L.A. County at #PATCON22: Teams Share How They Help Families Move Mountains

Last month’s Parents as Teachers International Conference had over 1,200 registered attendees over four days in Denver, Colorado. On each of those days, one of our teams in L.A. County’s Family Strengthening Network was either giving a presentation or receiving an award. We at LA Best Babies Network salute our fellow presenters, who represented these organizations: Love, Dad; Antelope Valley Partners for Health; El Nido Family Centers; and Child Care Resource Center (CCRC) —with a special tip of the hat to CCRC, which won the Losos Award for Innovation and was named a PAT Blue Ribbon Affiliate. Here’s a rundown of L.A. County’s participation at the conference:

Building Capacity to Include Fathers in Home Visits

• Presenters: Martha Bock, Research Associate at LA Best Babies Network, and Kevin Gruenberg, Executive Director of Love, Dad: Support for Fathers and Families
• Date: August 31
• Abstract: Increasing participation of fathers in home visiting programs involves more than simply asking fathers to join visits. In this pre-conference session, participants will consider changes to home visiting policies and practices that expand the traditional maternal-child health model to encompass the health of an entire family, through the intentional inclusion of fathers. Participants will be guided through facilitated reflection to consider the organizational, programmatic, and personal influences that affect father inclusion in home visiting programs, and strategies that can be used to get dads involved in programs.

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Greenscreen Fun: Parent/Child Engagement Virtually

• Presenter: Vanessa Gonzalez, Parent Educator at Antelope Valley Partners for Health
• Date: September 1
• Abstract:  Vanessa will present a green screen parent-child engagement activity that she uses to enhance her virtual visits with families. She will demonstrate how she blends home visiting curricula and technology to create an interactive and fun experience. She will combine the green screen with PowerPoints she has downloaded (e.g., PlaySparks).

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“I Learn Differently!” Supporting Parents and Children With Disabilities

• Presenters: LaRiesha Floyd, Brandee Hill, and Monica Flores, PAT leaders at Child Care Resource Center
• Date: September 2
• Abstract:  This presentation will address how Parent Educators can support parents and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). With a review of commonly reported disabilities, the presenters will emphasize the importance of creating positive experiences and reducing parental stress. With a background in ABA therapy and intervention programs, facilitators will provide strategies on how to access and successfully support parents. This session will also highlight how to modify PAT activities to meet the family’s needs in-person and virtually.

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What Does it Mean to Be a Father in Today’s Age?

• Presenters: Ricardo Hernandez and Lisa Ramos, PAT leaders at El Nido Family Centers
• Date: September 2
• Abstract:  This presentation will be divided into four sections:
  1. Why fathers matter: Research about the importance of fatherhood and the benefits that children and families receive when there is positive fatherhood and male involvement.
  2. The implementation of our program, PAPA and ME, which grew from the idea of Mommy and Me classes. The purpose of our program was to use the PAT curriculum and develop a group for fathers only with children from 0 to 5.
  3. What fathers need to hear, and what support they need, in order to be involved in the lives of their children.
  4. How we can use the information provided in this workshop with our communities.

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Child Care Resource Center’s recognition for exemplary achievement

• The CCRC team received two awards (congrats!):
  • PAT Blue Ribbon Affiliate: The Parents as Teachers National Center says programs that earn the Blue Ribbon “are exemplary affiliates, delivering high-quality services to children and families.”
  • Losos Award for Innovation: This impressive award — given only two programs in the nation — acknowledges a PAT affiliate’s excellence and innovation in services to young children and their families. These CCRC activities helped them earn this distinguished honor:
    • Concrete Support in Times of Need:
      • CFRA grant: Pandemic relief funds address the need of vulnerable families in our communities.
      • Distribution of Emergency Supplies: including diapers, wipes, and groceries.
      • Laptop Loaner Program: To stay connected and engaged in program activities and pursue goals such as higher education and job searches.
      • Graduation Celebrations: Innovative approaches to celebrating program completion for more than 20 families during the pandemic.
      • Your Money, Your Goals: Financial literacy program that included a small stipend for clients who completed their financial goals.
    • Social & Emotional Competence of Children:
      • Activity Kit Distributions: A committee of Parent Educators and Supervisors convened to research and purchase consumable supplies that were delivered to the homes of the families.
      • Infant Massage: Families were invited to participate in virtual infant massage training series to learn more about doing infant massage with their babies.
    • Knowledge of Parenting & Child Development:
      • Parent Educators are Lactation Educators: Support included learning the types of lactation positions, support, and appropriate referrals to clients as needed.
    • Social Connections:
      • Virtual Baby Showers: Pregnant families were invited to join virtual baby showers during the pandemic to help reduce feelings of isolation for the families.
      • Community Events:  All families were eligible to participate in large agency community events where they received a bag of fruits and vegetables, an age-appropriate book, along with access to local community resources and child development activities.