COMMUNITY NEWS

NoCo Family resources

Childcare, teen self-care, Internet safety, suicide prevention, parenting tools and pumpkins

THERESA BAER

NEW FREE CHILDCARE REFERRAL SYSTEM

In an effort to increase awareness and provide tools to keep children and teens safe from the dangers of sexual predators, online enticement and grooming, cyberbullying, social networking websites, email, instant messaging (IM), smartphones and sexting, Fort Collins Police Services will host Internet safety presentations. A virtual session will be held Tuesday, October 6 in English and Spanish, and an in-person presentation will take place on Sunday, November 1 at the Fort Collins Police Services Community Room located at 2221 S. Timberline Road. Families will be divided into three groups: adults; 8- to 12-year-olds; and 13- to 18-year-olds for age-appropriate presentations. Visit www.fcgov.com/police for times and registration information. Early Childhood Council of Larimer County (ECCLC) has launched a new, free local childcare referral system to help parents find childcare faster. The new system, called Larimer Child Care Connect, allows families to find available spots among hundreds of local providers with a simple personalized search, including special sections for providers to share how they are adhering and adapting to the COVID-19 situation. Visit www.larimerchildcare.

KEEPING KIDS SAFE ON THE INTERNET

org to begin your search.

VIRTUAL TEEN SELF-CARE

In spring 2019 Imagine Zero, Larimer County’s Suicide Prevention Community Coalition, and the Alliance for Suicide Prevention of Larimer County launched the Teen Self Care Fair, which is a community-wide event offering access to healthy coping skills and the opportunity to experience

Did you know? • 1 in 5 kids are subjected to unwanted sexual solicitation on the Internet. • 1 in 5 teens ages 13-19 are taking photos of their intimate parts and sending them to friends. • 25 percent of kids sexually solicited on the Internet told a trusted adult. • 64 percent of teens report posting personal photos on the Internet and 58 percent report posting personal information such as where they live.

Source: Fort Collins Police Services, Keep Kids Safe On The Internet, https://www.fcgov.com/police

new activities. Two in-person events have taken place and given the current COVID-19 situation, their third event will take place virtually. Teens can access virtual workshops for physical self-care that provide tools for dance, yoga and breathing exercises, as well as mental self-care workshops that teach meditation, writing, art therapy and more. To access the fair, visit www. teenselfcarefair.org. To learn more about the event organizers, visit www. imaginezerosuicide.org and www. allianceforsuicideprevention.org.

AAP RECOMMENDS FLU SHOTS BEFORE OCTOBER ENDS

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months get the flu vaccine this year, ideally by the end of October. Doctors say it can take some time for the flu vaccine to activate in your body and protect against the illness, making it important to be vaccinated sooner rather than later. The policy statement, titled “Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2020–2021” found the AAP website at www.aap.org, also indicated “Influenza vaccination is particularly important during the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic to reduce the burden of respiratory illnesses and hospitalizations and preserve the capacity of the health care infrastructure.”

PARENT EFFECTIVELY, EVEN UNDER STRESS

The Parent Café, a free program of The Matthews House, supports and educates parents and caregivers by providing the skills and resources needed to parent effectively, despite stressful times. The program emphasizes the five “Protective Factors” of Resilience, Relationships, Knowledge, Support and Communication.” Cafés are held weekly and free children’s activities take place during in-person cafés. Registration is required: www.tinyurl.com/ParentCafes-TMH.

• Spanish Café: Virtual Café presented in

Spanish–Tuesdays, noon to 2pm • Kin/Foster Family: In-Person Café for Foster and Kin Families–Tuesdays, 6–8pm • Orchard Cafe: In-Person Cafe for residents of

Orchard Apartments–Wednesdays, 6–8pm • 2 Gen Cafe: In-Person Cafe for parents and youth age 11–17 (referral only) • Strong Families: Virtual Cafe presented in

English–Thursdays, 8–9pm

PUMPKINS ON PARADE

Celebrate harvest time and Halloween while socially distanced at the Pumpkins on Parade event the weekend of October 23–25. Hosted by The Gardens on Spring Creek at 2145 Centre Avenue in Fort Collins, visitors will see hundreds of squash and gourds arranged in artistic displays along with the results of their first ever community pumpkin carving contest for all ages and skill levels. The contest is free to enter–though participants must provide their own pumpkin–and winners will be awarded fun prizes in a variety of categories. Costumes are encouraged at the event and kids under 12 will receive a candyfree goodie bag. Learn more about the event and enter the contest online at www.fcgov.com/gardens/pumpkins.

FREE BOOK FOR EVERY 4-YEAR-OLD

Stop in to your local library in Estes Park, Fort Collins, Greeley and Loveland between October 13–25 to receive a free book for your 4-year-old child in either English or Spanish. No registration is required. A total of 75,000 paperback copies will be distributed this year as part of One Book Colorado. This annual program, in its ninth year, provides every 4-year-old child in Colorado with a free copy of the same book to foster the love of reading. According to the One Book Colorado Facebook page, “Literacy skills are critical to success in school and in life. Not only do children who are exposed to books early have better language skills than those who wait, they also have better success in learning to read. As a child’s first and most important teachers, families need access to quality books and educational materials. By providing free books in literacy-rich environments (One Book Colorado) promotes a lasting love of learning in Colorado children.” Learn more about the program and/or donate to support the efforts by visiting www. onebookcolorado.org.

SUICIDE PREVENTION TRAINING FOR TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS

The Alliance for Suicide Prevention of Larimer County and the Poudre River Library District present this free online training session for teens and young adults aged 16–25 on Thursday, October 29 from 7pm— 8:15pm via Zoom. This Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) training covers warning signs of suicidal behavior and how to question someone if they are considering suicide, persuade them to accept professional help, and refer them to community resources. Participants will also receive a three-year certification for completing the one-hour training. Registration is required at https://poudrelibraries. evanced.info/signup to receive a link for the Zoom webinar.