August 28, 2023 Resources for September Observances Various organizations, states, and nations recognize a number of observances each month. Resources help parents, caregivers, and child care professionals acknowledge and navigate them. Here is a list of resources for September observances: Month-Long Observances Attendance Awareness Month Attendance Awareness Campaign 2023, Attendance Works Key Research: Why Attendance Matters for Achievement and How Interventions Can Help, Attendance Works Baby Safety Month (BSM) Organizations Publish New Child Safety and Development Resources for Families and Educators, Trying Together Safety and Emergencies: Family Resources, Trying Together Directory for Emergency and Safety Services, Trying Together Recalls on Children’s Products, Trying Together Baby Safety Month Safety Tips, Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) 5 Tips for New Parents During Baby Safety Month, SafeKids.org Childhood Cancer Awareness Month What is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month?, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Free Resources from the American Childhood Cancer Organization, American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO) Are There Disparities in Childhood Cancer?, New York State Department of Health Childhood Cancers, NIH National Cancer Institute Facts About Childhood Cancer, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Participate in a 2023 September Childhood Cancer Awareness Event, Children’s Cancer Cause National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month Supporting Childhood Physical Health: A Guide for Families: The Importance of Exercise, Trying Together Parents and Caregivers Can Help Prevent Obesity and Support Healthy Growth, U.S. Department of Agriculture TOOLKIT: National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Preventing Childhood Obesity: 4 Things Families Can Do, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Help Your Child Stay at a Healthy Weight, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Newborn Screening Awareness Month Newborn Screening Portal, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) What is Newborn Screening?, Baby’s First Test Newborn Screening Tests for Your Baby, March of Dimes (MoD) About Newborn Screening, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Weeks of Recognition September 17 – 23 was Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week Car Seat Safety for Children, Trying Together Car Seats and Booster Seats Overview, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Safe Kids Worldwide Car Seat Guide Videos, Safe Kids Worldwide Boost Your Child Passenger Safety Knowledge and Skills Trainings, National Child Passenger Safety Board All Children are Pedestrians! Prevention Tips and Recent Statistics, Children’s Safety Network at Education Development Center Days of Recognition September 6 was National Read a Book Day Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Releases 2023 Best Books for Babies List, Trying Together Toolkit: Families and Schools Partnering for Children’s Literacy Success, Trying Together Children’s Books on Race and Equity, Trying Together Books to Celebrate Gender Expression, Inclusion, and Pride, Trying Together Children’s Books About Transitions, Trying Together Children’s Books About Mental Health, Trying Together September 26 was National Family Day Family Engagement Toolkit, Trying Together Family Guide: Family Dynamics, Trying Together Strategies to Support Social-Emotional Development: A Guide for Families, Trying Together Family Transitions and Routines: Resources, Trying Together Trying Together Releases Family Resources in Spanish, Trying Together Grandfamily Tip Sheets Provide Information on Self-Care and Youth Mental Health, Trying Together Navigating Sibling Relationships, Psychology Today Foster and Adoptive Families: Supportive Strategies, PennState Better Kid Care Blended Family and Step-Parenting Tips, HelpGuide.org Keeping in Touch With Family Can Help Keep You Healthy, WebMD.com Healthy Communication in Stepfamilies, National Stepfamily Resource Center (NRSC) Get to Know Your Stepkids, National Stepfamily Resource Center (NRSC)
August 1, 2023 Grandfamily Tip Sheets Provide Information on Self-Care and Youth Mental Health Generations United, with support from Humana, recently developed tip sheets on self-care and youth mental health for grandfamily caregivers. Tip sheets include specialized information and resources for grandfamilies and grandparents who care for young children. About Grandfamily Caregiver Tip Sheets According to Generations Untied, there are 2.6 million children in the U.S. living in households headed by a grandparent, another relative, or close family friend without a parent present. Consequently, these families, often referred to as “grandfamilies,” require unique supports. Tip sheets, tailored to grandfamilies, serve Generations United’s mission to improve the lives of children, youth, and older people through intergenerational collaboration. Thus far, two grandfamily caregiver tip sheets have been developed: Grandfamily Caregiver Tip Sheet: Self-Care, and Grandfamily Caregiver Tip Sheet: Youth Mental Health. Both are available in English and Spanish. Grandfamily Caregiver Tip Sheet: Self-Care The grandfamily caregiver tip sheet on self-care: defines self-care, explains the need for grandfamily self-care, estabilishes challenges grandfamilies face in receiving self-care, provides self-care tips for grandfamily caregivers, and, also provides examples of self-care. Grandfamily Caregiver Tip Sheet: Youth Mental Health The grandfamily caregiver tip sheet on youth mental health: explains the impacts of childhood trauma, shares recommendations on mitigating the impact of trauma, highlights warning signs of child mental health challenges, shares recommendations for talking to children about mental health, and, additionally, provides mental health resources. Access the Tip Sheets To access the tip sheets, utilize the following links: Grandfamily Caregiver Tip Sheet: Self-Care (English) Grandfamily Caregiver Tip Sheet: Self-Care (Spanish) Grandfamily Caregiver Tip Sheet: Youth Mental Health (English) Grandfamily Caregiver Tip Sheet: Youth Mental Health (Spanish) Additionally, tip sheets are available on the Generations United website. Learn More To learn more, visit the Generations United website. Related Content & Resources Types of Family Structures Support Resources for Parents and Caregivers Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series: Family Dynamics Grandparent Council Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series: Caring for the Caregiver A Guide to Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series: Childhood Mental Health A Guide for Families: Childhood Mental Health
March 27, 2023 Intersection of Kinship Care and Culture: African & Caribbean Communities in America Kinship care is a survival strategy that has historical significance for African and Caribbean families because it is linked to a tradition of help and a broad base of support. Join the Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Network for this webinar on kinship care to learn more about family structures and how understanding them can improve family engagement. Session Details Thursday, April 12 | 2 – 3:30 p.m. Virtual Register Learn More In this webinar, panelists will highlight the strengths, support needs, and service models for working with kinship families in African and Caribbean communities. Information presented will include: demographic profiles of these two groups definition of what “kinship care” means to these populations description of traditional family patterns of these populations that include cultural dynamics and norms conflicts between Afrocentric and Eurocentric perspectives on kinship care identification of the best access points (locations and persons) for engagement and services that are culturally responsive to these kinship families suggestions for reframing policy and practice for kinship services for these populations To learn more, visit the Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Network website.
March 10, 2023 Navigating Family Dynamics: A Native Youth Perspective Join the Grandfamilies & Kinship Network and National Indian Child Welfare Association for this webinar on child care and the relational worldview model—an Indigenous child care model that looks at well-being as a balance between the four quadrants: environment, mind, body, and spirit. Panelists will discuss their experience living in grandfamilies and kinship families, navigating changes in relationships with their relatives, the things that helped bring them balance, and what support they needed from those around them. Session Details Tuesday, March 21 | 1 -2 p.m. Virtual Register Learn More To learn more, visit the Grandfamilies & Kinship Network website.
