Family Support

CHS Pride Day

2011-02-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

Join us as we celebrate our very first Center for Human Services' Pride Day...

As part of this new tradition, each department at CHS was challenged to compete against each other -in a very fun, healthy way, of course!

The department that showed the best CHS spirit will win a "pizza or doughnut party".

We, at Family Support, got our thinking caps on and started coming up with fun, crazy, interesting and exciting ideas to show our BLUE love for CHS.

A piñata from the ADMIN Department

At the Shoreline Family Support Center

Yummy blue treats.

We've always known there are many talented people in our centers, and today is proof of it, poems, songs, and a new ode were written by some of our Family Support Staff:

ODE TO CHS

Oh, CHS your grand halls echo far

With tales of your greatness

Heard from Shoreline to Qatar

We see it in your logo

That people circle grand:

Where one and all can come

And proudly they may stand

For freedom, yes for freedom

And a dose of justice, too,

For youth and family services

For the logo -white and blue

And when I look around

And see that Northshore's doin' stella-

I know that I can thank

A certain mom-to-be: Borella!

It always seems to buzz

With busyness at Shoreline

But without Tanya's leadership

We'd weep and wail and whine

But how do these two managers

Work hard and still stay sane?

Only by the grace of God

-And their supervisor: Jane!-

This does but scratch the surface

Of CHS it's true

For if I were to tell of

All the things we see and do-

Why we'd be here till midnight

So I think this is my cue

To end the ode and give my praise

To its employees - YOU!

We will be sharing more pictures soon, until then...

CELEBRATE THE BLUE SPIRIT!!

Looking for ways to support your community?

2010-12-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

Look no further!

Do you remember when you were young(er)? Doing homework was very challenging at times, right?

"I remember when I was young and my parents were working all the time, I needed help with homework, I couldn't do it by myself, so instead I gave up..." Those are words that unfortunately we have heard many times, but today we have the chance to make a difference and help kids be successful...

The Northshore Family Center and the Shoreline Family Support Center are looking for volunteers for our afterschool programs at two King County Housing Authority communities.

These programs help support students in 1st through 12th grade with their homework assignments; volunteers are role models who help the kids not just with their homework but with building strong character and promoting healthy boundaries.

In order to provide stability for the students in the program, volunteers are asked to commit to the duration of the school year or at least six months. Although this may seem like a long-term commitment, every minute spent with these kids are definitely worth it. Volunteers must be over 15 years in order to apply.

No experience is necessary! We provide training for interested individuals.

There are two locations to choose from:

Ballinger Homes (Shoreline): Mondays / Tuesdays/ Wednesdays / Thursdays, 3:30pm-6:30pm

Green Leaf Apartments (Kenmore): Tuesdays / Thursdays, 3:30pm-6:30pm

Make a difference!

Take the step!

Contact Paola Noel at 206.631.8886 or pnoel@chs-nw.org for more information.

Apply today!

Santa Claus comes to Shoreline!

2010-12-17T17:01:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, December 11th, a volunteer group from Lake Forest Park Presbyterian Church hosted an event for families to get a free photo taken with Santa Claus. An estimated 55 children and their parents/caregivers spent the afternoon together decorating cookies, making picture frames and jewlery, playing together and celebrating the holidays!

Thank you to the following people who put so much time and effort into preparing and providing this special event for the Shoreline Family Support Center.

Pat Phillips * Nathan Satko * RJ Johnson * Alex Johnston * Georgia Harlowe * Chuck Harlowe * Judy Marshall * Dave Scott * Jeff Johnson * Stacie Johnson * Nancy Ekrem * Vance Ekrem * Matt Johnston * Michelle Johnston * Dale Sutton * Monica Scott * Kathryn Scott

A Thanksgiving Thank You

2010-12-01T13:56:00.000-08:00

The Shoreline Family Support Center would like to thank the Lake Forest Park Rotary Club for their support in providing food baskets for 12 families residing at Ballinger Homes, a King County Housing Authority complex, on November 20th.

The Lake Forest Park Rotary provided food baskets full of items from canned and dry goods to fresh produce. The Rotary spent nearly $1700 of their club funds on this project, however, just as they partnered with the center to reach the families, the Rotary partnered with Grocery Outlet of Kenmore and Great Harvest Bread Co. in Lake Forest Park to fill these baskets.

The Grocery Outlet of Kenmore provided the Rotary with a generous discount towards their purchase, as well as supported their effort with monetary donations on behalf of the store and the owners.

Great Harvest Bread Co. donated 30 loaves of their freshly baked bread to be added to the baskets.

We want to thank all the partners involved in this project, and recognize that this is an example of when people collaborate and work together, wonderful things can happen. The Center for Human Services and the Family Support Department is so grateful to be a part of such a generous and caring community.

Barnes & Noble Bookfair

2010-11-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

Purchase a book from Barnes & Noble and 10 - 20 % of the proceeds will go to support our family centers*

When: Friday, November 26 - Sunday, November 28

In store: Present ID #10319499 prior to making your purchase at any Barnes and Noble store.

Online: www.bn.com/bookfairs, click on "start shopping now" and enter ID #10319499 at checkout

Money raised will help our family centers purchase supplies for Play & Learn groups and after-school programs.

Last year, with your help, we raised $2,403.48! Our goal for this year is to raise $5,000. Please join us in our effort and spread the word to your friends and family.

Thank you to the Woodinville Barnes and Noble for sponsoring this fundraiser.

*The purchase of gift cards, Barnes & Noble memberships, textbooks, magazine subscriptions, video games, purchases made at Cafes owned and operated by Starbucks, and other items Barnes & Noble may excluded from time to time in its sole discretion are not eligible for bookfair sales. Institutional discounts may not be applied. See BN.COM/bookfairs for more details and to shop online.

Sibshop

2010-10-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

Last week Northwest Special Families hosted the first Sibshop event of the school year. Sibshops are opportunities for elementary-aged brothers and sisters of children with special needs to come together in a fun environment to receive support and education.

NSF has facilitated Sibshops in the Northshore School District since 2006. During that time, dozens of students have gathered regularly at Woodmoor Elementary to play games, participate in fun activities, and reflect on their experiences living with a brother or sister with special needs.

25 students in kindergarten through sixth grade attended last week's Sibshop. An additional four students, teenagers who had attended Sibshop in previous years, volunteered to lead the kids in activities and reflection.

One activity at this Sibshop was a series of 'disability awareness' stations, where the students participated in activities designed to help them understand what it feels like to live with certain disabilities. Kids tried out a wheelchair and crutches, wrote messages in braille, and tried to walk a straight line while their vision was obscured. At a station designed to imitate fine motor delays, children put on large rubber gloves and then tried to button a shirt or tie shoes. Several students made comments like, "This must be how my sister feels when I touch her. Now I understand why she is uncomfortable." and "My brother has a disability like this." Participants also watched a video panel and read books featuring kids with disabilities, participated in an interview about the highlights of Sibshops, ate dinner and played together. Several kids and volunteers remarked that this was the 'BEST Sibshop ever!'

Two more Sibshops will be held this school year: one in February and one in April. For more information visit NSF's website at www.northwestspecialfamilies.org or register on their Big Tent site: www.bigtent.com/groups/nsfgroup.

NSF changes its name!

2010-10-13T16:10:00.000-07:00

In order to better reflect the community we serve, Northshore Special Families’ name is changing to Northwest Special Families. As we have expanded in the past couple years, NSF is serving more and more families from Shoreline, Lake Washington, and other school districts in addition to Northshore. This name will allow us to keep the same acronym but also be inclusive of all of our participants.

Northwest Special Families is a parent-led community of families with children with special needs; we offer supported social opportunities for children and families in North King and South Snohomish counties. NSF hosts family dinners and outings, Special Santa, Sibshops, Mom’s Spa Nights, and the Can Do 5K/10K. For information on programs and how to get involved, check out the Northwest Special Families web site.

Northwest Special Families is a program of the Family Support Department.

Celebrating Day of Caring

2010-10-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

United Way "Day of Caring" has been without a doubt one of the most successful volunteer events at the Northshore Family Center.

Why?

Because of the great people that make it happen.

One of the many teams from Microsoft chose NFC to carry on this year's Day of Caring. Our project: Back to School Cleaning.

On Friday, September 24th, over 15 individuals, almost six hours of hard work, and lots of fun came together to celebrate another year of volunteerism.

To start the day, our dear Jane baked yummy muffins for everyone to enjoy. But we can't have pastries without a nice, warm cup of coffee, right? Well, Starbucks -Bothell, supported this event by donating coffee; we couldn't have had a better start!

Everyone was ready to start working. They got their gear on; there was not a task too big or too small for them. When supplies were short, they even jumped in and went shopping. From cleaning, to weeding, to painting, to scraping... Well, I think I will let the pictures speak for themselves...

Re-painting the front railings and lamp posts

Fixing our mailbox

Fixing the railing for the wheelchair ramp

Re-painting the outside painting area

Lunch time: Qdoba does it again! Rice, black beans, chicken, all part of a Mexican fiesta!

Time for lunch!

Cleaning the backyard toys

Sanitizing toys in the Children's Room

Disinfecting blocks

Pulling weeds

The lamp post (it's so beautiful)

A picture is worth a thousand words!

If one person can make a difference, you should see what this team did!

The Northshore Family Center team wants to thank:

Home Depot -Bothell- for their kind donation, once again they have supported us with supplies to make this a successful event.

Starbucks -Bothell- for keeping us warm during this rainy day with their coffee.

Qdoba Mexican Grill -Woodinville- for the delicious food that made everyone happy (and full).

Special thanks to the Microsoft team led by Anne Marie Mason.

Thank you everyone who made this a fun day of volunteerism!

Thank you for supporting your community!

A Big Thank You to Everyone Who Helped Make Summer Explorers 2010 a Great Success!

2010-08-23T16:30:00.001-07:00

We ended another great season of Summer Explorers day camp last week with a Talent Show starring many talented Explorers, a sunny fieldtrip to Matthews Beach, and a potluck celebration with lots of delicious food and fun for the whole family!

Summer Explorers would not be possible without the help of many caring volunteers and community members.

The Vineyard Community Church, Calvin Presbyterian Church, and Bethel Lutheran Church provided lunches for 52+ kids and volunteers during the 6 weeks of programming. Thanks to their generosity the kids ate healthy and nutritious sandwiches, fruit, vegetables and juice every day of camp! Eating a full meal helps the kids to focus on their class projects and activities, and by choosing the food and packing it up for us, the church members help free up staff time so we can be ready with lots of fun and enriching activities. Thank you so much!St. Mark's Catholic Church provided tasty snacks in the mornings and afternoons. Yogurt, granola bars and grapes helped the kids get a good start when they arrived at 9am, and chips, crackers and otter pops were a fun way to end the day. Thank you St. Mark's!

LMN Architects donated over 30 carpet squares, which we put to good use for a Carpet Corner in the 2nd-4th grade classroom, and many rousing games of "Musical Carpet Squares". Thank you LMN!
This year at Summer Explorers we were joined by 3 Teaching Interns who prepared lesson plans and activities for morning classroom time and worked hard to create cohesive, exciting and fun classroom learning environments. They helped their students keep their minds sharp with reading, writing, math and academic projects so that they will be able to start school next week ready to hit the ground running. Thank you to Margy Newton, Talya Bartlett, and Devin Engledew!Summer Explorers is staffed by only one employee, and relies heavily on the help of many dedicated and enthusiastic volunteer Counselors. These volunteers donate their time and energy many hours every week to provide leadership, mentoring, supervision and friendship to our kids. We truly would not be able to provide high quality programming without the commitment of these wonderful volunteers & interns.

A big thank you to all of our Counselors!
Hannah Cylkowski
Brittney Micheletti
Michelle Terry
Moira Otaga
Miranda Pollard
Neha Sharma
Luisa Zapata
Kathryn Bailey
Kristen Allison
Kelsey Green
John Aaron
Raquel Stratton

Thank you so much to all the volunteers and community members who contributed to make Summer Explorers 2010 a high quality summer program for the kids, and a lot of fun for everyone!

Adventures of a summer camp

2010-08-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

Many exciting adventures have been happening at Northshore's Summer Camp.

Jennifer Gaudinier, our Family Support Specialist who facilitates this program, made sure that everyone had a great time - everyone: not just participants, but our interns as well as our volunteers... many hours of planning, making phone calls, running from one place to another, it all came together in this unforgettable Camp Adventure.

The first session's theme was "Animal Kingdom". All the kids had the opportunity to choose an animal and learn about it; raccoons, mice, cheetahs, bears and many more members of the animal kingdom were part of these fun three weeks. The children created animals out of clay and built habitats for them.

Oh... the field trips... So many different places {The Seattle International Fountain, the Seattle Public Library, Pacific Science Center, just to name a few} and of course you can guess where they went to end the first session: Woodland Park Zoo, of course!

Although we had many hands-on activities, academics were also part of our curriculum, and yes, the kids did like it; they did not even notice they were learning because of all the fun they were having. Something that I have learned while working here at the Northshore Family Center is that when kids are given choices, they enjoy themselves more. However, these kids did have a difficult time deciding what to play when we gave them the opportunity to choose between:

Pictionary,

Math War, and

Math around the world

By popular demand, Pictionary it was for the older kids, and so while they were playing that, the younger ones were practicing math... {if you haven't played "Math around the world" yet; friend, let me tell you: You are missing a great opportunity to get your child to work on math, practice patience, and be respectful as for this game everyone has wait until it is their turn}.

Second session's theme: All About Water

Experiments, bubbles, sprinkles, beach, everything that you could possibly imagine. The kids learned many things about water....

Wow! How much can you do with water!

Our Summer Camp Adventure was fun, safe, and such a healthy environment, and we couldn't have done it if it wasn't because of all the help we received from:

Eastside Foursquare Church for letting us use their space for the camp

Bothell United Methodist Church for providing lunch (once again) for our hungry kids and

Northshore Baptist Church for letting us use their space to do our water adventures

Woodland Park Zoo for providing the zoo tickets

All the volunteers who donated their time and care for our children

Both of our interns for being so dedicated, responsible, an amazing

Jennifer Gaudinier for leading such a fantastic Adventure

And many more who made this Summer Camp possible!

Thank you!

Summer Staff Meeting in Blythe Park

2010-07-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

The Northshore Family Center staff gathered for a staff meeting last week in Bothell's beautiful Blythe Park. Each staff member was given the assignment to bring an activity to share with the team that she has used with her groups or in the workplace this summer. Everyone rose to the challenge, sharing arts and crafts activities, photo collages, work samples and much, much more.

Jane Shumway, one of our Play & Learn facilitators, led the team in making pine cone bird feeders to hang up in the family center's back yard.

Jennifer Gaudinier, our Out-of-School Time specialist, and Betsy Wade, our Teens in Public Service intern, shared a photo collage of the animal and habitat project from their first three weeks of summer camp.

Analilia Garcia, our Lead Children's Programming Specialist, shared an art activity she uses with children in child care to encourage them to talk about their emotions.

We shared food and drink, reflected on the first half of a successful summer quarter, and relaxed together in the sun. Staff meetings don't get much better than this!

Summer Explorers Gets Off to a Great Start!

2010-07-13T16:50:00.000-07:00

Summer Explorers 2010 got off to a great start last week, and we are proud to announce the addition of 3 excellent Teaching Interns to our team. Our "Classroom Time" has been expanded to 2 hours every Tuesday & Thursday morning, and our Teaching Interns lead their classes through a variety of fun and engaging academic enrichment activities that keep our students learning through the summer months.

Margy Newton & Talya Bartlett, students of Western Washington University, are team-teaching the 2nd-4th grade classroom. Last week Ms. Margy and Ms. Talya taught their class how to choose a book at the appropriate reading level, how to build characters for a story, and led them through a discussion about respect.

At the head of our 5th-8th grade classroom is Devin Engledew, a recent graduate of the Seattle University Masters in Teaching program. Mr. E, as he is known to the kids, started off the summer with lots of fun activities related to reading, writing, and critical thinking. His class also discussed what it means to show each other respect, and prepared for our Thursday fieldtrip to the Experience Music Project.

Our first fieldtrip of the summer just happened to be on a 92 degree day. As we boarded the bus, we were all happy to be headed to an air conditioned building. We enjoyed the exhibits, and the Sci/Fi Museum was a particular favorite. We weren't allowed to use flash, so unfortunately you can't see the happy faces of our Explorers standing right next to the original R2D2!

The "Sound Lab" was a popular location for our students, who spent over an hour trying out various instruments, playing with sound equipment, and jamming together.

We got back to the Vineyard a little early, and kept cool in the heat the old fashioned way - with some popsicles and a hose.

Everyone went home on Thursday tired and happy, and looking forward to continuing our adventures in the coming weeks.

Mobilize to Meet Community Needs

2010-06-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

One of our roles as Family Support professionals is to advocate with families for services and systems that are fair, responsive, and accountable. We work to mobilize formal and informal resources to support family development. We invite you to join us in our efforts to make sure that activities like Play & Learn, Healthy Start, afterschool programs and English classes are available for children, youth and adults in our neighborhoods.

What can you do?

1) Be an advocate. Call or email your city of Shoreline, Bothell and Kenmore council members and thank them for funding CHS Family Centers. Contact City of Woodinville council members and ask them to fund CHS Family Centers. Contact your King County council members and ask them to preserve funding for human services.
2) Donate your time. Volunteers are essential to the work that we do. In the last year 886 people gave 8,108 hours of service to the CHS Family Support centers. You can join them by contacting our volunteer coordinators, Jamil (jakram@chs-nw.org for the Shoreline area) or Paola (pnoel@chs-nw.org for the Northshore area).
3) Donate money. You can donate here. If you want your donation to go directly to one of our family centers, please specify this when filling out the donation form.

CHS Staff attend Mobilizing to Meet Our Community Needs event on June 18th

Third Annual FAMMY Awards

2010-06-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

Each year our department gives awards to Family Support staff to celebrate their unique qualities and skills. The awards are medals made out of paper plates, and decorated to reflect the characteristics of each employee we are celebrating. On June 14, 2010, we celebrated the third annual FAMMY awards during our quarterly staff retreat.

And the winners are...

Rachel Clark - Boom!
Jamil Akram - Transformer
Morgan Moore - Indicator Integrator
Brooke Janmohamed - Dream Catcher
Karina Woodruff - Community Connector
Zabiullah Kakar - Baby Whisperer

Silvia Calvillo - Maestra of Many
Peter McCuskey - Sports Authority
Velia Lara - Crazy Career
Rand Goldman - Surprise!
Jennifer Gaudinier - Courage
Guita Baldwin - A Little of Everything
Teresa Cacho - Growing Up

Paola Noel - Volunteer Networking
Jane Shumway - Fountain of Knowledge
Maira Shafiei - Task Master
Analilia Garcia - Lider en Promover su Idioma
Habiba Shah - Loving Leadership
Amina Salah - Giving Voice
Cori Hagen - Ring Master

Jane Hinton - Visionary Leader
Tamara Piwen - Pilot
Tanya Schaeffer - Self Awareness
Rachel Borella - Building a Culture of Appreciation
Vani Limaye - Systems Thinker

Spring Volunteers at the Northshore Family Center

2010-06-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to know that our spring quarter is over, sad perhaps I should say, since it is so much fun to be around all of our participants. I don't want to forget the excitement we feel when we get volunteers eager to learn and make a difference in their community. This quarter we had the privilege of collaborating with students from Cascadia Community College and University of Washington -Bothell as part as part of their service learning. It's a little difficult for us to see them go...

Part of the final project the students do is a presentation which consists in talking about our services, what they've learned, and a reflection of the overall experience. They invited me to their presentation and I was just amazed by how much these students took from our programs. They spoke of the center as if it was THEIR job, and about what a great experience it was to be part of the Northshore Family Center.

Kjirsty Day, Alicia Morford, and Yuiho Walker during their

final reflection at Cascadia Community College.

Here are some of the thoughts that volunteers shared with us...

"I started Volunteering at the Northshore Family Center for a class project as part of social inequality class at Cascadia C.C. I participated in the after-school program. The program was still very new and there was many things about it that were still being worked out. The thing that impacted me most was when I would see improvement in the kids attitude towards the program and towards each other. Since the very start of my volunteer service I watch the kids gradually become more comfortable with the volunteers and really open up to us and allow us to help them where we could. It was a great experience to be able to provide service to these kids and for them to come back and teach us -volunteers- something as well. The kids were able to teach me that it is more important to feel like a family, where everyone belongs, to be "cool" or just hang out with friends and create strong relationships. I will be able to go back to class now and take back the knowledge that these kids have taught me. I feel more comfortable with my multicultural communication skill that I have developed with these kids and I want to continue to learn more about interacting with people across cultures and eliminate some of the boundaries our society presents. Overall, volunteering with Northshore Family Center was a great experience." -Hannah Gastineau

"A beautiful transformation is going on at Green Leaf Apartments this year under the thoughtful guidance of Jennifer Gaudinier. There is a wide range of ages and strong personalities of some of the older students and Jennifer knew that applying structure, boundaries, and incentives, building positive relationships, would make that program a great place to be at. There are healthy snacks to relish, help to be had with homework, educational games and good books to enjoy together, engaging crafts to bring out creativity, and even --the true test-- outside games to practice civility and cooperation. The best part is that the students are learning to respect each other, relate positively with adults, and even the youngest have their voices heard in group discussions. My favorite thing was seeing one of the older boys show his soft side to one of the little preschool girls as she was trying to write something on the board and he was wanting to be of help. I honestly believe these students are being exposed to some life-changing values, and are learning how very valued each one of them is. It's a beautiful thing!" -Lee Ann Oswald

And...our tradition continues...the "Volunteer of the Quarter" title goes to...Sherri Morse!!

During the time Sherri has been with us, she has worn many hats! She volunteered at the Afterschool Connections Program at Green Leaf Community Apartments, and was also part of our new Northshore Family Committee, and helped in the planning of the Children's Day celebration. She also volunteered to wear the bee costume, and greet people as they came in the door. Sherri is always so positive and is now one of our participants in our Play & Learn group with her beautiful daughter. All of us here thank Sherri for being such a great asset to this team, she is definitely an example of leadership to all of us!

If you are interested in volunteering at the Northshore Family Center, please call Paola Noel at 206.631.8886 or email at pnoel@chs-nw.org.

Know Your Rights Workshop at Northshore Family Center

2010-05-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, May 26th, representatives from Global Justice Law Group visited the Northshore Family Center to share information about immigrants' rights and immigration law with members of the community.

Response to the 'Know Your Rights' workshop was overwhelming. Within two days of sending out a flier for the workshop, we had over 50 people call to RSVP. More than 30 adults attended the workshop, participating by sharing their experiences and asking in-depth questions. Experienced immigration attorney Karol Brown and law intern Mary Beth Leeper shared information with the participants for over two hours and answered many specific questions.

We realize the immigration climate in Western Washington is more complicated than ever, with participants sharing a wealth of stories involving racial profiling, discriminatory practices, and illegal questioning during routine traffic stops. As United States immigration policy becomes a frequent and heated topic in the news and in our communties, this is an excellent time to advocate for reform.

We will be holding a second Know Your Rights workshop in Spanish at the Northshore Family Center on Wednesday, August 5th, at 6:30pm. If you're interested in attending, call 425-205-2004 to reserve your spot.

If you're interested in learning more about advocating for immigration rights and reform, check out the American Immigration Lawyers Association: http://www.aila.org/content/default.aspx?docid=19886 .

To learn more about Global Justice Law Group and their work in our community, visit their web site at http://globaljusticelaw.wordpress.com/.

Husky Smiles

2010-05-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

At the Shoreline Family Support Center, on Saturday May 22nd, a crew of University of Washington School of Dentistry students and their professor showed up with toothbrushes and floss in hand to conduct free dental screenings and optional flouride treatments for children 6 months - 12 years old.

The students carefully inspected their mouths, flashlight and all!

Some children had their teeth painted! A tiny paintbrush giving them a flouride treatment to protect their pearly whites.

Everyone got a lesson in proper teeth brushing technique. Whether by watching a dental student demonstrate on a set of large fake teeth....

...or observing brushing their own teeth in front of a mirror.

And who can forget the importantance of flossing. A dinosaur puppet's chomping teeth were the perfect way to practice.

We want to thank the Husky Smiles program for sharing with us the importance of oral health care. The Shoreline Family Support Center is proud to collaborate with the University of Washington's School Dentistry to provide this program and in turn support the education of these future dentists.

A total of 32 children left the Shoreline Family Support Center that day with shiny pearly white smiles!!

Spring Fun with TNT (Teen Night Tuesdays)

2010-05-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

TNT is an early teen group for youth in 6th, 7th and 8th grades. We meet Tuesday nights for an hour and a half to share a meal together, play games, and have conversations about important issues. Occasionally we have fun guests drop by, and go on exciting fieldtrips.

Last month the Ballinger BAT group visited us to lead some activities and help our kids develop their own Spoken Word poems, After some free-writing and working together in small groups, each team got up to share their work with everyone else. The poems were very impressive, and it was great to see the kids come together as a group.

Last month an exciting dance group called The Good Foot visited to teach us some break-dance moves.
Last week TNT got to take an exciting fieldtrip to see a Sounders soccer match at Qwest field. Sadly, the Sounders didn't win, but between the marching band, the excitement of being at a professional game, and the all-you-can-eat hot dogs, we all had a wonderful time.

TNT is jointly run by the Shoreline Family Support Center, Ballinger site staff, and Turning Point.

Pajama Party Read-Ins with Play & Learn and Afterschool Adventures

2010-05-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

The Shoreline Family Support Center was also a recipient of the Page Ahead grant, and last week our Play & Learn facilitators came up with lots of fun and creative ways to get kids thinking about literacy and having fun with books. Monday - Friday Play & Learn groups became a pajama party, complete with kids of all sizes in their favorite pajamas, treats for snack, reading time with caregivers, and lots of games and activities incorporating letters and words.

Letters floating in the sensory table provided a slippery and tactile way to play with the alphabet.

Large, brightly colored magnetic letters attracted a lot of attention and creativity.

Don't forget to get your whole body involved! Alphabet hopscotch was a bit hit.

Pajama Party week brings the whole team together - our SFSC Manager Tanya helps out with the book giveaway, as each child gets to choose a brand new book to take home.

Reading together is a wonderful way to build imagination and help kids develop a love of books.

The kids at Afterschool Adventures got to join in the fun as well. Book Bingo, pajamas & comfy reading forts, popcorn & hot chocolate, and of course a book to take home!

Getting cozy with books...

A big thank you to Page Ahead for all the great books!

Northshore's Reading Party

2010-05-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and community partners!

Recently, a reading party took place at the Northshore Family Center (and our other Family Support sites) thanks to a grant from Page Ahead, a local non-profit organization that partners with community organizations like ours to provide developmentally appropriate, brand new books to children who might not otherwise have access to them.

This event was a way for us to encourage reading in both the parents/caregivers and the children. Our theme was "Pajama Read-In Party", and of course, we all got to wear our pajamas (that was unusually fun); but not to mix bedtime with reading please! We just wanted to make the room and the atmosphere comfortable enough for the kids to read and be read to. We wanted to share with everyone how much we love reading and how easy it is to find a cozy place where you can read with your child at home.

"The more that you read, the more things you will know.

The more that you learn, the more places you'll go".

Dr. Seuss

Afterschool Connections was way too much fun to watch. Very interesting things can happen when kids read books; they want to play with words, their imagination flows, and they become more creative. Nathan and Natasha were playing with words that they had just read in a book. Others were quietly doing their homework inside the tents.

Watching Jasmine and Maria read and do their homework made the staff want to stop working and start reading! How much fun did we have!

Anthony with a volunteer working on his homework, getting ready to read some "scary" stories.

Sherri, a Play & Learn participant, couldn't help but crawl into the tent to read with Payton.

Yeni and Giselle enjoy listening to Jonathan read to them.

At the end of each program, every child received a book of their choice. There were lots of books to choose from; each child was so happy to get a book to take home.

Read with your child; it will make a difference in his or her life.

Thank you, Page Ahead, for making this event possible.

Celebrating Our 2009 Northshore Champions

2010-05-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

A Tea Party to celebrate Joseph Leonard and April Carl

Northshore Family Center has been a part of the Bothell Community for over five years, and during that time we have worked with many volunteers and community partners. These individuals and groups have done an extraordinary job of supporting our programs.

In 2008, Northshore Family Center started a new celebration to highlight some of these outstanding volunteers with the title of 'Northshore Champions'.

When it was time for us to choose our 2009 Northshore Champions, it wasn't a difficult decision to make. Everyone agreed that the founder of Baby Corner, April Carl, and our loyal English for Latinos teacher, Joe Leonard, should be the chosen ones. We planned a Tea Party to celebrate both of them; everyone wanted to take part in this event and brought lots of yummy treats to share.

Here is Rachel Borella, Program Manager for the Northshore Family Center, presenting the awards to Joe and April. During the event we were visited by Bothell Reporter' Andy Nystrom, who took some pictures that are now available on their website.

The Northshore Family Center wants to thank Joe and April for their hard work and always-contagious enthusiasm. This community would not be the same without you.

Thank you!

Celebrando el Día Del Niño

2010-05-03T16:38:00.001-07:00

Una vez más el Centro Familiar de Northshore reune a familias para celebrar el Día Del Niño. Esta es una celebración Hispana en el que familias, escuelas, y muchas organizaciones celebran a los niños y niñas con fiestas, regalos, piñatas, sorpresitas, y muchas actividades infantiles.

Niños y niñas llegaban a disfrutar de una tarde llena de actividades dedicada solo para ellos y organizadas por los miembros del Comitee Familiar de Northshore: Teresa Cacho, Nora Lopez, Sherri Morse, Lourdes Hernandez, Victoria Daza, y con la colaboración de un sinnumero de participantes y la ayuda del personal del Centro Familiar. La celebración se llevó a cabo el Viernes, 30 de Abril, y estuvo llena de juegos, comida, y muchísima diversión.

La abejita daba la bienvenida a todos los invitados, muy contentos los pequeñines se acercaban a saludarla.

En cuanto se registraban, los niños tenían la oportunidad de elegir un huevito que contenía una sorpresa: chocolates o un ticket para un premio! Fue bien divertido ver las caras de los niños cuando les tocaba un premio y más aún cuando encontraban chocolates y premio juntos!

Para empezar los niños decoraban su bolsita de regalo, por supuesto que los más chiquititos necesitaban de la ayuda de mamá...

Los regalitos dentro de las bolsas fueron donados por Wells Fargo y muchas otras personas que quisieron aportar a este evento especial.

Cuando a un niño le dan la oportunidad de usar su imaginación, las probabilidades son imaginables! A ellos les encanta hacer cosas por si solos, y nuestro trabajo es apoyarlos, permitiendoles a ellos ser creativos; usando los medios proveídos ellos pueden crear maravillas!

Tantos niños y adultos pasaron una tarde divertida en compañía de amistades y familias. Compartiendo platillos, participando en los juegos, rompiendo la piñata, decorando las bolsitas de regalos, fué sin lugar a duda una celebración para toda la familia de el Centro Familiar de Northshore.

Creating Excellence in Early Childhood Continues...

2010-04-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

In winter 2009, our Play and Learn staff participated in a quality assurance project called Creating Excellence in Early Childhood. The purpose of this project was to create excellence in Play and Learn groups by exploring strategies to improve quality in five areas:
Free play
Group time
Open-ended art
Social-emotional development
Parent/caregiver education

Through workshops and individual coaching provided by Family Support leadership, Play and Learn facilitators developed and implemented 41 essential program elements, eventually going through a formal evaluation process to assess the consistency of design and quality across Center for Human Services' 12 Play and Learn groups.

Over the past year, we have returned to these indicators repeatedly to influence our curriculum development and daily programming. We have also used the program elements in training of new staff members.

Jane Shumway is a Play and Learn facilitator at Northshore Family Center (NFC) and Ballinger Homes Site. She started working with us in April of 2009, and as she celebrates her 1 year anniversary with CHS, we are also concluding her formal training with Creating Excellence in Early Childhood. Jane completed several self-assessments in March, and over the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to observe and participate in her groups at NFC.

[Jane receiving an award at a family support retreat in 2009.]

This is one of the best parts of my job, as I have the privilege of witnessing so many incredible parents and caregivers learn alongside their children, preparing them for success in school and in life.

Here are some photos from my visit:

Megan and Ben talk about the names of vehicles as he stamps them on his paper. When parents or caregivers interact in this way with their children, it strengthens attachment and increases vocabulary, important precursors of healthy social-emotional development and academic success. Our open-ended art projects allow Ben the freedom to explore art materials and determine the scope and design of his work; this builds confidence and lasting creativity.

Payton plays with a stacking toy as her mom watches nearby. As she does this, Payton is developing her gross-motor skills (like hand-eye coordination). She is also learning to play independently of her mom, which involves separating from and then reuniting with her, an important social-emotional skill for toddlers.

Paree experiments with bird seed, funnels, and wheels. This scientific exploration is reinforcing pathways in her brain that will later help her learn math and science concepts.

Tanner summons all of his upper body strength to push play dough through a 'dough extruder". The muscles he is using in his arms and fingers will be important as he learns to write letters and numbers.

Gaby dresses me up and brings me dinner before we sit and 'eat' together. Imitating and trying out adult behaviors is one of the primary ways children learn.

Judy paints Parker's foot in preparation for a group painting project. In our Play and Learn groups, parents and caregivers have the opportunity to practice skills and try out projects that can be replicated at home. Parents and caregivers are their children's first and best teachers.

CHS Family Support in the News!

2010-04-02T09:21:00.001-07:00

This week Family Support programs got a lot of coverage in the local news.

Shoreline Area News published a story about Ballinger Action Teens visit to the Shoreline School Board.

The Bothell Kenmore Reporter profiled the Northshore Family Center Champions event and the Northshore Special Families CanDo race.

Thank you to the community for helping us achieve our mission to strengthen the community through counseling, education and support to children, youth, adults and families.

March Family Support Retreat

2010-03-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

Four times a year the Family Support staff get together for a full day retreat as a department. These quarterly retreats are a chance for us to celebrate our accomplishments, plan for the up-coming quarter, gain new skills and continue to strengthen our team. Last week we focused on building skills in two important areas; disability awareness and CPR/First Aid.

One of the programs of the Family Support department is Northshore Special Families, a parent-led community of families with children with special needs who offer supported social opportunities for children and families through our Northshore Family Center. Amy Young, a parent leader with Northshore Special Families, facilitated an experiential training with our staff where they had the chance to explore what it would be like to have sensory, cognitive and physical disabilities. We spent time reflecting on what we can do to ensure that all people feel welcome and included in activities at our family centers.

Thank you to Amy Young and Northshore Special Families, and to the Vineyard Community Church who provided free space for our meeting.

We also all participated in an Infant, Child and Adult First Aid/CPR class taught by the Shoreline Fire Department. As human service professionals it is important for us to be prepared to get involved in the case that an emergency happens during our activities. To enhance our abilities, we provide this opportunity for staff to update their certification on an annual basis. Shoreline Fire department staff worked with us in small groups to give us a chance to practice our skills.
Thank you to Melanie Granfors and the Shoreline Fire Department for helping arrange for this training and providing free use of your facility.

And it wouldn't be a Family Support Retreat without a great lunch!

Northshore Baptist Church making a difference

2010-02-25T19:37:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago the Northshore Family Center was contacted by Dorene Minton from Northshore Baptist Church regarding an in-kind donation of gently used clothes.
In the past the Northshore Family Center held an ongoing clothing exchange for families, but unfortunately when we relocated to our new location, we weren't able to host that program due to our limited space. When we heard from Dorene, we got very excited about it. This was going to be so welcomed by our community, especially due to the economic crisis that most families are facing at this moment.

The day arrived; we were all excitedly waiting, and when Dorene came in, oh... she brought many (many) bags with baby and children's clothes and shoes. We were wondering how we were going to fit all those bags in our little home, but that surely wasn't going to be an issue since we had many families anxiously waiting for this clothing.

Right after the Play & Learn group, participants started to look into the bags which were very organized by Dorene and friends. These Northshore Baptist volunteers did a tremendous job sorting the clothes by sizes and gender; that really made it easy for everyone to find the items they needed.

So many choices! Where to start?

Wow, Magdaluna sure looks nice with her new dress shoes. Good choice, girl!

Here we see Alenick trying on his new cowboy boots. He did not want to take them off; can't blame him, he looked very nice in them!

It really is a great feeling to see kids having fun, playing "dress up" and pretending to be shopping. You know you are doing a good job when you see people happy, and Northshore Baptist Church did a great job.

This family did not only think of themselves; they asked if they could take clothes for a friend who is a single mom of a newborn and is unemployed. This is one of the ways our participants support one another and their communities.

Everyone enjoyed searching for the right size for their children.

Thank you, Northshore Baptist Church, for your incredible donation.
The Northshore Family Center and our community greatly appreciate it!

Can Do 5K/10K Fundraiser

2010-02-09T16:40:00.000-08:00

The Center for Human Services is glad to announce Northshore Special Families 2nd Annual Can Do 5K/10K fundraiser! Northshore Special Families is a parent-led community of families with children with special needs; it is dedicated to create opportunities for inclusion for these children and their families.

Last year was Northshore Special Families first Can Do 5K, and it was organized to create awareness of what children with physical or developmental disabilities Can Do. The Can Do 5K/10K brings the community together in the spirit of inclusion and awareness.

The money raised through the Can Do 5K/10K will help offer new and increased opportunities in our community for these special families, such as inclusive and specialized camps, on-going education, and support with guest lectures and workshops.

This race includes:

5K Run
10K Run
5K Walk
1 Mile Walk
Team Registration
Family Registration
Kids Dashes
Numerous volunteer opportunities
Fun for everyone in the family!

There will be prizes for 1st place overall male and female finishers, as well as for top fundraisers and Team events.

Registrations are now open and if you have been looking for a kid and family friendly activity to get everyone involved in... then this is the time and place for you!

The Can Do 5K/10K will bring runners, individuals, teams, and families together for a special day to celebrate what we Can Do as a community. Supporting families with children with special needs through a sponsorship of the Can Do 5K/10K is a step toward making our community more inclusive for everyone.

Remember:
"No one can do everything, but everyone can do something!" -Gil Scott-Heron

What You Are Saying About Us

2010-02-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

This month over 56 people gave input to our staff on what they think about Center for Human Services. These people included youth and adults who attend activities at our family centers and volunteers who help make these activities possible. We also heard from some of our partner organizations.

Some of the things you think we are doing well include:

Connection to community
“CHS has a pulse on the community.”
“Programming is close to our homes”
“Building relationships with families”

Strength-based approach
“CHS programs are a place where you are able to give back – we have been/are tutored at HWF and now we can give back and tutor younger students”
“Ability of the organization to practice family support principles in their day to day work”

Culturally sensitive, competent
“You have people who speak different languages so you can help everyone understand”
“Preparing them to go to college [speaking of pre-school age child], maintain relationships with children who speak their same language, and to practice their mother tongue”

Welcoming environment
“Space is comfortable and feels like home, it is a safe, drug free environment where we can be ourselves with staff who feel like family”

Staff
“Have a great commitment to caring for individuals”
“Always prepared and professional”
“I find the people who work in Family Support to be caring, energetic, thoughtful and intelligent.”

Some things you thought we could improve on included:

Making sure people know about us
“Don’t hear about CHS as much as other social service providers”
“Name is confusing”
“Play and learn is not overly advertised in the local area”
“Make sure every citizen in the community knows about CHS and what CHS offers. This will bolster community support.”
“I am constantly amazed at how many local residents have not heard of you.”

Staffing/volunteer levels
“At times it appears staff are stretched a bit too far – when new dollars come available it would be wise to enhance current staffing prior to any new expansion”
“Get more help for each program, I mean more people to help for each program”

Collaboration
“More community involvement in the form of guests and teachers”
“Maybe have more speakers come in for the moms (i.e. child behaviors, dentistry)”

Thank you to everyone who gave us feedback. We will be using this information to create the CHS Strategic Plan for 2010-2013.

New children, new partners

2010-02-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

Starting this month, Center for Human Services will be partnering with Children's Home Society to serve families through Early Head Start. A new grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to Children's Home Society is making it possible for 50 families living in North King County to access Early Head Start.

20 families will participate in a center-based program and 30 families will receive weekly home visits from Children's Home Society and attend Play and Learn groups at our Shoreline and Northshore Family Centers. To learn more, please see the full press release from Children's Home Society.

To be eligible for Early Head Start families must be living with a low income and have children ages birth - 2. Families with children ages birth-2 who are already receiving assistance from Washington State such as foster care, basic food or WIC are automatically eligible. If you know a family who would be interested in enrolling in this program, please contact Velia Lara at the Shoreline Family Support Center.

Help End Hunger in Washington State

2010-01-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the number of children, families, and individuals in Washington State going to bed with an empty stomach has increased by 24 percent? Unfortunately this is a reality that many people are struggling with every day, as families in our community choose between paying rent and buying groceries.

Even as families lose jobs and housing, there are so many ways to help bring food to their tables. The Northshore and Shoreline Family Centers want to help ensure that families in our community are able to meet their basic needs. Through our partnership with Hopelink's Emergency Feeding Program, we are able to provide emergency food bags to families in immediate need of food. The bags contain non-perishable items and are meant to provide a family with enough food for about two days, until they receive a paycheck or are able to connect with their local food bank. Families also receive referrals to agencies like Hopelink and Within Reach that provide ongoing food assistance.

This service is available not just to families participating in our programs, but is meant to serve anyone in the community. Contact the family centers directly for more information:
425-205-2004 (Northshore Family Center)
206-631-8825 (Shoreline Family Support Center)

Since August 2009, over 150 individuals in 30 families have accessed Northshore Family Center's Emergency Feeding Program. We are glad to be able to support our community in this time of economic difficulty.

It is funding from United Way of King County that makes Northshore Family Center's emergency feeding program possible. To find out how you can make a difference and help fight hunger in our community, please visit the United Way of King County's blog at http://2010hungeractionday.blogspot.com/ Learn about "Hunger Action Week" and how you can get involved!

Your help can make a difference in someone's life!

Santa comes to Shoreline!

2009-12-31T10:51:00.000-08:00

For the 4th year in a row, a volunteer group from the Lake Forest Park Presbyterian Church brought Santa to the Shoreline Family Support Center on December 6th! Families came to the family center to celebrate the holidays by:

...having their picture taken with Santa...

...creating a special picture frame to hold the picture...

...decorating and eating delicious cookies....

...and even creating dazzling jewlery!

A big thank you to all the volunteers who have made this an annual event for the Shoreline Family Support Center and adapted to our growing number of participants! Due to your hard work over 70 children got to sit on Santa's lap and celebrate the holidays with family and friends.

Santa Pictures has become an annual tradition for the families at the Shoreline Family Support Center and we are lucky to have friends at the Lake Forest Park Presbyterian Church who organize and coordinate the fun filled afternoon.

Volunteer Recognition at Northshore Family Center

2009-12-22T09:37:00.000-08:00

And the award goes to...
Ever wonder why we recruit volunteers? Well, our programs wouldn't be as successful as they are if we didn't have the support of those individuals who volunteer.
As the Volunteer Coordinator, and with the support of United Way of King County and Volunteer Match, I have been able to connect with individuals who want to support our cause. We've also had students from University of Washington Bothell who eagerly bring their knowledge and experience to share with our participants and staff. There are those who just want to come in and support their community by offering their time. We have a variety of volunteers all from different ages, ethnicities and backgrounds, and they all become an essential part of our programs.

Our Play & Learn groups, English Classes, Children's Program, and Afterschool Connections groups can only be run with the support of these people, who week by week offer their time out of their busy lives without asking for anything in return. They teach, they read, they play, they tutor, they mentor, they clean, they do whatever it takes to make our programs happen!

In the past a "Volunteer of the Year" was chosen but as of our Fall Quarter we have decided to change it from yearly to quarterly. And obviously only of them will get to be the "Volunteer of the Fall Quarter", but how could you choose one out of all these great hardworking people? It is indeed a tough job! When I asked the facilitators to decide who we should give this award to, they couldn't make that choice because they all had positive feedback about each one of their volunteers. That's fantastic, I thought, but what am I going to do? I have to decide, right?
Before we tell you our decision, I am going to let some of the volunteers share with you their experiences here at the center, so you can learn more about them and the work they do here.

Meet the friends from Northshore who make it possible:
Afterschool Connections:
Sei Unno
Ulyber Mangune
Nick Meza
Hilary Waite
Venecia Rodriguez
Kate Estefani
Play & Learn:
Lucas Willet
Rosa Bennett
English Classes:
Joseph Leonard
numerous Hopelink volunteers
Children's Program:
Liz Sloan
Marissa Overcast
Hil Fowler
Melanie Grove
Yuta Kato
Rosa Bennett

First, I would like to tell you a little bit about one of our very special volunteers, Joseph (Joe) Leonard, our English for Latinos teacher:
Joe has been a part of the Northshore Family Center since 2004. Isn't that amazing? He has a full time job at Microsoft and comes in every Tuesday and Thursday to teach English. He is one of the most committed volunteers we have had in this community, and was honored with our 2008 Volunteer of the Year Award! Thank you so much, Joe, for donating your time and supporting the center for so long. Your help is greatly appreciated, and your students always look forward to learning from you.

Marissa Overcast started volunteering in the evening Children's Program during the fall quarter and this is what she has to say about Northshore:

"Volunteering at the Northshore Family Center has been an incredible experience. During my first quarter here, I had the opportunity to be a part of the Children's Program. I'd like to share a short story about something we did recently that the kids, other volunteers, and I really enjoyed! We had an exciting time making a paper Christmas tree to hang on the wall in the children's room. First, we traced a tree outline onto a giant piece of brown paper and ripped up various shades of green paper. We put the tree outline on the table, and added glue to the paper as the kids had fun sticking the green paper pieces all over it. I am always impressed by how well the kids work together. By far, the best part was adding glitter. We poured red, green, and silver glitter in to the children's palms and they sprinkles it all over the tree. The kids loved it, coming back for palm full after palm full of glitter until the tree looked perfect. It turned out better than I had ever imagined! We often do projects like this one that encourage the kids to work together and be creative. I feel very lucky to be able to see kids having fun and growing together the way they do here at Northshore. I began volunteering here for a college class project, but I am eager to continue at the Northshore Family Center long after the class ends. This organization provides great services and resources to the community, and being able to participate in that has been nothing but a blessing. I have learned more about myself and other community members than I ever anticipated".
Thank you,
Marissa Overcast

Our Afterschool Connections volunteers work with children from 1st to 6th grade. They play games, they tutor, and they just make it happen!

"Through my volunteering, I have experienced many unique situations that have not only helped grow my skills in interpersonal communication with children, but have also reminded me of numerous things that I have forgotten through life's process of growing. It has been an absolute wonder to have been given the privilege to be able to work with such an intelligent, caring, and funny group of kids and I can't wait to be able to work with them again.
As we grow older, we often forget the true value of simplicity in life. Having the opportunity to be around so many kids for these past months has reminded me how to reconnect with that simplicity. For the kids I worked with, having playtime would be the equivalent to getting bought a car or winning a million dollars, and playing live action "Zombies vs. Humans" and getting picked as one of the zombies was the worst that could ever happen in life. Working with these kids has taught me to once again appreciate that simplicity. It's taught me that even though I can now realize at least a portion of life's complex ways, it shouldn't give me a reason to let its complex situations run my life to the point where I forget to appreciate all the little things.
Volunteering with the Northshore Family Center, and more specifically, its Afterschool Connections Program, has been absolutely wonderful, and I have enjoyed myself profusely. If you ever have the opportunity to volunteer with this family center, I more than whole-heartedly recommend it. This is only the beginning of a hopefully long-term relationship of volunteering that I have with the programs of the Northshore Family Center, and I look forward to the next volunteering session!"
Sincerely,
Ulyber Mangune

Sei Unno, our youngest volunteer, shares her experience in this program:
"Volunteering through the Afterschool Connections Program at the Northshore Family Center was an amazing experience. Through the length of one quarter, every Tuesday, I would give around three hours of community service. These three hours usually consisted of playing with the kids who were enrolled in the program, helping them with their homework, supervising and interacting with them. Although this may not seem like much, it IS much more than the usual community service opportunity.
As it is for many people, my memories from first grade are a little fuzzy but I do remember how nice my teacher was, how understanding my peers were and how great it was to learn through hands-on experiments."
Thank you,
Sei Unno

Another volunteer who started in our brand new Afterschool Connections program at Green Leaf Apartments is Kate Estefani:

"I think the Afterschool Connections Program is a great environment for the children living in Green Leaf to experience. I don't know much about the children but I could tell they all really enjoyed coming to the Afterschool program. When they found out that there would not be a session the next week because of the Thanksgiving holiday, they were all very disappointed. The children seemed to feel really safe, comfortable and happy to be there. It is a place where they are given structure and encouragement to succeed academically. It is a place where they can focus on and receive help with homework. I really like the structure of the program where the children arrive, get to enjoy a snack, talk for a bit, then work on homework, then have free time to enjoy fun activities.
My first day volunteering was great and I look forward to returning. I hope to be a role model for these children and have a positive influence on their lives. I think they all have so much potential to succeed. It's great to be there for them, helping them with their homework and achieving their goals. It was also really nice to meet one of the parents who came by to express his gratitude and tell us how much his son enjoyed coming to the program. It seems like Jennifer Gaudinier [Family Support Specialist who facilitates this group] has worked really hard to make this program successful. From the kids' happiness, I can tell that this work has paid off".
Kate Estefani

Now, a personal note: One day, our Play & Learn facilitator had to go out of town, leaving me to lead her group. I was so nervous, but on the very same day, a new volunteer started. His name is Lucas Willet, and with his help things went smoothly. He got involved right away and with no further direction started playing with the kids. Here are his comments about the group:

"My experience at the family center was one of the best experiences of my life. I personally work at a daycare in Kenmore so I had a good understanding of what I was going to be doing here at the Northshore Family Center. Working within the Play & Learn program allowed me a first hand look at the relations between parents and children.
There were multiple opportunities for myself to get involved with the children which helped build a stronger bond. One of the most interesting things I took from the program was the ability to have such a successful non profit organization in Bothell. I felt that everything was well maintained and that the center used everything they had to the full potential. I really enjoyed working with Jane Shumway [Family Support Specialist who facilitates the English Play & Learn group] as well! There was never a moment where I felt unwanted . The overall experience was excellent and if anyone is looking for an opportunity to work with very intelligent children, THIS is the spot for you!"
Thanks,
Lucas Willet

We also have Melanie Grove, who volunteered in the Children's Program:

"I really enjoyed my time at the Northshore Family Center. At first, I was nervous and felt out of place because I don't speak Spanish, but the staff made me feel welcomed. At the beginning, I did more back ground things like cleaning up messes and spills and preparing snacks, but as the children got to know me a bit better and were less "afraid" of me, I took a more active role with the children. I especially appreciate that Analilia Garcia [Lead Children's Program Specialist] made a special time for me to read stories with the children; I really enjoyed doing that. I was involved for such a short time, and I feel that I only got a small glimpse of the family center's programs, but I really believe in what they are trying to accomplish both with the parents and with the children. I was very impressed with the way Karina Woodruff [Children's Program Specialist] and Analilia worked with the children, they were (and are) very supportive and encouraged the children to be creative, each in their own unique way.
Thank you for the opportunity to let me be a part of what you are doing".
Melanie Grove

Everyone at the family center believes in what we stand for, and even though we all have our own busy lives, I would like to highlight someone very special: Maira Shafiei-Tehrany. Besides being one of our Administrative Assistants here at the Northshore Family Center, Maira is a full time student in Nursing School. Her goal is to become a Registered Nurse (RN), AND she also finds time to volunteer at Evergreen Medical Center in the Information Desk. I asked her why, and she responded with a smile, saying that at the beginning she did it because she though it would help her career as a Registered Nurse, but as time went by she felt "kind of a rewarding feeling" at the end of the day. "Meeting people other than your coworkers is fun", she quoted; she also said that this was a productive use of her time. At one point she was working, going to school, and volunteering for over 30 hours a week, very impressive!
We are all very proud of her and wish her the best at in her career.

Now, it's time for the facilitators to tell you about their volunteers:

Jennifer Gaudinier facilitates the Summer Camp Adventure and Afterschool Connections Programs and she is very grateful to have had such a strong team of volunteers supporting her groups. She is especially grateful to Hilary Waite, and this is what she said about her:

"Hilary has been a committed volunteer for the past two quarters. She started in the summer program, where she contributed to the activities by conducting mini German language lessons. Her involvement in Camp Adventure and Afterschool Connections has strengthened the group".

Jane Shumway facilitates our English Play and Learn and she wants to acknowledge one of her volunteers:
"Lucas Willet was instrumental in engaging many kids in class. He was a great leader and knew how to draw the children out with questions and comments. He was involved at their level and never did things for the children, but encouraged their own creativity with arts and crafts and exploring toys and other activities in the room".

Now, the moment you've been waiting for... I will not keep you guessing any longer! Believe me when I say this: it was not an easy task, although it sure was nice to hear all of our Family Support Specialists talk about the help they received from each one of their volunteers. Well, unfortunately we just could not come to an agreement so we have TWO winners!

And the awards go to...

Hilary Waite and Lucas Willet

Their commitment and dedication have made a difference in this community; thank you, Hilary and Lucas for being such a strong part of our team!

We couldn't have done it without you! All of us here at the center want to thank EVERY ONE of the volunteers for their hard work, time commitment, and great support they offer our Northshore Family Center!

Bookfair Raises $2,403 for Family Support

2009-12-15T13:27:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Barnes and Noble Bookfair over Thanksgiving weekend. The CHS Family Support department will be receiving a donation of $2,403.48 from Barnes and Noble due to your support.

When we began this collaboration with the Woodinville Barnes and Noble store, we set a goal to raise $1,000. It is very exciting to know we were able to exceed this by $1,400. The money from this fundraiser will go to support activities at our centers such as Play and Learn groups, Healthy Start home visiting, out-of-school time programming, parenting classes, English Language Learners and family events.

Uniendo culturas para celebrar el Día de los Muertos y Halloween

2009-12-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

Starting this month, we will be posting some stories to the blog in Spanish. At Northshore Family Center, about 2/3 of our participants speak Spanish as their primary language. We hope these stories will provide an opportunity for more individuals and families to share their experiences at NFC and connect with the community in their native language. This story features the Spanish Play and Learn group's celebration of Halloween and Day of the Dead, a traditional Mexican and Central American holiday.

Uniendo culturas para celebrar el Día de los Muertos y Halloween

El Centro Familiar de Northshore se destaca por su transfondo multicultural y étnico. Sirviendo a muchas familias de diferentes nacionalidades, antecedentes y culturas, nos enorgullece compartir con ustedes una de las fechas más conmemoradas por personas de México y Centro América: El Día de los Muertos, que se celebra el 2 de Noviembre y Halloween que se festeja el 31 de Octubre.

Teresa Cacho-Govea, facilitadora de los programas Aprender Jugando y Fortaleciendo Familias, en colaboración con algunas de las participantes de estos programas organizaron una vez más el “Altar” en nuestro centro familiar; éste simboliza la conmemoración de aquellos que han muerto y son recordados con mucho cariño y respeto, colocando sobre él la fotografía del que estamos recordando, sus gustos y costumbres mientras vivió entre nosotros; así como también se colocan ornamentos para adornar como ofrenda.

Otras tradiciones que año con año se hacen como parte de la celebración son:

"El pan de muerto": Un pan dulce y simple que muchas veces se lo hace en forma de calaveras y huesos.

"Calaveritas de azúcar": Son hechas de azúcar y es una forma sarcástica de recordar el trago amargo de la muerte con algo dulce y alegre, puesto que se decoran muy coloridas y alegres.

Las calaveras fueron adornadas con mucho entusiasmo por los participantes del programa Aprender Jugando. Halloween…

El día tan esperado por los niños llegó, y tanto las mamás como los niños se vistieron con disfraces para celebrar el día de las brujas. Las actividades preparadas por Teresa fueron organizadas con el propósito de enseñar a los niños a socializar por medio de juego. Aunque algunos de los participantes no “festejan” estos eventos, muchos se reúnen a compartir ideas, intercambiar platillos tradicionales, aprender de otras costumbres y a divertirse.

Halloween o Día de las brujas es una fiesta de la cultura anglosajona que se celebra la última noche de Octubre, donde muchos se disfrazan usando vestimentas de sus personajes preferidos y le ponen su detalle personal para hacerlo más “amistoso o divertido”.

¿Y a éste amiguito quién lo invitó?

Una de las actividades en las que tanto los padres como los niños realizaron es llenar una bolsita en forma de guante con palomitas de maíz, aunque parece que es una tarea fácil, no es así, el tazón con las palomitas fue colocado en el centro de la mesa para que todos los niños –tomando turnos, practiquen primeramente a compartir de un solo plato con todos, y en segundo, a usar sus movimientos finos al estar tomando las palomitas con sus dedos.

Por supuesto que hay algunos niños que requieren más asistencia que otros, y con la colaboración de sus padres aprenden a trabajar juntos.

Los niños se concentran mejor cuando lo que están haciendo es divertido, y sin lugar a duda, las palomitas fueron muy divertidas (especialmente cuando algunos de los niños querían “probar” las palomitas).

Aunque la ayuda del padre es importante, no es lo primordial, ya que entremás los niños sepan trabajar por ellos mismos más éxitos tendrán en el futuro.

Otra actividad que los niños realizaron fue la decoración de sus propias bolsitas, y con mucho cuidado ellos colocaban las letras de sus nombres con goma y adornaban con muchos accesorios sus bolsitas. Como parte de la tradición, muchos padres trajeron muchos platillos para compartir con todas las familias que atendieron el evento.

Los niños usan su imaginación y creatividad para personalizar su actividad. Cuando a los niños se les da la oportunidad de ser creativos, sus obras de arte son impresionantes.
Los padres tienen que aprovechar momentos como estos para conversar con sus hijos acerca de la actividad y como se debe de trabajar con los materiales, los niños captan toda la información cuando es bien proporcionada.

Este evento no se hubiera realizado sin la colaboración de Ana, Lupita y Ana Elsa que con mucho cariño y esmero dedicaron su tiempo para organizar el Altar. ¡Muchas gracias!

Aquí se puede apreciar más de cómo expresamos las tradiciones hispanas donde los niños también colaboraron decorando sus calaveras.

Para las familias hispanas es muy importante mantener viva las tradiciones que han pasado por muchas generaciones, ya que éstas serán heredadas a nuestros hijos, no importa en el lugar donde se viva.

El Centro Familiar de Northshore les da las gracias a todas las familias que participaron en este evento y que día a día forman parte de nuestro pequeño hogar...

Afterschool Adventures in Partnership with the Vineyard

2009-11-25T09:35:00.000-08:00

Afterschool Adventures has started an exciting new collaboration this year with the Vineyard Community Church, a local faith community that has generously opened their doors to share their new facility with us. For the last few years, Afterschool Adventures has taken place at the Shoreline Family Support Center all 4 days of the week, but each year the community need for free afterschool programs has grown and the space at our family center has not been able to expand along with these needs.

In September of this year the Vineyard moved to a new location - a much larger building with plenty of room to accomodate active kids. They offered to let the Shoreline Family Support Center locate our afterschool program at their site for two days a week, and it has turned out to be a great partnership.

Monday & Wednesday afternoons from 3:30 - 5:30pm the sounds of kids working, playing, and laughing can be heard throughout the building. The large fellowship hall transitions easily from a homework room in the first part of class to an art room and even a paper airplane air field, while a nearby classroom stores our art supplies, board games and lots of great books to read.

The kids' favorite part of our new space, of course, is the playground with a large field attached. Soccer games and Capture the Flag have become weekly requests and its wonderful to watch the kids having so much fun while excercising - running and laughing as they fly across that wide open space.

Last school year, 2008-2009, we had to cap Afterschool Adventures at 45 students, and it was always difficult to turn families away. This year we currently have 60 students registered, and we will be able to continue to offer a quality afterschool program to families in our community, thanks to the generous support of the Vineyard Community Church.

Save the date: Bookfair starts November 27th

2009-11-11T16:29:00.000-08:00

It’s as simple as buying a book to build community!

The Woodinville Barnes and Noble store is hosting a BOOKFAIR Friday, November 27th through Sunday, November 29th to benefit the Center for Human Services Family Centers.

Please email Jane Hinton, Family Support Director to acquire a voucher that you can use to shop at Barnes and Noble. When you shop with the voucher you become part of our effort to:
-Help 645 young children get ready for school and life
-Empower 188 youth to become leaders in their schools and communities
-Engage 301 adults as they support their children’s growth and learning
-Provide child care to 254 children while their parents attend classes at our centers

10-15% of the Bookfair’s net proceeds will be donated directly the CHS Family Centers. The more you shop, the higher that percentage goes for CHS. We encourage you to get out your holiday shopping lists and plan to visit a Barnes and Noble near you. Offer not available for online shopping.

CHS is NWjobs Favorite Small Nonprofit

2009-10-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

Leading online employment resource NWjobs.com announced the winners and finalists of the 2009 People’s Picks campaign. Thousands of local employees voted for their employers in 28 categories, including favorite green-collar company, most family-friendly company and most unusual perks. The winners and finalists are a who’s who list of trusted Northwest companies.

Center for Human Services was selected as the Favorite Nonprofit for companies with less than 250 employees. For more information on why we were selected, please visit our award page. One of our Family Support Specialists, Morgan Moore, and several of our Family Support participants are featured in a photograph.

Bridge fom School to Afterschool & Back

2009-10-26T13:05:00.001-07:00

Rachel Clark, Jennifer Gaudinier, Morgan Moore and Rachel Borella

Several Family Support staff members were able to attend the 2009 Bridge Conference in Vancouver, Washington on October 19th and 20th. Generous support from Schools Out Washington and the Northshore/Shoreline Network made our attendance possible.

The theme of the conference was Being a Catalyst for Innovative Change. The conference sparked our creative thinking about how we can continue to implement effective after school and summer programs for children who live in the Shoreline and Northshore communities.
Some of the sessions we attended included:

Organic Organizing: The Food Education, Empowerment & Sustainability Team Model
Homework Help! Supporting Student Learning During Homework Time
Bridging Multiple Worlds: Creating Environments Where Young People Thrive
Minding the Adolescent Brain: Bridging Science to Policy and Practice

CHS is currently serving 155 school-age youth at our after school programs. We are looking forward to sharing our learning with them.

An Eagle Scout at Northshore

2009-10-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of Eagle Scouts?

The Eagle Scout Project, actually called Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project, is an opportunity for a Scout of the Boys Scouts of America (BSA) to demonstrate leadership of others while performing a project that will benefit his community.
The Scout goes through an Eagle Scout Leadership training, which demands a tremendous effort on his part. He must choose an organization other than BSA to benefit from his project, and it must not be performed to benefit an individual or a business, or just a fundraising project.

Well, we are proud to say that one of our participants chose the Northshore Family Center to carry out hie Eagle Scout Project. His name is Collin Duffy, and he belongs to Troop 573.
Collin was an active participant at the Northshore Family Center Youth Council, and as he talked about his project with the Youth Council facilitator, the conversations started then about project possibilities.

The Northshore Family Center relocated in March 2008 from its old location, and our new "home" did not have a front fence; therefore, Collin decided that he would build a picket fence around the front of the family center, freshen up some of the landscaping, and install a basketball hoop for the Afterschool Program.

We are very glad to have had Collin attending our Youth Council Program; he is only 16 years old but the outcome of his project made such an impact in our center by giving it a whole different look - it just looks so beautiful.

We decided to interview Collin to get a better picture of his project and to give him the opportunity to explain the why's and how's.

NFC: When did you start organizing the project?
Collin: March, 2008.

NFC: How long did it take you to finalize the plan?
Collin: About one year.

NFC: What challenges did you encounter while putting the project together?
Collin: Planning all the details in the project write-up was a challenge.
On the morning of the first work day, the business we were purchasing materials from
did not have them ready for pick up, so it delayed the project for an hour. Removing old
concrete from a post hole was difficult.

NFC: How many volunteers were involved?
Collin: 33

NFC: How did you recruit all the volunteers?
Collin: My volunteers were from my Boy Scout troop and friends. I made announcements at
Troop meetings, had sign-up sheets and made phone calls. I asked my friends in person.

NFC: Planning and executing a project like this must have been very stressful. Who would you
say were your main supporters?
Collin: Bill & Nancy McKinley and my parents, Tim & Jackie Duffy.

NFC: Who provided the materials for the project?
Collin: My project was estimated to cost $2,000.00, so I had two car washes in March and April
to raise the money.

NFC: How long did it take you to complete the project?
Collin: Researching the project and writing the project proposal took 39 hours.
To complete the project car wash fundraiser and the two project work days I spent 43.5
hours. My volunteers spent a total of 310 hours!

NFC: Wow! You invested such a long time in this project; it is so impressive to know how much
dedication and effort you put into making this happen.
How much time did you actually spend on this?
Collin: 81.1 hours

NFC: At the end, how much was the total cost of your Eagle Scout Project?
Collin: $1,812.85

The Northshore Family Center staff and participants are very grateful to Collin Duffy for his hard work.
The white fence made such a huge difference, and we have received so many compliments because of Collin's project. The basketball hoop looks great and was a great addition to the Afterschool Connections group. (The Afterschool Connections participants appreciate the basketball hoop SO much! They love it!) Collin changed the image of our center, and we can't say thank you enough!

Thank you Collin!

All pictures were provided by Collin Duffy.

Help save Safe Communities

2009-10-07T10:17:00.001-07:00

Please join CHS in asking King County to restore the $359,683 cut from the King County Children and Family Commission budget for 2010. These dollars go to support the Safe Communities project, which in 2008 supported 702 youth at risk. The daily cost of Safe Communities is $1.78 per youth. A bargain, when you consider the daily cost of juvenile detention is $450 per youth.

Contact King County Council Members today! Contact information can be found here.

35% of the youth who benefited from Safe Communities dollars were served by the Center for Human Services. Youth benefit from access to positive adult mentors, after-school programs and community service opportunities. Here are a few posts from the blog that tell the story:

Ballinger Action Teens Summer Fun

Homework Factory Celebrates Eritrea and Ethiopia

School is Out Event

One of our teens summed up the positive impact of Safe Communities funded activities:

“Community service has been a really good influence on me. One of the good influences it had on me is that it has kept me out of trouble. If I didn’t do community service after school or on the weekend I would have hung out with troublemaker kids. Every time I go to do my community service I feel happy and ready to help out my community. Community service is not just about the hours, it is about you wanting to help your community. When I started volunteering I used to care only about getting my hours, that was all that was on my mind. Now I think about what we are doing and it feels good to do community service hours. Community service has shown me how to work with kids and different groups of people. I have learned many things from volunteering at Center for Human Services.”

Day of Caring 9.11.09

2009-09-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

On Friday, September 11, 2009, the Northshore Family Center was filled with enthusiastic volunteers ready to participate in the United Way 17th Annual Day of Caring.

This year 114 companies came together to participate in this event and all of them donated their free time to volunteer at 270 non-profit organizations like us, the Center for Human Services. We were thrilled when we found out that Evergreen Healthcare had chosen our site for their team.

The project was on, now what?

Well, it wasn't difficult for us to get help, but we were very lucky to be able to count on one of our past Day of Caring donors; you know who I am talking about, right? All right, all right, I'll tell you: The Bothell Home Depot! They donated materials for Day of Caring, from paint to buckets and light bulbs, to all the tools needed. They have been making a difference since 2007 for our little "home" (I call it home because that is how it feels to our participants). We can't thank the Bothell Home Depot enough for their kind donations.

It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot harder to make a difference. ~Tom Brokaw

Then we thought, how were we going to welcome and show our appreciation to Evergreen Healthcare? We started off by making two big banners expressing how grateful we are for their support.

We had over 20 different tasks to accomplish on the Day of Caring. As soon as the volunteers started coming in you could see how excited and happy they were to be part of the largest single day of volunteering in Washington.

We prepared a fruit bar, fresh brewed coffee, and some delicious cookies donated by our friends from The Lyons' Den Coffee Shoppe. The cookies were freshly baked and warm, and there were so many different varieties to choose from, too. They were a big hit!
It was a busy morning; some of the volunteers didn't know each other but they all shared the same willingness to help their community, so this was indeed a great opportunity for them, starting the morning by having a cup of java with cookies and making new friends.

Ready, set, go!
The Project Leader, Jeff Friedman, started out by thanking all his team for being here; he explained to them what role Evergreen Healthcare, as a whole, played in the community. He talked about their collaboration with United Way and how important it was for him to see that everyone knows how great it feels to support non-profit organizations through United Way.

Then Rachel Borella, our Program Manager, talked about the Center for Human Services. It doesn't matter how many times we hear about our programs and services, it makes us all proud to serve people in our community.

The pictures speak for themselves. Just one look at them and you will see what a great group of volunteers we had. No matter what task they took on, they all had the same goal of improving our center. It really was lots of fun.

Lunch Time

Mexican Fiesta! It just took one visit to Qdoba Mexican Grill in Woodinville for them to want to participate in this year's Day of Caring by offering their delicious rice, beans, and chicken. Our hardworking volunteers were happy to know that we were having Qdoba; can't blame them! It's sooo good! Of course our friends at Mi Tierra Mexican Restaurant of Woodinville also wanted to take part in the event and donated rice, tortillas, and the so yummy refried beans. Delicioso!
We had much food thanks to their support; I don't think we could have done it without them.

Back to work
After the "Fiesta", who wants to go back to work? Well, you'd be surprised. They had more energy, and wanted to help as much as possible. It was amazing to see how much got done, and how many relationships were built. Some of the volunteers asked to be added to our volunteer list so they know when they can come back; isn't that great?

We look forward to another great year of service; volunteers are the ones who help our programs be as successful as they are.

Thank you Evergreen Healthcare!

Most of these photos were generously shared with us by Evergreen Healthcare. Thank you again for your support!

Changes

2009-09-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

Fall brings many changes to the Family Support department at the Center for Human Services. A few of these changes include:

1. Starting in mid-September, the programs offered at Ballinger Homes will be managed as part of the Shoreline Family Support Center (SFSC). We will continue to offer a Play and Learn group, Ballinger Action Teens, Homework Factory, 1:1 Tutoring, Camp Ballinger, adult ELL classes and a community garden on-site at Ballinger Homes. Program staff will work out of offices at the SFSC, and will spend programming hours on-site at Ballinger Homes. We will also continue to support collaborative programming efforts with our partners at Ballinger Homes. Tanya Schaeffer, the SFSC Program Manager will be overseeing activities at both the SFSC and Ballinger Homes sites.

2. Tamara Piwen is moving from her role as Ballinger Program Manager to the role of Child Care Program Manager within the Family Support department. Tamara has worked at Ballinger Homes since 2004 and will continue to be connected to the community in her new role.

3. The Northshore Family Center is starting a new collaboration with the Northshore School District Readiness to Learn program. Our Family Support Specialist will be working with Natural Leaders at four schools in the district. The goal of this program is to empower parent leaders to develop programs and activities that support student success in school and life and parent engagement in the schools.

4. The Shoreline School District is collaborating with the Shoreline Family Support Center to pilot an afterschool program that focuses on developing native language literacy for students who speak Spanish as the primary language in their home. Our staff will be collaborating with district staff and parents to provide this opportunity at Parkwood and Briarcrest Elementary Schools.

5. Afterschool Adventures is continuing this year at the SFSC two days a week, and moving to two days a week off-site at the Vineyard Community Church in Shoreline. This partnership will allow us to serve additional students in this thriving afterschool program.

Getting Ready for the Shoreline Back to School Event

2009-08-28T09:11:00.001-07:00

The Shoreline & Ballinger Family Support Centers play a big part in the Back to School Consortium, a group of organizations in the Shoreline & Lake Forest Park community that work hard all year round to put on the Back to School event in August. This year at the Back to School event on Saturday, August 29th we expect to help over 1,000 students get ready for the upcoming school year!

Since our role in this exciting event is to oversee the school supplies, we've had a busy week getting ready! Over the past several months many churchs, community organizations, businesses and individuals have organized school supply drives throughout Shoreline & Lake Forest Park.

Last Friday we went to Walmart to use the monetary donations to buy the supplies needed to fill each student's backpack. We filled up 13 heaping carts, and had quite a long receipt by the time we left the store.
On Monday we had some great volunteers who helped us haul the donated supplies out of storage from the Center for Human Services and Kellogg Middle School, to the Ridgecrest Elementary gymnasium where the event will take place on Sataurday.

Tuesday found us counting some final donations, and organizing the boxed supplies into packing lines for the various school levels. More generous community volunteers joined us to help sort supplies and move them to the right location, open packages, and bundle pens & pencils.
Thanks to all the hardworking volunteers who showed up for our work party on Wednesday afternoon, we were able to pack 1,034 backpacks in about an hour!

Seeing the backpacks all laid out was exciting, and now we're looking forward to Saturday when the students will arrive to choose their favorite color or style.

After getting the extra supplies packed away and ready for next year, the CHS team came together to congratulate everyone on a job well done. The backpacks are ready to go, now we just need to buy some hot dogs!

Members of the Back to School Consortium include: Center for Human Services; City of Lake Forest Park; Embrace Shoreline Schools; Hopelink; City of Shoreline; Shoreline Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services; The Works of Shoreline PTA Council; Shoreline School District and the Readiness to Learn Program; The Vineyard; Turning Point and YMCA. For more information about the Back to School event, check out the Back to School Consortium website.

Summer Explorers: A Great Last Week!

2009-08-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

We had a busy final week of Summer Explorers 2009! It was the second week of our "Languages & Culture" session. On Tuesday we studied Eritrea, learned a little Tigrinya, and tasted injera. The kids had fun putting a personal touch on paper plate drums, and after learning how to play the game mancala there was some friendly competition to see who could win the most games. Thank you to Ballinger Family Center for sharing their great ideas!

Wednesday we had a special guest join us to help us learn about Korea - Jiyoung Bae, a former childcare employee who is in the process of moving to New York. We're very sorry to lose Jiyoung as a staff member, but we were lucky she wanted to join in the Summer Explorers fun for a day before she left! Jiyoung brought tons of great activities with her. We learned the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" in Korean, played a true/false Korean game called "XO," learned how to bow for formal occasions, competed in a chopstick race, made Korean masks, and tasted "kimbobs."

On Thursday, August 13th we celebrated our last day of Summer Explorers 2009 by heading to Matthews Beach for a day of playground fun, swimming, and ice cream cake. Before we left for our fieldtrip, we said congratulations to all our great campers for joining us on our summer camp adventures.

We also gave a big THANK YOU to our wonderful team of counselors. We couldn't have done it without their energy and enthusiasm for working with kids!

Another Amazing Play & Learn Creation

2009-08-17T17:08:00.001-07:00

This past Friday in Play & Learn at the Shoreline Family Support Center, 5-year-old Christian explored a variety of materials and used his creativity and imagination to create a masterpiece. Christian made a boat. At the completion of his project, a staff member sat down with Christian and simply asked him: "Can you tell me about what you made?"

This is the story of Christian's boat.

Christian proceeded to talk about a time that he went on a boat: "I once went on a boat. Fishing with my dad. It was somebody else's boat." he said.

The staff member asked him about a particular part of the boat. "What does this part do?"

Then, Christian's friend Evan came up to us. "How did you make that Christian? I want to make one. That's cool," Evan said. The staff member told Evan that he could do exactly what Christian did, use your imagination to create something with the materials in the children's room.

After Evan admired Christian's boat. The staff member asked Christian if there was anything else he wanted to tell her about his boat.

"I'm just thinking," said Christian.

To end an insightful conversation, Christian said, "I've never made a boat like this before. I'm going to give it to my daddy."

Christian's daddy is one lucky guy to get a handmade creation from his son. Christian is one lucky guy that he can go to a place like the Shoreline Family Support Center where he can learn, explore, create and play.

Evan (on the left) and the creator, Christian (on the right) pose with the magnificient creation!

Shoreline Family Support Center staff celebrate the end of summer!

2009-08-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

The staff of the Shoreline Family Support Center gathered today to celebrate the end of a very hectic and fun summer of programming and reflect on the mission, philosophy and program goals of the Family Support Department.

As a team we brainstormed the values, principles and beliefs that drive the work we do at the Shoreline Family Support Center. After compiling a list of over 50 words and phrases that describe why we do what we do, and how we interact with our participants and community, we voted and narrowed it down to what we believe are the Top 5 Core Values of the Shoreline Family Support Center: Diversity, Teamwork, Playfullness, Connect and Respect.

We then spent the rest of the afternoon collaborating on a "round-robin" art project. As a team we took turns working on a canvas to illustrate the values identified. Each staff member added their own flare, creativity and vision to the projects.

The final product: Five spectacular art pieces. The pictures below do not do justice to the creativity, innovation and thought put into these masterpieces. In the next few days these original works of art, created by Silvia Calvillo, Rachel Clark, Velia Lara, Tanya Schaeffer and Brooke Janmohamed, will be on display at the Shoreline Family Support Center. We invite you to stop by and experience it for yourself!!

DIVERSITY:

TEAMWORK:

PLAYFULLNESS:

CONNECT:

RESPECT:

Summer Explorers: Keeping Cool & Having Fun!

2009-08-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

Summer Explorers finished up our second session in the middle of Seattle's record heat wave. Luckily we came up with lots of fun ways to stay cool! We traveled to Hamlin Park to hang out under the shady trees and tie-dye our shirts, explore the trails, and have a water fight.

On Wednesday, July 29th, the infamous 100 degree day, we walked to the CHS building to watch movies in the air conditioning, and eat popsicles. Everyone enjoyed a break from the heat.

For our Thursday fieldtrip we explored the Central Library downtown. Some highlights were the red hallway on level 4, the lime green elevators, the fun art work everywhere (including the strange faces in the escalator), and the view from level 10. A scavenger hunt helped kids discover that a robot "Automatic Machine Handling" checks in all the books on the first floor, and the library is only 4 years old.

After our tour of the library we went to the Seattle Center to eat lunch and play in the fountain. We had a perfect sunny day for playing in the water -- everyone had a great time getting wet, tossing bandanas in the air, people watching, and eating cotton candy.

Our great week ended on a slightly sad note, as we said good-bye to some favorite campers who are headed on to other summer adventures before rejoining us in the fall.

We've had a great summer so far, and we're looking forward to our final session. For our last two weeks we'll be exploring new languages and countries, including Mexico, Eritrea, Pakistan, and Korea. Feel free to stop by and visit as we learn some Spanish, try to eat with chopsticks, and test out new foods!

Northshore Family Center in the Bothell 4th of July parade

2009-07-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

The Northshore Family Center had the privilege of participating in the Bothell Community Parade this year. Paola Noel recruited her husband and two children to join in the fun along with Doan Tam, Children’s Program Specialist; Alisha Klaassen, Children’s Program Manager; and Mandi Jenkins, Northshore Family Center volunteer. We began the morning at the Firemen’s Breakfast where we mingled with fellow Bothell residents and chatted about the various programs going on at the family center. It was a delicious breakfast and a great opportunity to let the community know what we are all about.
At 11:30 am, the 7 of us joined together with other parade participants on the corner of 104th Ave and Beardslee, where we anxiously awaited our turn to shine. We were sandwiched between Batman and a blue convertible car. Talk about excitement! Batman was a hard act to follow as we were unclear if the cheers from the crowd were for him or for us, but we didn’t care. We chose to live in the moment and relish all that the parade stood for. We carried the banner while Paola’s two children handed out flyers and pamphlets to inform the public about our services. After an hour of heat, sunburned skin and waving galore- the parade came to an end.
It was tremendous fun and we all agreed that we look forward to participating again next year.

2nd Annual Fammy Awards

2009-07-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

The 2nd Annual Fammy Awards took place amid much applause and appreciation, on June 15th, 2009 at the Family Support All-Staff Retreat. Family Support All-Staff Retreats happen every quarter during the programming break, and they are a great chance for staff from all 3 family centers to get together to celebrate accomplishments, brainstorm ideas, build an ever-stronger team of co-workers, and of course do what we do best ... have fun!

The coveted Fammy Awards, heartfelt and creative, were handed out in style, with a slideshow to highlight all the great programs and experiences from the last year.

And the winner is...... Family Support!

Ballinger Family Center

Tamara Piwen: It Takes a Village – and a Matriarch to Lead the Village. Tamara has never-ending positive attitude, and establishes a strong center in the whirl of activity and life at Ballinger. In a year of great change, she has met each opportunity and challenge with a “can-do” demeanor.
Amy Neiman: Hope for Citizens Award. Amy has provided for our residents at Ballinger not only teaching English Language , but has mentored and assisted her participants in obtaining their citizenship, as well as other direct services.
Amina Salah: Peace and Patience Award. Amina, is our Child care provider here at Ballinger. She brings to her work kindness & patience to the children and their families.
Morgan Moore: BAT award. Morgan has provided community services, leadership and advocacy opportunities for our Ballinger Action Teens. It is a group of 18 Teens, that meet here at the Ballinger Family Support Center a safe place, where they are able to have their voices heard, lots of good fun and food as well as field trips.
Claire Largerwey: Volunteer Jewel Award. Claire our AmerCorps Member this year has done a phenomenal job at providing us with enough volunteers so we able to provide quality services to our children in our out of school programs.

Shoreline Family Support Center

Tanya Schaeffer: Rookie Manager of the Year. Tanya brings a strong vision and collaborative style to our community. As a first year Program Manager, she jumped into her new role with enthusiasm, strength, and true committment to the families we serve.
Rachel Clark: Blog Buster. For her work on creating and implementing our Family Support Blog
Velia Lara: Atelier Award. The word atelier, means work room or artist studio and is a component of the Reggio Emilia Early Education philosophy. Velia received this award because of her creative work as a Play and Learn facilitator, providing inspiration and experiences with a variety of art materials and mediums.
Silvia Calvillo: Feelings Finder. For her work as a Play and Learn facilitator, using the Emotion Coaching model, to work with children to identify and express their emotions.
Brooke Janmohammed: Diaper Genie. For her dedication to provide diapers to the Healthy Start participants and her work in soliciting donations and support from the community and the Healthy Start Advisory Council to make it possible.

Northshore Family Center

Rachel Borella: Laura of the Many Names. A reference to Rachel’s accomplishments implementing learning from Laura van Dernoot Lipsky’s Trauma Stewardship training. Rachel brings a thoughtful and intentional nature to her work leading the Northshore Family Center and supporting her staff.
Jane S: Red Flag Identification and Intervention. Jane brings to the Play and Learn team a strong background in early intervention around developmental delays; her knowledge is enabling us to focus on inclusion of children of all abilities in our groups.
Paola: Stepping Up. Paola has taken on a variety of tasks and projects this year with enthusiasm; I have appreciated her willingness to learn as she tries new things.
Jennifer: Collaboration Queen. In Jennifer’s first year with Northshore Family Center, she has really reached out to the community and other organizations to build strong support for herself and the afterschool program; her efforts have resulted in large-scale projects in the community that otherwise would not have happened.
Teresa: Parent/Caregiver Education. Teresa’s greatest strength in facilitating her Play and Learn Groups is her focus on parent and caregiver education; she intentionally builds this into the structure of everything she does, and as a result we know see participants sharing the knowledge they have gained from her with each other.

Childcare Program (At Northshore, Ballinger & Shoreline)

Alisha Klaassen: Rising Star. Alisha has risen to the challenge of supporting one of our least visible, but very valuable programs. Her position can be isolating, but Alisha works hard to collaborate with our entire team and the agency.
Kaylene West: All-Star Award. Kaylene has gone to great lengths in order to continue her job here in the childcare department while still doing the “mom” thing. She comes from her full-time job, her children’s various and busy schedules of sports and other extra curricular activities and then comes to work at the childcare center, thus making her a true All Star!
JiYoung Bae: Growth Award. Jiyoung has blossomed so much in the past year. She did her internship with us in the childcare center and through that has researched and brought new awareness into the childcare room.
Habiba Shah: Rookie of the Year Award. Habiba is the newest member to the childcare staff and has taken on challenging responsibilities already. She is eager to work and brings her caring nature to the children.
David Williams: The Kool and the Gang Award. David is a team player by far! He is always eager to pick up extra shifts when needed and works well with the other staff to make the center a better environment for children.
Doan Tam: The Running With the Bulls Award. Doan is our courageous staff member. She works alongside me on LF date nights where we have up to 50 kids; she just jumps right in without hesitation!
Analillia Garcia: Energizer Award. Ana brings a ton of energy to the childcare program. Along with her creativity, she uses her energy to motivate the staff and children to engage in a learning atmosphere!

Family Support Data Entry

Vani Limaye: ETO Empress. Vani has had to take on new responsibilities this year and she has done it with a willing nature, infused with the intelligence and attention to detail she always brings to her work.
Elsi Vacano: The Many Hats Award. Elsi does a great job of juggling several different roles, including date entry for Family Support, Loving Families, and also volunteering as a tutor for the SFSC afterschool program.

Family Support Leadership

Jane Hinton: Most Improved Life-Work Balance. Jane Hinton, our fearless leader and director of the Family Support program, makes a conscious effort to improve her balance of work/life, supporting her staff not only with words but with actions.

We are Family!

2009-06-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

In order to celebrate all the hard work and play that went into the last quarter and the 08-09 school year, we held a potluck party for all our wonderful participants at the Shoreline Family Support Center!

On a bright sunny day in June we gathered in the back playground area to share food, try new dishes, and decorate a mural. Everyone from 2 years old on up added some creativity and color the blank white wall, decorating the words "We are Family, Familia."

The finished mural looks beautiful!

In addition to working on the mural, some students from Tuesday/Thursday Afterschool Adventures performed the "Hoedown Throwdown," a fun hiphop line dance in the new Hannah Montana movie.

Posters highlighting our programs were hung on the windows, and kids in the afterschool program were eager to find themselves in the photos.

After an hour and a half in the hot sun surrounded by concrete, we were all pretty hot so we decided to get out the hose! Lots of kids had fun dancing in the cool water.

Thanks to everyone for a great spring quarter, and a wonderful school year!

Afterschool Adventures - Interviews

2009-06-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

This spring in Afterschool Adventures we started a new project: Interviews!

Each student signed up for a day and time to be interviewed for their choice of jobs. When the big moment arrived, they left early to get ready and make sure they arrived looking professional.

We had several different briefcases, bags, shoes, dresses, scarves and hats to choose from to help the kids make a great first impression.

When they were all set, they were led to their scheduled interview. Several generous CHS staff members volunteered their time to help make this both a serious and fun experience for the kids. They were interviewed in different offices to make it very "official".

Tanya Schaeffer, Shoreline Family Center Manager, interviewed Abeba to be a Clothing Designer. Abeba wants to be a Clothing Designer because she is good at putting outfits together and likes clothes. She and many other students answered questions about why they would be good at their chosen professions, what parts would be the most fun and what would be hard, and what training they might still need in order to improve their skills.

Asmeret met with Tracy Little, our Finance Director, to determine what she could bring to the role of Rock Star/Song Writer. She said that Hannah Montana is her inspiration, but confessed that learning and memorizing all the songs might not be as much fun as performing them and wearing fun clothes.

Each student was given the full attention of professionals on our staff while they took time to think about what kind of career they would like to have, what skills and training they will need to get there, and why that career would be rewarding.

Tanya, Tracy, Vicki, Brooke, and Elsi interviewed future wrestlers, rock stars, lawyers, pediatricians, heart surgeons, dentists, singers, models, teachers, wrestlers, basketball players, video game programmers, writers, and clothing designers. Both the interviewers and the interviewees had a great time!

A new star is born!

2009-06-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

Please join us in welcoming the newest member of our Play & Learn groups at Northshore and Ballinger Family Centers: Jane Shumway.

Jane Shumway joined the Family Center in May 2009, and when she accepted this position her family couldn't have been happier since they knew how much Jane enjoys working with children.

Her experience is a great addition to our team; she worked for nine years in a Co-op Preschool where she also taught her own children. She also has fourteen years of experience teaching pre-school aged children with special needs as well as typically developing children.

Jane is very passionate about what she does: "Kids need early learning experiences", she quotes.

She strongly believes in family support and family involvement, and she knows for a fact that children and parents learn together through play while sharing laughs.

Jane loves the fact that the children can learn comfortably while exploring all the opportunities and choices given to them.

Her favorite part of the program is group time to which she quotes: "I believe kids should be able to participate during group time. Whether it is singing, hand-motions, using a musical instrument or even just listening to the story, it really IS ALL ABOUT THEM".

Natalia Butenko and son Anton, 27 months, have participated in this group at the Northshore Family Center since January 2009, and this is what she said about the group: "My son and I really enjoy the Play & Learn group. It's the perfect way to introduce your child to the concept of pre-school -no stress for mom or child. We like the freedom to move around and choose an activity that HE likes during free play time. And circle time is very fun and engaging for little kids. It's a good place to meet other stay-at-home moms too!" Megan Foss and sons Benjamin and Nathan are active participants and Nathan just loves making crafts, playing with play dough, and listening to the great stories that Jane reads!

Shen, one of our new participants quotes: "This program provides so many tools and materials which help kids learn and play. Also Jane tells stories so vividly. In a word, I like this program!".
Jane runs Play & Learn groups in two of Center for Human Services' family centers, Northshore and Ballinger.

Hope you can join us and have fun while learning!

Childcare Program at the family centers

2009-05-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

We would like to introduce you to the childcare department here at CHS. The childcare department functions at all three Family Support Centers and primarily meets in the evenings with the exception of Ballinger Homes, who also has programming during the afternoons. The goals of the childcare department are the following:

1) To encourage the development of positive self-esteem and self-concept
2) To promote development of positive social skills
3) To promote development of fine and gross motor skills
4) To promote development of cognitive and creative skills in art, music, literacy and language development
5) To promote development of independence, self-reliance, and self discipline
6) To promote development of positive communication skills
7) To promote development of sound health and nutrition
8) To promote appreciation for cultural diversity in community

The childcare department at all three sites keep these goals as the focus when planning and implementing curriculum into their programs. The children program specialists encourage the children to participate in circle time where they can exchange different ideas regarding their interests, take turns reading books to each other, sing songs, and play games.
Another vital part of the program is center based free play. This is where children have the opportunity to engage with one another as well as express their interests in whatever center they choose at the time. The centers include: Dramatic play, blocks, reading, art, and sensory. The program specialists use this time to really gain a sense of what the children are interested in and use this information to plan the emergent curriculum accordingly.
One part of the curriculum that the children seem to enjoy well is where they are able to bring their creativity to the table and utilize all materials possible to re-create their interests. . Our lead childcare specialist Analillia Garcia who works at Northshore Family Center, has been striving to allow the children within her care to do just this, by providing opportunities for them to engage with nature. A mixture of the beautiful weather and several children’s enthusiasm to be outside, gave Analillia the idea of a nature walk. As the children were engaging with her on this walk, the children began examining the different types of rocks. They decided to each pick one rock of their choice and brought them back to the center with them. Ana set out paint and brushes and the children went to town painting. “It was really cute watching the children use their imagination while mixing colors, picking rocks with different shapes and proudly showing their art to their parents” Paola Noel quotes.

~ Alisha Klaassen

Sensory Table Fun

2009-05-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

Our Play & Learn facilitators have been getting creative with the sensory table!

Flowers made of plastic and fabric, pots, potting soil and small shovels make for a fun gardening experience. These kids are learning about colors, small motor control with the shovels, and getting a variety of sensory experiences through all the different materials on the table.

Another fun sensory idea is a spring pool, filled with smooth rocks, water, plastic insects and plant leaves. Kids get to feel the difference between wet and dry rocks, make hills & caves for the insects to hide in, and explore different plant materials.

A great way for kids to learn some essential kindergarten skills is to put basic materials in the sensory table. Suddenly old objects become new and fun...these strips of construction paper are an interesting cutting challenge when a few pairs of scissors are added. For little hands that are learning to use scissors, cutting through a large piece of paper might be overwhelming. A small strip, however, becomes two pieces with just one snip - success!

Other fun sensory table ideas:

-real flowers to smell and touch, petals, flower cuttings
-bubble wrap, some paint or water color, small amount of water
-styrofoam or packing peanuts
-water, corks with small hooks, paper clips bent into a hook
-fabric scraps
-water, water toys, and a little soap
-sand and sand toys

There are a million possibilities! Sensory tables are a great way to highlight different materials and give kids a chance to work together and learn about something in a new way. Have fun!

In the news!

2009-05-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

The Shoreline Family Support Center and their play & learn participants were featured in a King 5 news story about the prevalence in our commutiy of using family members, friends and neighbors as child care providers. Our play & learn groups remind these informal caregivers that they aren't just babysitters, they are teachers!!

Check out the video at http://www.king5.com/video/learning-for-life-index.html?nvid=355100

Thank you Silvia!

2009-05-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

The Family Support Department would like to thank Silvia Calvillo for being such a valuable and supportive team member. Silvia Calvillo, a Family Support Specialist at the Shoreline Family Support Center, went above and beyond expectations this past month. Due to staffing constratints among our family centers, Silvia took on more hours in her already busy schedule to be a substitute facilitator for Play & Learn groups at the Ballinger and Northshore Family Centers. Silvia has worked for the Family Support Department for over 7 years and is a vital member of our team. Please join us in thanking Silvia for devoting time and energy in supporting the young children and families in our community.

THANK YOU SILVIA!! We greatly appreciate your dedication and passion.

Our Adventures continue in Afterschool!

2009-04-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

Spring Quarter has gotten off to a busy start in Afterschool Adventures at the Shoreline Family Support Center!

In March we held a Leadership Meeting with our afterschool kids in 2nd grade through 7th grade, and they worked together to come up with a list of new supplies to order.

We gave them a list with prices of board games, and a list with prices of outdoor equipment for the playground, based on ideas they had generated during class. Then they got into small groups and had to prioritize their favorite items in order to spend no more than $150.

Using monopoly money to help visualize their $150 budget, each group came up with their own list, and then shared one or two items with the large group. Everyone got a chance to share their opinions and argue for their choices. In the end we came up with a great list of new games & toys for the playground, which included:

-1 soccer ball
-2 basketballs
-2 long jump ropes
-Spongebob edition Operation game
-the Game of Life
-1 football
and more...

It was great to see the kids working together, discussing what was best for the afterschool program, and learning how to budget. Even better was the first day of spring quarter, when members of the Leadership Meeting walked into class and got to show their friends the brand new games that they themselves had chosen.

Another recent adventure in afterschool has been a very special guest.... Cleo the Rat! Cleo is a very friendly, clean, and gentle pet rat who loves kids, and occassionally she takes time out of her busy schedule to visit Afterschool Adventures.

Cleo loves to sit on shoulders, meet new people, and eat treats. She helps teach kids about caring for animals, how to hold a small pet gently, and all about how rats live.

Some kids like to hold Cleo, some like to pet her, and everyone enjoys watching her interact with other people, climb on shoulders, and find her way through mazes designed by the students. Thanks Cleo, we hope to see you again soon!

Way to go Brooke!

2009-04-21T12:36:00.001-07:00

Brooke Janmohamed is a family support specialist with the Shoreline Family Support Center's Healthy Start program. Healthy Start is a collaborative program between the Center for Human Services, Friends of Youth, RAYS, YES, and Northshore Youth and Family Services. Healthy Start provides homevisits to parents 22 years old and younger parenting their first child. As a homevisitor, Brooke provides parenting and child developement information and community resources. Brooke also supports the parents on setting goals for themselves whether around education, employment, housing, parenting etc.

Last fall, the Healthy Start program conducted Parent Satisfaction Surveys to obtain feedback from the participants regarding their expereince in the program. Here are some of the comments Brooke specifically received from her participants.

Healthy Start has made me a lot more confident; I feel like I have a “girlfriend” there any time; Brooke is wonderful!
Brooke helps me feel more confident that I am doing the right things in raising my daughter; she reminds me that even the best parents are confronted with obstacles and it doesn’t make you a bad parent if you need to ask for help.

Brooke has helped our family with diapers, parenting skills and especially helping me as a mother with understanding my child; I am so glad I got started in this program.

I think that everyone is doing a good job just by being available and letting the families know that it is okay to ask for help; whenever I have a question, even if Brooke hasn’t been able to provide assistance herself, she has always had a number I could call for someone who could.

Brooke has done everything that we needed and more! She has become not only a helpful person but has become a family friend to us as well; my daughter loves seeing Brooke; give her a raise!!

Everything has been great; I love this program; it has really helped me so greatly and I am very thankful for Brooke’s services.

We are so proud of Brooke and the work she does. We are lucky to have such a committed, fun and reliable team member. Congratulations Brooke on a job well done! The family support team and your participants are lucky to have you in our lives!

Fatherhood Fair

2009-03-26T16:29:00.000-07:00

On March 14th the Center for Human Services hosted a Fatherhood Fair to celebrate the dads and male role models in our children's lives. Over 100 participants came to the event including adults and children. Workshops were provided on various parenting topics such as: family roles, communication, discipline and non-traditional fathering. Activities were provided in the family center to illustrate the importance of spending time together as a family and the positive impact an involved father has on a child. Local community resources were available as well, such as the Shoreline Fire Department, Teen Link, Changes Parent Support Network, and Apple Health. This fair was planned and implemented by representatives of different departments of CHS, including Loving Families, Family Counseling, Substance Abuse Program and the Shoreline Family Support Center. We look forward to another Fatherhood Fair in the future!

Family Support Employee in the News!

2009-03-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

Velia Lara, shown here leading songs and fingerplays during a Play & Learn group, was recently featured with her family in a news story on King 5. Velia works as a Play & Learn facilitator at the Shoreline Family Support Center, and an administrative assistant at the Northshore Family Center. The news story, which was filmed during one of Velia's Play & Learn sessions, discusses how parents' financial stress can affect their children.

Watch the story here!

In December 2008 King 5 aired another great news story featuring the Shoreline Family Support Center and the Play & Learn groups that are provided across King County. Check it out in the King 5 video archive.

Valentine's Celebration in Shoreline

2009-02-18T11:04:00.000-08:00

On Friday, February 13th we celebrated Valentine's Day at the Shoreline Family Support Center by eating cookies, decorating hearts, creating cards for people we love, playing bingo, and discovering all the fun things to do with a sponge in water.

Thank you so much to our great volunteers, and all the families who came to enjoy Valetine's Day activties with us!

Pathway to Excellence

2009-01-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

In the fall of last year, all three family centers became part of the Pathway to Excellence project for 2008-2009, through School's Out Washington. This project is focused on improving our afterschool programs, and includes the following for afterschool staff and family center managers:

Attend the Bridge to Afterschool and Back Conference in October 2008, where we were exposed to new ideas and activities for our programs.
Participate in our local "Learning Community," where we gather with other afterschool providers from our region on a quarterly basis to address specific topics and share our experiences.
Work with a project coach throughout the school year to figure out how best to serve the students in our programs and fit the activities to the specific needs of our communities.

Debbie Barnes is the coach for all three of our family centers, and you may see her visiting in the coming months. Debbie has been a great help and support, and she loves to meet new people, so please say hi if you cross her path!

Being a part of this exciting project has meant different things to each afterschool program. Afterschool Adventures, at the Shoreline Family Support Center, is improving the quality of enrichment activities provided and working to reorganize volunteer responsibilities so that each child gets the help, resources, and support they need.

Homework Factory, at the Ballinger Family Support Center, has redone the structure of their program in order to better serve the needs of students for a safe/structured environment and to make sure we allow time for PTE games/activities and out-loud reading time. Being part of this program and having the support of our coach has been invaluable to Homework Factory! Now, everyday when the kids come in they say “What game are we playing today!”

Afterschool Connections, at the Northshore Family Center, is focusing on language acquisition skills by making a commitment to include a language component in all activities. Some examples include being intentional about conversation during games, having access to written words and letters during art activities, and playing fun word games on the walls of the classroom.

If you have any questions about the Pathways to Excellence project or what it means for your local afterschool program, please feel free to ask! We'd love to talk with you, share our thoughts and ideas, and get your feedback.

Family Systems Collaboration

2009-01-26T09:55:00.001-08:00

Starting the week of January 12th, Northshore Family Center (NFC) and the University of Washington Bothell will begin collaboration on a research project that joins students from Tami Blumenfields’s Comparative Family Systems class with several groups at the Northshore Family Center. These groups include Spanish Play and Learn, Afterschool Connections, and Hopelink’s Adult ELL program.

The UW students will work with families to find out what family means to them, what their family values are, and how the family center helped to support these values, and what we could be doing better. To obtain this information the students will attend groups and interview participants. The students will then attend a staff meeting to share their findings and receive feedback from staff. For the third piece of the project the students, program participants, staff, and community members will all be invited to a Conversation Café where family, values, and community support will be the topics. This conversation will allow all who were involved to reflect on their experiences during the project as well as share the information with community members who were not involved directly in this collaboration, but who would benefit from learning about what family means to the Northshore Family Center participants. Anyone who would like to participate in the conversation can call 425-205-2004 for more information.

Finally, the students will be creating a visual representation of the data they collected and it will be on display during our quarterly family event on March 13th. It is our hope that this project will strengthen our community, improve our programming, and increase community awareness of the work being done at the Northshore Family Center.

Creating Excellence in Early Childhood

2009-01-26T09:39:00.000-08:00

CHS Family Support centers are leaders in providing quality school readiness programs to the community. We have had many guests attend our groups to learn about our practices. These guests include Representative Ruth Kagi, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children and Family Services Committee of the Washington State Legislature, North Seattle Family Center, Wonderland Development Center, and Making Connections Colorado.

This recognition of the quality of our programs has inspired our staff to launch the Creating Excellence in Early Childhood project during the Winter of 2009. Our vision is to continue to create excellence in Play and Learn groups. Through workshops and individual coaching provided by Family Support leadership, Play and Learn facilitators will explore strategies on improving the quality of their programs in five areas:

Free play

Group time

Open-ended art

Social-emotional development

Parent/caregiver education

As a result, we will improve opportunities for children to be ready for school and life and caregivers to be engaged in children’s learning.

Welcome to the new Family Support Blog!

2009-01-21T14:00:00.001-08:00

We are excited to be launching our Family Support Blog, bringing you news & updates from our three family centers: Shoreline Family Support Center, Ballinger Family Support Center, and Northshore Family Center! We hope to make this blog a fun and easy way for you to find out about our new happenings, see photos, and be a part of all that we do.

We'd love to get your feedback as we explore this exciting new world of technology, please feel free to let us know what you think!

Thank you all so much for your contributions of time, money, energy, resources, and of course for attending our programs and being a part of our centers! Best wishes for 2009!