2005 GRANT RECIPIENTS

Build Early Bonds out of Play and Support—Snohomish County, WA This program is to strengthen relationships between parents and children through a playgroup. The playground is modeled after a successful program that has been in existence for two years. It exists for the parents of the low-income apartment housing complex, Whispering Pines, in Snohomish County and is conducted on-site. Part of the program is to provide access to and information on other resources of Lutheran Community Services that assist families with housing, employment and support challenges they face.
The program models appropriate play, provides resources and ideas for play, and provides other resources such as books and toys for parents to take home.

Family nights at Walla Walla Family Center—Walla Walla, WA
A program of the Children’s Home society, the Walla Walla Family Center “Family Nights’ project affects 60-80 families through a series of 6-interactive activity nights.

Walla Walla Family Center serves a low-income population of Walla Walla County, nearly 20% of whom are officially at the poverty level, and many of whom are from non-English-speaking families. Cultural separation, isolation from one another, separation from extended family members and employment challenges make this population high risk of abusing or neglecting their children. The family nights exist to increase healthy social networks in the community, thereby reducing isolation, and to develop social skills and friendships among the children.

Parents as Teachers
Another program of Children’s Home Society was funded by CTF at the East and North Clark County Family Resource Center. This program focuses on improving parent-child relationships through weekly meetings that use “strategies to prevent child abuse” by providing curriculum that allows parents to act as teachers. This curriculum empowers parents, facilitates their interaction with their child, and increases learning among both parents and children. Parents are encouraged to read to, do homework with, and play with their children in the context of subject areas relevant to school and their lives.

Spanish Language First Steps Program
Another program of Children’s Home Society was funded by CTF at the East and North Clark County Family Resource Center. This program focuses on improving parent-child relationships through weekly meetings that use “strategies to prevent child abuse” by providing curriculum that allows parents to act as teachers. This curriculum empowers parents, facilitates their interaction with their child, and increases learning among both parents and children. Parents are encouraged to read to, do homework with, and play with their children in the context of subject areas relevant to school and their lives.

Parenting Program for Chinese and Vietnamese
The Chinese Information and Service Center is funded for a program to help Chinese and Vietnamese speaking parents with their school-aged children. It offers linguistically appropriate resources, classes and play groups.

Families Learning Together
In Kitsap County, parents struggle with low-income employment and are often away from their children for long periods of time. This model of parent-child interaction focuses on providing workshops to families. These workshops are help at “the Parenting Place”. Each group will meet weekly for interactive learning-based workshops for 8-12 weeks. Each workshop will provide parenting tips, positive peer interaction and healthy interactive games that promote healthy familial bonding.