January 11, 2021 Virtual Vitality Cafés If your family receives Early Intervention and/or Family Support services in Pennsylvania, join other families virtually for conversations focused on self-care, health, and wellness. About Café sessions are intended for family members of children enrolled in Early Intervention Services or Family Support Services. To support participation, a stipend of $40 will be offered. A child care reimbursement will be offered if needed to participate in the Cafes. Information on how to access the stipend/reimbursement will be provided after registration. Forms to be submitted for the stipend will be provided at the end of each Café. Virtual Vitality Café Dates Virtual Vitality Cafés will be held on the following dates: January 27, 2021 | 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. February 24, 2021 | 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. March 24, 2021 | 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. Receiving Support Support for families of children who are deaf/heard of hearing is provided from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. For other families of children receiving EI services that do not have diagnosed hearing loss and children receiving Family Support Services, support is provided by The Office of Child Development and Early Learning. This will require ALL participants to pre-register and indicate what program(s) your child is receiving services and whether or not your child has a diagnosis of hearing loss. Registration To register, complete the online registration form. Any accommodations (language or ADA) must be requested at least two weeks in advance of each cafe, during the registration process. Families are encouraged to join as many sessions as they would like to attend. More Information For questions, call The Alliance for Infants and Toddlers at 412.885.6000.
September 6, 2019 Be Strong Parent Café Training Institute Seeking Applications Family leaders and providers are invited to apply for the Be Strong Parent Café Institute. Applications must be submitted no later than September 15, 2019. About Through the efforts of the PA Strengthening Families Leadership Team, with funding support from the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and facilitated by the Center for Schools and Communities, Pennsylvania has offered the Be Strong Parent Café Training Institutes (PCTI) since 2016 and developed over 40 locally-based teams. There is no fee for participation. PCTI is a two-day experiential and highly interactive institute that prepares a team of family leaders and providers to convene and implement parent cafés and serve as café leaders and table hosts. By the end of the institute, teams will know the anatomy of a parent café, the philosophical foundations and research underlying parent cafés, how to create an ambiance conducive to maximizing the effectiveness of the parent café process, and how to build on the parent café experience to enhance programs for and with family members/family leaders. Be Strong Parent Cafés educate parents and caregivers about the Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors and create an environment in which parents and caregivers can build protective factors through individual deep self-reflection and peer-to-peer learning. Read their announcement to learn more. Available Dates PCTI will be hosted on the following dates: September 26–27, 2019, Grove City area November 18–19, 2019, Allentown area November 21–22, 2019, State College area December 18–19, 2019, Pittsburgh area What’s Included Participation in PCTI includes: continental breakfast and lunch; an honorarium for each day attended; lodging for those who must travel 50 or more miles to the event and wish to stay overnight; and reimbursements for family members of the team for milage (in their car), child care, and evening meals with the submission of a required form and receipts. Application To apply for PCTI, complete this form no later than September 15, 2019. Completed applications should be submitted via email to pa-strengtheningfami@csc.csiu.org or fax at 717.763.2083. Learn More For questions about the Be Strong Parent Café model or to discuss your readiness to participate, please contact Rijelle Kraft at 717.763.1661, x221 or rkraft@csc.csiu.org. Visit the PA Strengthening Families website to learn more. *Information provided by Pennsylvania Strengthening Families
