CCAPT sponsors a number of programs which
encourage families to seek support, get accurate information on child
development, and learn
a variety of parenting techniques. These programs are resident driven
and community based. They focus on developing the strengths of families
and empowering the involved residents towards their best. Our goals are:
1) To decrease isolation among children and families in the community,
2) To increase support for children and families within that community,
3) To increase knowledge about children and parenting within the community
through the use of community mentors, and 4) To strengthen and empower
the Communities we serve.
CCAPT sponsors the following programs to
give every parent the support they deserve:
Afterschool activity and
event programs for school age children - We involved 110 youth in community
based activity programs this year. We offered
a variety of activity groups, which included Arts/Crafts, Journaling,
Quilting, and Martial Arts. We also offered discussion, skill building
groups which included “The Future is Yours”, “Circle
of Friends” and “Young Women Striving for Success”.
Each group serves 10 to 20 children who are divided according to age
and gender. Solid Starts - We facilitated two pre-natal
education and support groups for expectant parents at two medical clinics
(Green Central
Clinic and
Southside Clinic). In Solid Starts, we have served over 80 families who
are expecting (or just had) a child during the past year. One of our
mothers wrote a thank you letter recently and this is part of what she
shared; “Everything I learn in this program helps me to be a better
mother. I learn how to take care of my daughter. I know it does no good
to hit my baby. It is better to talk, so that they can understand. In
this program I learn how to talk to her as she is growing up, about sexuality.
It is a good program”.
Parents Afternoon Out - We have served
a large number of families giving them a needed break from the stress
of
parenting and offering the children
a safe, nurturing environment. There are generally 25 to 40 children
attending on these two Saturdays each month. We have served over 50 families
in the Parents Afternoon Out Program during the past year. One of the
things we heard in our adult focus group was that the parents really
appreciated having “a place to bring their children that was run
by their own community” and that they felt good about leaving the
children because “the children enjoy coming”.
Special Family
Events - This year, we have offered Parents Pampering Day 2 times;
both were a success. At the fall Parents Pampering Day,
we had a speaker from the Family Support Network talk about parent
stress and abuse prevention. In the Spring, we had a speaker from Missing
Children
Minnesota, speak to families about teaching children safe ways to avoid
abuse. We did have a trip to Valleyfair and Our Back to School Bash
attracted a large number of families with school age children.
One strength
of our programming is that it serves the increasingly diverse neighborhood
in and surrounding Bryant Neighborhood in South
Minneapolis.
We have successfully brought together culturally diverse groups to
plan and implement a number of family support services. Last year
we brought
together the Latino and African American communities in the Bryant
neighborhood. We served 148 African American, 67 Latino, 12 Caucasians,
6 Native Americans,
and 10 Mixed Race families together in joint programming to further
the well-being of their children.
Participants who attend programs
are asked to evaluate their experience with us. In regard to the impact
of our programs 45% of participants
report an increase in their community support network, 20% felt
a reduction in stress and improved self-care, 12% learned new parenting
skills
and 10% benefited through a break from parenting. |