Kent Family Center provides many programs for children and parents, including but not limited to the following. See our facebook page (www.facebook.com/kentfamilycenter) for the monthly calendar of activities.
Programs for Children
- Child Development Classrooms- a school readiness program, featuring Teaching Strategies GOLD, that will help children enter school ready to learn
- Developmental Screenings- using ASQ, ASQ-SE
- Parent and Child Together Activities
- Family Fun Events
- Imagination Library- register children for Dolly Parton's program to receive a free book in the mail each month until they turn 5.
Programs for Parents
- Adult Education – GED prep class and other classes provided in partnership with Chesapeake College
- Employment Training / Job Skills Workshops – in partnership with the American Job Center and Dept. of Social Services
- Parenting Classes – using Nurturing Parenting with groups or informal individual sessions.
- Women’s Circle- a support group designed just for moms and moms to be.
- Parent Café – an opportunity to relax and unwind with other parents to discuss topics that strengthen families.
- Parent Support Groups and opportunities for parent socialization
- Health, Fitness and Nutrition Classes
- Workshops on budgeting, financial planning, career planning and many other topics!
- Mental Health Services- opportunities for group and individual counselling through our partnership with Eastern Shore Psychological Services.
Home Visiting
The Home Visiting Program brings the same support services provided at the family support center to the homes of families who may not be ready to come into the center, for reasons such as maternity leave, complicated pregnancies, children with special needs or behavioral challenges, etc. The In-Home Interventionist (IHI) supports families through home-based services, focusing on the needs and wants of each family. This program helps parents enhance the quality of parent, child and family interaction. Each visit includes a fun, parent and child activity, exploring and appreciating the value of learning through play. Family well-being discussions are integrated into each visit to help keep children safe and build strong families, assisting parents with short-term goal setting, planning and developing problem solving skills. Visits also include focus on the development-centered parenting topics:
- Health
- Safety
- Nutrition
- Sleep
- Transitions/Routines
- Discipline
The In-Home Interventionist is trained in and utilizes the evidence-based, Parents As Teachers (PAT) home visiting model. The goal of the PAT curriculum is to
- Increase parent knowledge of early childhood development and improve parenting practices
- Provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues
- Prevent child abuse and neglect
- Increase children’s school readiness and school success
Visits occur on a weekly basis for about 60-90 minutes for about six months with the goal of transitioning the family to center-based programming.