Saturday, April 30, 2011

Please Join Us!!!

Our annual foster parent appreciation dinner will be held at
Capone's
147 Summit Street in Peabody
Wednesday May 11th at 6:00
We work hard to thank you for all you do for our kids! 
You will enjoy a great dinner, 
conversation and great door prizes! 
We hope you will join us!
 
 
This is for adults only, no children please. :-)
We want you all to enjoy a night for YOU! 
Please RSVP by Friday at noon
If responding by email, please let me know if it's 1 or 2 you are responding for!

Friday, April 29, 2011

News from Danvers CARES

 

 

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DanversCARES Event

Tuesday, May 3, 7-9 pm @ Holten Richmond Middle School  

 

Rescheduled from January, DanversCARES presents Sue Blaney, author and parent-teen communications expert. 

 

About the Speaker: 

Blaney is the author of Please Stop the Rollercoaster! How Parents of Teenagers Can Smooth Out the Ride, a guide for parents and a parent discussion group program. Thousands of parents around the country have improved communication with their teenagers by participating in her "Rollercoaster!" discussion group program. Her popular blog and website www.PleaseStoptheRollercoaster.com features valuable content including free parenting articles, podcasts and newsletters. She is a frequent speaker and is a national media expert on parenting teenagers. Blaney is the founder of Changeworks Publishing and the proud parent of two college students.


Workshop Details:

 "Secrets to Success in Parenting Your Teen" Sue Blaney offers an engaging and  informative evening presentation about what parents can do to successfully guide teens, enhance teen-parent relationships, and keep teens safe from risky behaviors.

   Workshop topics include:

·      Secrets for engaging teens

·      How to avoid common "parent" mistakes

·      Knowing where to invest your time

·      "Ancient Greek rules" applied to today

·      Sage advice for teen alcohol and drug use

 

RSVP to 978-777-8932 x 2214 or pegsallade@danvers.org



 

 

DanversCARES is a community partnership that encourages healthy decisions, healthy futures, and healthy lives. 

DanversCARES is a program of the Town of Danvers managed through the School Department and is funded by a Ffederal SAMHSA Drug Free Communities Grant and a state MA DPH Underage Drinking Prevention Grant.

 

This email was sent to carla.king@comcast.net by pegsallade@danvers.org |  

Danvers CARES | 64 Cabot Road | Danvers | MA | 01923

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Discounts for summer activities

Discounts for summer activities

Water Country passes will be available again this year. This year’s admission is going up to $37.99. The pass price is $29.00. Tickets may be purchased from Carla. Cash only please. These passes will be available all summer. Passes are valid with no expiration date. (Children under 48 inches are $24.99 at the door).

I will also be able to get tickets at  presale price of $26.  I need to have your order and payment by June 15th and I will order for the $26 price.  Later orders can be made but with advance notice and minimum purchase. 

 

Six Flags passes will be available this year. The regular admission is $44.99. The pass price is $28.00.  Tickets may be purchased from Carla. Cash only please. These passes will be available all summer.

 



Canobie Lake
passes will be available this year. The regular admission is $32.00. The pass price is $26.00. Tickets may be purchased from Carla. Cash only please. These passes will be available all summer. (Children under 48 inches are $23 at the gate, children under 3 are free) Parking is free.

We now also have York's Wild Kingdom. The regular admission is $16.25 for children and $21.25 for adults. The pass price is only $11.00These tickets can be used from Memorial Day to Labor Day. (children under 4 years old are $4.75 and sold at the gate) Parking is free.  This includes the zoo, shows, amusement rides etc.

 

Santa’s Village Discounts

Santa's Village

This season, we are offering 1/2 off admission or $12.  The regular admission is $24. per person; children ages 3 and younger are always free of charge.  This includes all the fun-filled rides and fabulous shows for the day.  If you arrive within 3 hours of closing, you are entitled to return any other day of the season--including Christmastime.

 

Coco Keys Water Resort discount

25% off for our families!

Please send me an e-mail for our online store link and password!

 

We always have the free pass for up to 6 people at

Stone Zoo

And

 Franklin Park Zoo!

 

Call Carla to reserve

for any day.

It’s an actual pass that needs to be picked up and returned

 

 
Check out our new blog!!!   http://capeanndss.blogspot.com/
 
Carla King
Foster Parent Recruiter
Department of Children and Families (formerly known as Dept Social Services)
Cape Ann Area Office
45 Congress Street, bldg #4
Salem, MA 01970
978-825-3862   direct DCF ext 33862
 

Training Canceled

 


The training on Making a good Transition--Saying Goodbye that was to be held at the Lynnfield Community Church on May 5th from 7pm-9pm will not be held.  Hopefully, we will schedule this training for our next calender year. 

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

info re: Clothing cuts

 
ok, looks like no one really looked at this! YES they are cutting 25% from clothing. My undertanding is that they will cut the August check.  So! Please read this! See what you can do!    
 

 

 Dear MAFF Board Members:

 

The House Ways and Means Committee released their fiscal year 2012 budget recommendations this week. The news for foster children and other kids and families in need of DCF assistance is not good.

 

Funding for DCF has been cut by more than $20 million from FY 11 levels bringing the cuts since FY 08 to nearly $60 million.

 

If allowed to stand- these cuts will mean  among other things, cutting one of the quarterly clothing allowances, a 25% reduction in coats, shoes, underwear etc…for foster children.

 

In addition, tution and fee waivers for DCF involved children to attend State Colleges and Universities is funded at less than half of what is needed for a full year

 

But it’s not over yet!

Representatives Fox, Donato, O’Day and Khan are taking the lead to sponsor two amendments; 1) to restore the quarterly clothing allowance 2) to fully fund the tuition and fee waiver.

 

Even with their strong advocacy, getting these amendments passed is going to be an uphill battle. To win it we need every Representative to hear from foster parents about why these supports are so vital to foster children.

 

Please spread the word and get people calling and e-mailing their Representatives today to ask them to sign on to co-sponsor the amendments filed by Representative Fox to 1) to restore the quarterly clothing allowance and 2) to fully fund the tuition and fee waiver. Representaives can continue to sign on up until the budget is finalized during the week of April 25th. For your reference a contact list for House members is attached.  

 

Not sure who your Representative is?

Go to: www.malegislature.gov/People/FindMyLegislator

 

Not sure what to say?

  • When you reach the Represenative or their aide, tell them your name and your address- knowing you live in their area is important to them.
  • Tell them that you are calling to ask them to sign on to amendments filed by Representative Fox to 1) restore the quarterly clothing allowance and 2) to fully fund the tuition and fee waiver.
  • Tell them why the amendments are needed.Talking points on the two issues which you will find below may be helpful to you in doing that.
  • Then make it personal to the lives of the kids who are or have been in your homes
  • If they have questions you can't answer, tell them you will get back to them and then do. Feel free to call if you need help finding the answer.
  • Close by thank them for their time and support
CLOTHING ALLOWANCE
A 25% cut to the clothing allowance for foster children goes too far!

 

  • We can’t cut our way out of the budget crunch by cutting clothing off the backs of foster kids!
 
  • Think about this: If a parent failed to adequately clothe their children and instead spent the money other things we would call that neglect. But when the Commonwealth fails to provide proper clothing for the foster kids they call it fiscal responsiblity.
 
  • As a foster parent I stand in for all of the responsible adults in Massachusetts who are collectively responsible for foster kids. Together, we, like all other parents have a legal responsibility to provide our children with the basics. Cutting food, clothing and shelter for foster kids must be OFF LIMITS! 

 What the 25% reduction means in terms of $$

 

Age

Current Yearly Clothing Allowance

Annual Clothing Allowance after

HWM cut of 25%

Clothing allowance  per month after

HWM cut of 25%

0-5

$428

$321

$26.75

6-11

$724

$543

$45.25

12-17

$1128

$846

$70.50

 

 

  • Most often kid’s arrive at foster homes with nothing.
  • Things wear out. When it comes to kids, stains, holes, tattered sleves and and worn shoe soles are a fact of life!
  • Kids Grow! Most go through 2-3 complete changes in clothing and shoe size each year.

A sampling of what clothing costs:

 

Baby

Diapers (box of 200) $40

Receiving Blankets  $15

Onesies 5 pack $7     

 Infant socks 8 pack: $10

Pajama set $12.99

Outfit   $10

Winter Coat $20        

Fleece Jacket $10 

 

 

5 year old Girl

Canvas Sneakers $15            

Flip-flops $5.00       

Underwear(pack of 5) $8

Underwear(pack of 5) $8

Girls swim suit $15

Tights $9

PJ set $10.00

Sweatshirt: $5

Tee shirt $ 6   

Light weight coat: $20            

Jeans: $13

Rain coat: $8  

Heavy jacket: $25

 

 

Teenage Boy

Sneakers $40 and up    

Outdoor Boots $30        

Underwear (9 pack) $12

Athletic Socks (6pack) $10

T-shirt 7.99

Polo Shirt $15

Jeans  $25 and up

Long sleeved Shirt $16

Sweatshirt $20

Fall Coat: $20

Winter Coat $40           

 

 

TUITION AND FEE WAIVERS            
We can't continue to ignore our obligation to help DCF involved kids to attend State Colleges and Universities. These are public schools and no one deserves the chance they provide more than a kid in DCF care.

  •  Full waiver of tuition and fees at state colleges for youth who age out of the care of the Department of Children and Families (DCF), are adopted from DCF care or are under DCF sponsored guardianship was approved by the legislature and signed into law by the Governor in 2008. To date full funding for this waiver has never been provided.

 

  • Broken promises made by adults are a fact of life for most DCF youth. But let's show them that some adults do keep their word by keeping our promise to help these youth get the education they need and deserve!

 

  • Tuition and fee waiver programs for other deserving individuals have been fully funded. This tells foster youth that they are not as valuable as others in the state.

 

  • Every parent knows that our kids continue to need help for years after they turn 18. Kid’s who age out of DCF don’t have a parent to turn to. So we as a community need to step up to provide them with basic assistance to get the education they need to stay on a path to becoming healthy productive adults and eventually capable parents.  

 

  • The amount of funding provided has supported 1 semester per year per child. As a result, any child without alternative sources of support has been forced to prolong college over additional years, some have abandoned the idea of college as viable option for them.

 

  • Attendance at a post secondary school is one of the most reliable predictors of a productive and successful adulthood. If we don’t support these youth now we will need to support them later and at a far greater financial and social cost

 

 
 
 
Nancy L. Allen Scannell
Director of Policy and Planning
MSPCC
99 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02110
(P) 617-587-1510 (F) 617-587-1584
 
*This email message and any files transmitted with it may contain personal health information and/or other confidential information, which may be legally privileged and is intended only for the person(s) to whom this e-mail message is addressed. If you have received this e-mail message in error, please notify the sender immediately by telephone or e-mail and destroy the original message without making a copy. Thank you.*

Training May 3rd

Jeanine Fitzgerald will be presenting "Different children - Different Needs" 
Lawrence Regional office on May 3 from 10-12 pm
her website is titled the betterbehaviorbureau.com for more info.
 
Please RSVP to Carol Casey ccasey@MSPCC.ORG
 
 
 
 
 
Check out our new blog!!!   http://capeanndss.blogspot.com/
 
Carla King
Foster Parent Recruiter
Department of Children and Families (formerly known as Dept Social Services)
Cape Ann Area Office
45 Congress Street, bldg #4
Salem, MA 01970
978-825-3862   direct DCF ext 33862
 

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Free training on Helping Children with Challenging Behavior

 


Hi everyone! MSPCC and Adoptive Families Together are thrilled to be able to offer an exciting, educational and FREE Training by the THINK:KIDS program at Massachusetts General Hospital on Monday, May 9, 2011 from 9:30am-12:30pm. Please see below for details and please register early!  

 

Lori Baeumler

Program Coordinator for Adoptive Families Together, Kid's Net and KInnections

MSPCC 157 Green St. Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Phone 617-983-5800 or 617-587-1522

Fax 617-983-5840

lbaeumler@mspcc.org   

www.mspcc.org

 

 

 

 

 

Think Differently: A New Approach for Understanding and Helping Children with Challenging Behavior

Richard B. Simches Research CenterMassachusetts General Hospital

185 Cambridge Street • 3rd Floor Auditorium • Boston, MA.

Monday, May 9th, 2011

9:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M.

 

This workshop is open to professionals and parents served by MSPCC and its affiliates.

 Funding for this training was made possible by a grant from

The Jason Hayes Foundation

 

Description of Workshop:

This three hour workshop provides an overview of the approach described in the book: Treating Explosive Kids: The Collaborative Problem Solving Approach. The innovative, evidence based approach provides a new way of understanding and helping these kids. Challenging behavior has traditionally been thought of as willful and goal oriented. This has led to approaches that focus on motivating greater compliance through the use of consequences. Think:Kids has some very different ideas about why these kids struggle. Research over the past 30 years, demonstrates that for the majority of these kids, their challenges result from a lack of crucial thinking skills. Our approach focuses on identifying and teaching the specific lacking skills that account for each child’s struggles. The latter is accomplished largely through helping children and adults learn to solve problems and resolve disputes collaboratively and in a mutually satisfactory manner. 

 

The workshop will provide an overview of the approach, provide resources for further study and suggest some ways adults can begin to shift their thinking and approach to foster positive relationships with these children and encourage growth in areas of flexibility, frustration tolerance and problem solving.

           

WORKSHOP AGENDA

9:00-9:30

Registration

9:30-10:15

Philosophy and the Power of Conventional Wisdom

10:15-10:45

Pathways to Challenging Behavior: Identifying Triggers and Lagging Thinking Skills

10:45-11:00

Break

11:15-11:30

The Plans: Your Three Options for Responding to Problems Break

11:30-12:15

Plan B: Solving Problems and Teaching Skills Collaboratively

12:15-12:30

Question and Answer/Further Resources

 

  WORKSHOP DETAILS

Questions

Lori Baeumler (MSPCC) at: lbaeumler@MSPCC.org, or

Beth Edelstein (Think:Kids) at: BEdelstein@thinkkids.org, 617-643-9331.

 

Location

3rd Floor Auditorium, Richard B. Simches Research Center, located in Charles River Plaza, 185 Cambridge Street, Boston, with easy access to the Commuter Rail (North Station), MBTA Green or Orange Line (North Station) or the MBTA Red Line (Charles St).

Parking

Parking in the Charles River Plaza is costly (about $28). The North Station Garage offers daily rates of $20, with a short walk (5-10 minutes) to the Richard B. Simches Research Center. Exit garage and make your way (up Lomasney or Causeway St.) to Staniford Street. Just past 50 Staniford, turn right onto O’Connell Rd and bear left for the covered walkway for access to the Charles River Plaza. Turn right when coming out of the walkway and the building will be on your right, just past the CVS. Go to: http://boston.bestparking.com/index.php#1 to check rates at other area garages.


Think Differently: A New Approach for Understanding and Helping Children with Challenging Behavior

Richard B. Simches Research CenterMassachusetts General Hospital

185 Cambridge Street • 3rd Floor Auditorium • Boston, MA.

Monday, May 9th, 2011

9:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M.

 

WORKSHOP REGISTRATION

 

Please fax completed form to 617-643-9715,

email to BEdelstein@thinkkids.org,

or mail to:

Beth Edelstein

Director Outreach and Support

Think:Kids

101 Merrimac Street, Suite 250

Boston, MA. 02114

 

 

(Please print clearly and use a separate form for multiple registrants)

 

Name:___________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

I will be attending as a: (check all those that apply):              ___ Parent   ___ Clinician  

                                                                                                                    Other____________________________________

 

Position/Title (if applicable):_____________________________________________________________________________

 

Organization Name (if applicable): ______________________________________________________________________

 

Address:________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

City:___________________________________________State:_________________Zip:___________________

 

Email:________________________________________ Phone:_______________________________________

                               

 

Funding for this training was provided by

 The Jason Hayes Foundation

www.jasonhayesfoundation.org

 

Think:Kids

101 Merrimac Street, Suite 250, Boston, MA, 02114

www.thinkkids.org • 617-643-6030

 

*This email message and any files transmitted with it may contain personal health information and/or other confidential information, which may be legally privileged and is intended only for the person(s) to whom this e-mail message is addressed. If you have received this e-mail message in error, please notify the sender immediately by telephone or e-mail and destroy the original message without making a copy. Thank you.*