 school, we are able to collaborate with older grades. A few of the high school students that come down are from classes that are exploring going into education. It is a win-win situation for all of us.

The first time that the kids came down to help, a few of the preschoolers were a little tentative, but they soon warmed up and really had fun working with their new older friends.

There are countless projects that we can work on together. Some of those activities with the “big” kids are – going on outdoor scavenger hunts, reading books, seeing baby chicks that they are raising, writing letters to Santa, doing puzzles, playing games, measuring how tall they are and most recently, creating and running an obstacle course.

In the spring, we usually do a clean-up day to celebrate Earth Day. Any time a high school teacher asks to collaborate, we can usually find some kind of activity that we can do together.

Having older students come down to help has been truly beneficial.

One of the most rewarding parts with this collaboration is when some of my former preschool students come down to help out in our room. It is great to see how some of the older kids connect with the preschoolers, as well as vice versa. It is a win-win situation for all of us, and we are truly thankful.

EarlyThankyouEducators!

Contributed photos

Horizon Public Health offers family home visits

By Brittany Meissner Horizon Public Health

Alphabet mix-up

P is now replacing the letter K in K -12 Education

By Linda Saari

Brandon-Evansville Early Education Coordinator

There has been an alphabet mix-up. P is now replacing the letter K in K-12 education. This surprising change adds a noteworthy focus for Brandon-Evansville’s activities related to The Week of the Young Child.

This change was the topic of Minnesota Department of Education’s Mike Brown’s regional presentation at BrandonEvansville School. When our teachers first heard Mike’s presentation on this topic, we tried to quickly get up to speed.

We wondered if the letter combination P-12 stood for Preschool to Grade 12. This just shows you that teachers are always needing to learn as well.

Mike, and his Minnesota Department of Education team, went on to tell us that the term P-3 means Prenatal-3rd grade Education. This new label, P-12, means that all children, from Prenatal12th grade are included in our school systems.

Brandon-Evansville

Superintendent Louisa Glenetske is excited to welcome the youngest of children into our P-12 school system.

Jana Anderson, Brandon-Evansville School Board chairperson, feels the same.

Here is a short summary of the plan being used to carry out this project:

Connie Fields, from the Douglas County Early Childhood Initiative, is now leading a Minnesota Department of Education sponsored study group to help Brandon-Evansville PreK-Kindergarten educators to ease any transition line that may

come up between the two grade levels.

As research shows that the brain neurons for love and learning start with the beginning of life, B-E schools are working with Lakes Country Service Cooperative to pilot a new program. This program is called Raising a Reader. The mission of this program is to engage caregivers in what Raising a Reader LCSC Coordinator Deb Berry calls “book cuddling.”

This “book cuddling” will go on to foster healthy brain development, healthy relationships, a love of reading, as well as the language and literacy skills critical for school success.

Resource support for our Raising a Reader program has been provided by the Douglas-Pope County United Way, the L. A. Amundson Foundation, the Minnesota Department of Education, the Douglas County Public Library, the Douglas County Early Childhood Initiative, West Central Community Action Head Start and LCSC.

Additional training for starting education at the beginning of life has been provided by West Central Initiative and the University of Minnesota Morris. The two partners have teamed together to sponsor the Fulbright Scholarship of Dr. Iiris Happo from Finland.

In the last year, Dr. Happo has made many visits throughout our region to share information with us on how Finland has some of the highest reading scores in the world. One of the important points from Dr. Happo’s presentation includes the fact that funding for each child’s

education begins at birth.

At the initial step of that funding, parents are given a full year of support to stay home and be with their child. During that first year they can access the Early Care and Education system and all the resources it provides to Finnish parents. Those elements of the Finnish Education system provide a strong foundation towards reading competency for students.

As much as people in our region were impressed with the support that Finland provides for young families, Dr. Happo was impressed with how Minnesota provides Early Childhood Family Education. ECFE is our program for parents and children to learn together.

The Minnesota ECFE program goes from P-3rd grade.

In addition to carrying out the activities involved with the new P-12 plan at Brandon-Evansville, the school’s ECFE program continues to

look for ways to include and provide services for more area children and families. By using the Raising a Reader program, we have been able to expand the number of children and parent participants to 140 families. Our goal is to increase this number in years to come by further expanding the program to more of our local Child Care Educators.

An African proverb says that “It takes a village to raise a child.” That is so true. We all need to contribute to the meaningful education and positive development of our children. So “cuddle up” and treasure your children as you celebrate their young lives this week. Doing this now has never been so important. Positively building and improving the meaningful bond between you and your children will impact their lives, and yours, forever.

Years of research in neurobiology have shown the importance of positive early experiences, especially in the first five years of a child’s life, and how those experiences shape brain development, impacting future social, cognitive, and emotional abilities.

In order to feel secure and flourish, infants, toddlers and children need attentive, supportive and nurturing parents and caregivers.

Family home visiting services, such as those provided for our community by Horizon Public Health, have been shown to be a link to connect parents and caregivers to the support and resources they need to facilitate positive parenting and healthy child development.

Other positive outcomes have been shown to include improvement in maternal and newborn health, improvement in birth outcomes, improved school readiness and parent-child relationships, reduction of domestic violence, prevention of child injuries, abuse and neglect, and improvements in family economic self-sufficiency.

Family Home Visiting programs recognize parents as their child’s first and best teachers. There are many families, however, who benefit from the guidance and support provided by nurse home visitors, especially those with certain risk factors such as limited support system, mental health challenges, history of substance use, financial or housing insecurities, limited parenting skills, teen and young parents or a history of child abuse or neglect.

Horizon Public Health offers an evidence-based family home visiting program called Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting, where parents are enrolled either prenatally or until the baby reaches 8 weeks old. MECSH nurses visit with families until the child reaches 2 years old and cover a variety of topics including prenatal care, breastfeeding, safe sleep, child development, maternal wellbeing, nutrition and home safety.

Prenatal, postpartum and Traditional Family Home Visiting are also offered. These programs do not have a specific enrollment period but are open to all families either prenatally or with young children. Horizon Public Health also offers a multitude of other services for members of the community including the Women, Infants, and Children program, the Follow Along Program, child passenger safety, Child and Teen Checkups and breastfeeding classes. Call 320-763-6018 or visit horizonpublichealth.org/services/ children-and-families/ to learn more about our programs or to enroll.

Try some local fun on your spring vacation

By Connie Fields ECI Coordinator of Douglas County

Are you planning a spring vacation?

Sometimes family vacations make us feel that we need a vacation at home to recover when we return because it was so exhausting.

Many families are choosing ‘staycations’ instead of spending hundreds/thousands of dollars on travel expenses. We forget to look at what fun activities are available for families locally. When we do that, we fail to see what our community has to offer and we fail to support local businesses.

I’ve found some interesting gifts in some boutiques downtown Alexandria. Don’t forget to visit a local restaurant as well.

Children don’t need big fancy vacations to be happy. My son was always happy with the box that a new toy came in. So, look around and see what the Douglas County area has to offer.

Check out the following local organizations for family fun activities to do together. That is what your child/children really need and want is more of your time. Play together. Read together. Sing together. Have fun together.

Remember to call first to make sure the activities are available.

Here are some options:

► 22 city parks in Alexandria. Call City Hall at 320-763-6678.

► Douglas County parks. Call 320-762-2999.

► Shenanigans, 1410 McKay, Door 3, open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Easter Sunday.

► Andes Tower Hills. Call 320-965-2455.

► Erickson’s Petting Zoo, 11890 Hope Road, Osakis, 320-762-0184. April and May hours are Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

► Runestone Museum, 206 Broadway Street, Alexandria, 320-763-3160. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

► Legacy of the Lakes Museum, 205 3rd Avenue West, Alexandria, 320-759-1114.

► YMCA, 110 Karl Drive, Alexandria, 320-8349622, pool and gym passes available.

► Otter Cove Children’s Museum, 105 West Lincoln Avenue, Fergus Falls, 218-998-5437.

Connie Fields

It’s important for children to feel safe

By McKenna Ellingson Someplace Safe

The Week of the Young Child is an annual opportunity for communities to recommit to ensuring children experience a healthy environment which fosters positive learning and growth. Someplace Safe, a local nonprofit agency, is dedicated to creating safer families and safer communities for all.

Each year, the organization assists local children and families, working to provide much needed services, support and resources in the aftermath of crime and abuse.

Childhood maltreatment, neglect, exploitation and abuse can all be linked to the physical, psychological and behavioral consequences of children. Many times, these issues can follow survivors into adulthood and later life.

Intervention is key in helping survivors recover, fostering healing and hope in the aftermath of crime and abuse.

It is so important for children and families to feel safe and supported. Abuse and neglect can have lifelong consequences for survivors, especially for children. Working together as a community, we can lessen the impacts and provide much needed help and support to our local children and families.

This past year, the Someplace Safe Douglas Advocacy Office, located in Alexandria, provided free and confidential crime advocacy services to 64 children, age 17 and under, who survived crimes such as domestic violence, abuse/ neglect, human trafficking, exploitation and others.

If you or someone you know is experiencing an unsafe situation or is in need of crime victim services, call 800-9743359 or 320-762-1995, or visit www.someplacesafe. info. Accessible services are available, including live web chat, text messaging and interpreters.

Someplace Safe provides free and confidential advocacy services to individuals, children and families who have been victimized by crime. This includes adults, children and families who have been affected by domestic violence, sexual assault and exploitation, human and labor trafficking, and other crimes such as harassment, stalking and elder abuse. Trained advocates provide a variety of services to families and survivors, including crisis intervention, legal and medical advocacy, emergency resources, temporary safe housing, safety planning and referrals.

In addition to providing direct services to victims of crime and abuse, Someplace Safe works to educate the community on the effects that violence and abuse have on victims and families, the importance of healthy relationships, as well as other community awareness and educational topics.

Talk, read and sing together every day

By Connie Fields ECI Coordinator of Douglas

County

When you talk, read and sing with your child – even before they can use words –you’re helping them learn. And making them happier, too.

Research shows that talking, reading and singing with your child every day from birth helps build their brains as well as important language, math, reading and social skills for use in school and beyond.

Talk, read and sing with your child in the language you are most comfortable using. You probably naturally talk to your baby about the events of the day. Keep doing it, and do it more. The more words and conversations you share together, the better prepared they will be to learn. You are your baby’s first teacher.

For children with disabilities or delays, communicate with your

service providers and keep each other informed about the strategies you are using to enhance their language environment.

Everywhere you go, talk about what you see and what your baby is looking at: “Wow, I see the four dogs, too.” “I love that red truck you’re playing with. It goes beep beep.”

As you feed your baby, use words to describe what foods taste, feel and look like. “This yogurt is smooth.” “That yellow

Dedicated to supporting families and strengthening communities

Jim Haugen Director of West Central

Minnesota Communities Action Head Start

West Central Minnesota Communities

banana is sweet.”

Cuddle with your baby as you share a book. It doesn’t matter how young your child is; even newborn babies are learning when their parents read with them.

Your baby loves to hear your voice even if you think you can’t sing. The sound of your voice is comforting to your baby.

Young children learn best during playful, everyday activities. Play “I-Spy” in the grocery store together. Choose a color and encourage your child to point out objects that match the color. Point to the pictures, letters and numbers in books. Ask open-ended questions as you share the book together. What do you see? How does he feel? What would you do if you were her? What’s your favorite page? You can inspire a love of books and words in your young child by reading or telling a story together every day.

Early Childhood Education program working to fill need of childcare

By Joni Jacobson and Rondi Wussow ECED Instructors at ATCC

Are you having difficulties finding childcare? The Early Childhood Education program at Alexandria College is hard at work helping fill that critical need.

This year, nearly 25 ECED students will graduate, and they have big plans.

Three are in the licensing process to open their own Family Child Care business locally.

Several others plan to work or are working at childcare centers, preschools, or in schools in this area.

Finally, an additional group of graduates have been accepted to complete their final two years of a birth to 3rd grade teaching license bachelor degree.

Nearly all of our graduates plan to stay in this geographical area.

As instructors in this crucial program, we ask

you to celebrate the highly trained professionals that care for and teach our community’s young children.

What better time to celebrate them than the Week of the Young Child? They truly are building brains each and every day.

Action Head Start is an early childhood program that has been dedicated to supporting families and strengthening communities in the region for over 50 years. This includes providing comprehensive birth to five services in 14 communities across seven counties in west central Minnesota. Head Start continues to be a vital resource for families, with an unwavering belief that every child has the opportunity to succeed. These are just a few of WCMCA Head Start unique early learning offerings and services:

Building Community

WCMCA Head Start works closely with a range of community organizations, including schools, health care providers, and nonprofit agencies, to ensure that families have access to the resources and support they need to thrive. Through these partnerships, the program is able to provide a wide range of services, including school readiness, health services, and family support.

Empowering Families

WCMCA Head Start recognizes that parents are a child’s first and most influential teachers and works to support parents in this critical role. This “Whole Child-Whole Family” approach is a central part of the program. Head Start encourages parents to be active participants in their child’s education and provides opportunities for them to volunteer in the classroom, participate in family events, and engage in program leadership and advocacy.

Individualized

Curriculum

WCMCA Head Start is dedicated to providing

a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment where children can learn and grow. Their research-based curriculum is developmentally appropriate, and is focused on building the skills and knowledge that each child needs to be successful in school and beyond. Teachers are highly qualified and receive ongoing professional development and support to ensure that they are able to provide the best possible education to their students.

Prenatal and Health Intervention

WCMCA Head Start also provides health services to ensure that children are healthy and ready to learn. This includes prenatal services to expectant families through their Early Head Start in-home services. The program ensures routine health screenings and exams. They also promote healthy habits and provide nutritious meals and snacks to children while they are in the program - all at no charge to families.

Creating Connection

WCMCA Head Start strengthens community among the families they serve. The program recognizes that families are stronger when they are connected to each other and provides opportunities for families to come together and build relationships. This includes family events, as well as opportunities for parents to volunteer and participate in their child’s education.

Through collaboration and partnership, West Central Minnesota Communities Action is making a significant difference in the lives of children and families in Douglas County and across the region. The program’s dedication to equity is a testament to the important role that early childhood education and support services play in building strong and resilient communities. For more information visit wcmca. com/headstart or call 1-800-492-4805.

Haugen