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Jodi settling in as co-ordinator for Family Connections |
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Wednesday, 16 April 2008 |
Building the Family Connections program through the Horizon School Division has been a gradual work in progress over the last months.
By Sharon Ulrich
Taber Times
But smaller pieces of the larger puzzle have been fitting into place with assistants now in each of three schools, and a new co-ordinator making links from schools to families and into the community.
Jodi McKay has been an educator for 16 years, 13 spent as either vice principal or principal, a role she most recently held as the principal of Lomond school. But when circumstances in her personal life changed, McKay had to make some choices and couldn't say no to the chance the Family Connections program offered.
"When this opportunity came up I had been looking for something exactly like this, because how do you say no to a program that is so proactive and supportive? You can't say no," she emphasizes. "I've never really had a life outside of school for the last 16 years, so this for me, it's been very interesting."
With a teaching background that has consisted solely of smaller rural area schools, McKay has found to get into a larger rural centre has been great. And while her role is different, she remains interwoven with the education system.
"The good thing about this too, being that I've been an educator for 16 years, I'm not in a classroom but it still gives me that connection with the schools, which I'm glad."
McKay just recently moved to Taber with her six-year-old son and, has found it to be a good move. Active in sports and community-minded, she has discovered more options here, not only for herself but her son, who attends Central school and is now going to Taekwon-Do.
"Taber is such a vibrant place - there's so much going on so it's exciting to be a part of that."
As someone new to the area, McKay can often relate to other families moving to Taber that might not know what services are available to them, just one aspect is how the program connects families to the community.
A three-year pilot project through Alberta Mental Health, the intent of the Family Connections program is to build resiliency and capacity-building in children and families. With a focus on early intervention directed at families in need of extra support due to life changes, trauma, abuse, mental health issues, or social issues such as inadequate housing, poverty and a need to access community services, the aim is to create links between home and school to support a positive home and learning environment.
"We're trying to build capacity, so it's not a hand out, it's a hand up is how I like to think about it, so that we're building capacity and supporting families. And it comes back to them because if the family is supported, the child is supported, and then we know in schools they'll strive and they'll do much better," she says, noting their motto is connecting school, family and community.
While there are certain mandates to include nutrition and helping assist families in areas where that support is needed, McKay remarks each school program is unique, created from different avenues.
"The staff can give us referrals, we do surveys ourselves and depending who comes into our office and based on their questions, that helps guide us. It's not a cookie-cutter type program - you make it what it is, to what the needs are, so the program looks very different at all three schools because they don't say you do this, you do that".
At L.T. Westlake, lunchtime activities, TGIF afternoons and healthy snacks are offered. Central has lunchtime learning activities and eye-screening for all students in April.
Both schools will host a Cook Up a Story family night this month, where books will be provided and based on the book, each family will take part in a nutritious and fun cooking activity.
At Chamberlain, open gym nights for families will be held and once a month Souper Wednesday's offer homemade soup, where students just have to bring a coffee mug and spoon with their lunch kits.
"It was such a hit. The kids were so excited and through that nutrition, we're trying to get kids to eat new foods and eat healthier and do different things. And what we're going to do is put the recipe in the newsletter so if kids really liked it we can get that into the house."
McKay is also looking to introduce families to the Good Food Club and help out the Community Kitchen by offering daycare services provided by the Family Connections staff. Moms' nights out will provide not only daycare and transportation but socialization, and a craft such as beading or card-making.
"I'm meeting with the moms one night and we're going to be making boxes of birthday cards and they can take them home and they get a night out just to be a lady and a mom visiting with other moms."
Additionally through the program, they've been able to connect some families with KidSport.
"If you have a family with four kids and trying to get them into soccer and ball it can get pricey for anybody, so then we can help get that family in contact with KidSport. Then once they do that it's not us giving them the money, it's showing them - this is who you contact, here's what you do and all of a sudden you've empowered them, you've built that capacity within them to help support themselves."
The program runs 12 months out of the year and not on the school calendar, where as of now the office at Central school is to remain open throughout the summer.
McKay added she will be busy gathering information on what is available for children's camps and activities in the community, getting the information out to families and helping them get their kids registered.
"I look at it as we're the centre hub and we're able to get families in these schools connected with services that will support them in this community because it offers so much.
"What I like about this is we're proactive," McKay adds. "That's where that early intervention comes in, but this is a proactive approach. We're empowering people and everybody at some point in their life needs a little extra support - we've all needed it and so we're just glad to be here to help with that." |
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