This Site is Out of Date: Current info can be found at LearnCPS.com

Current information about Collaborative Problem Solving in Oregon can be found at: LearnCPS.com

More Collaborative Problem Solving classes! Sign up now for post-Spring break classes!

The Child Center in Springfield, Oregon will be offering more Collaborative Problem Solving classes starting after Spring Break in April... If you are located in a rural area or outside of Lane County, you can view the classes via the web from wherever you are. 

Interested?

Call 541-726-1465 or browse to CollaborativeParent.org

The Child Center will be offering more Collaborative Problem Solving classes starting after Spring Break in April... If you are located in a rural area or outside of Lane County, you can view the classes via the web from wherever you are. 

Interested?

Call 541-726-1465 or browse to CollaborativeParent.org

Five Ways Fathers Matter

June 16, 2016 Father's Day is a time to pause and think about the many ways that dads make a difference in their children's lives.  Research shows that father's positive engagement can improve child well-being whether they live full-time with their children or not. Fatherhood is a complex and evolving concept, but there are some things we know for sure about its value for kids: Fathers make important contributions to their kids' development---and do so in ways that are different from mother's contributions. Fathers are more likely to use advanced language around young kids, which promotes vocabulary development. Fathers also tend to prioritize rough-and-tumble play, letting kids explore, and playing more than caretaking, which establish independence and positive social skills. Positive father engagement has been linked to better outcomes on measures of child well-being, such as cognitive development, educational achievement, self-esteem, and pro-social behavior. Fathers today are increasingly involved in their children's lives, especially compared to earlier generations. Fatherhood and fathering is central to many men's lives, though these experiences are increasingly diverse. Today's U.S. fathers take care of their children more than most fathers did a generation ago. Father-child interactions range from soothing infants and toddlers to participating in activities that stimulate their children's development, such as reading and telling stories and helping with homework. They also provide emotional support and guidance to their adolescents.   Most fathers who do not live with children help provide for them financially. The popular notion of the "deadbeat dad" suggests that dads who do not live with their children try to avoid paying for them. However, in 2013, 74 percent of eligible mothers received either full or partial child support payments. Fathers often provide this support while navigating various obstacles, such as a lack of stable employment or housing, payments for children in multiple households, or struggles after incarceration. This money is a safety net for many families. Children who live with one parent are about twice as likely to live in poverty (28.8 percent) than the general population (14.5 percent). Child support payments lifted approximately one million people out of poverty in 2012. Fathers also provide other types of financial support that benefit child well-being: about half (51 percent) of noncustodial parents (the vast majority of whom are fathers) provide their children's health insurance, and 60 percent of fathers provide some type of non-cash support, such as gifts, clothes, food, medical expenses, or child care. Even fathers who don't live with their children can be involved parents. Resident fathers are more involved in their children's lives now than ever before, but when fathers don't live with their kids, their level of involvement varies greatly. This is partly because parents' co-parenting relationship---how well they work together to raise their child---often declines when they break up. Cooperation as co-parents is a strong predictor of a father's involvement---as strong as his earlier parenting behaviors. To keep nonresident fathers connected to their children, it's important to foster a cooperative co-parenting relationship with their child's other caregiver, who may limit the father's access to their joint children. More programs for parents have begun to recognize fathers' value. Although there are many community-based programs that focus on supporting moms, practitioners have realized fathers' needs and their importance. Many programs directly serve fathers themselves and incorporate lessons on parenting, co-parenting, and healthy relationships. Others help with professional skill-building and job searching, and have been shown to improve fathers' employment rates. The federal government recently funded nearly 50 organizations across the United States to provide these types of so-called Responsible Fatherhood activities, emphasizing the importance of improving and supporting fathers' relationships with their children. Contributors: Elizabeth Karberg, Research Scientist;  Kimberly Turner, Research Scientist;  Shawn Teague, Research Analyst;  April Wilson, Research Scientist; and  Mindy Scott, Deputy Program Area Director of Reproductive Health and Family Formation

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healthfinder.gov - How to Tell If Your Teen Has a Mental Health Problem

healthfinder.gov - How to Tell If Your Teen Has a Mental Health Problem

Limited Space in CPS Groups Starting April 13th!!! (In Springfield and Via Web)

If you are interested in Collaborative Problem Solving Classes at The Child Center, I would like to invite you to one of the two classes starting on Wednesday, April 13th! We are excited to offer the classes in person at The Child Center in Springfield or streamed via your computer or smartphone! (As of April 1st, both groups have some space, but are filling up quickly! No joke!)

Lunchtime Class: CPS class from 1130PM-130PM each Wednesday. Lunch will be provided. No child care. Limit of 20 adult participants on site. Limit 20 participants via web or phone.

Evening Class: CPS class from 5PM to 730PM on Wednesday evenings. Dinner and a limited number of childcare slots provided. Limitof 20 adult participants on site. Limit 20 participants via web or phone. 15 childcare slots.

Each class will meet on the following dates:

4/13, 4/20, 4/27, 5/4, 5/11, 5/18, 5/25, 6/1

Cost: Free to participants. No insurance requirements.

If you are interested:

Please get back to me ASAP via email or phone with the following information: (You can also use the sign up form at collaborativeparent.com

1. Lunch or evening class?
2. Number of adults to attend?
3. If you are signing up for the evening class and need childcare: Number of children and their ages. (We typically provide care for children 3 and up.) (No guarantee on these right now..close to full!)
4. Would you like to participate from home via web or phone?  Video conferencing requires email address, laptop/computer/phone with camera, and an internet connection. Teleconference requires phone.

Thank you so much for your interest in Collaborative Problem Solving! I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Mark

541.726.1465 x207

Mark@CollaborativeParent.org

CollaborativeParent.org

April’s the time to prevent childhood trauma

April’s the time to prevent childhood trauma: April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month — a special opportunity to emphasize the importance of promoting well-being and preventing maltreatment in childhood. It is also an opportunity to recognize the year-round service and impact of the many people and organizations in our community that are committed to children’s health and safety. A project of potential interest to readers is the Adverse Childhood Experiences Community Education and Engagement project.

FAE/FAS Resources

The link below has great information and lists some resources here in Lane County, OR.
CLICK HERE for: RESOURCES FOR FASD IN LANE COUNTY, OREGON

Link for lots of information related to FAE/FAS. General info and training.
Other info: FASCETS - consultation and workshops on FAS/FAE

Child Center working to raise $1.6M for new facility

When a Parent Goes to Jail/Prison: Talking to Children

With the large, over 1.5 million in 2014, population of adults incarcerated in the United States, there cannot be argument that families and children are being impacted. In my work with families over the last 20 years, I had never been asked, "How do I tell my kid I am going to jail?" 

The links and resources below are related to talking to children about a parent's incarceration. 

What to tell children when a parent or family member goes to prison. Should you tell? Who should tell? What could you say? (2 pages that cover the basics)

How to Explain Jails and Prisons to Children (15 page booklet)

Little Children, Big Challenges - Toolkit from Sesame Street for parents, children, & professionals including videos

When Your Grandchild's Parent Is in Prison

Responding to mental health crisis situations of youngsters : The Umpqua Post

The Child and Adolescent Crisis Response Program that has served Lane County families since 2005 is now serving families in Reedsport Oregon! The Crisis Program fields over a hundred calls from parents, guardians, school personnel, police, and other professionals who have a concern about a child or teen. The youth may be acting out, harming self or others, expressing suicidal thoughts, or breaking things.

Callers can reach a trained Crisis Worker at any time of the day or night by calling 888-989-9990. If we cannot settle the situation over the phone, we have the capacity to send a Crisis Team to the site of the crisis.

The link below goes to an article in the Umpqua Post announcing that the service is available in their community!

Responding to mental health crisis situations of youngsters : The Umpqua Post

A New Majority Research Bulletin: Low Income Students Now a Majority in the Nation's Public Schools

REPORT MATERIAL

Download This Report

2015 - Low income students are now a majority of the schoolchildren attending the nation’s public schools, according to this research bulletin. The latest data collected from the states by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), show that 51 percent of the students across the nation’s public schools were low income in 2013.
In 40 of the 50 states, low income students comprised no less than 40 percent of all public schoolchildren. In 21 states, children eligible for free or reduced-price lunches were a majority of the students in 2013.
Most of the states with a majority of low income students are found in the South and the West. Thirteen of the 21 states with a majority of low income students in 2013 were located in the South, and six of the other 21 states were in the West.
Mississippi led the nation with the highest rate: ­71 percent, almost three out of every four public school children in Mississippi, were low-income. The nation’s second highest rate was found in New Mexico, where 68 percent of all public school students were low income in 2013.
This defining moment in America’s public education has been developing over several decades, and SEF has documented the trends and implications in two prior reports. In its 2013 report, SEF Vice President Steve Suitts wrote:  “No longer can we consider the problems and needs of low income students simply a matter of fairness…  Their success or failure in the public schools will determine the entire body of human capital and educational potential that the nation will possess in the future. Without improving the educational support that the nation provides its low income students – students with the largest needs and usually with the least support -- the trends of the last decade will be prologue for a nation not at risk, but a nation in decline…"    
Download the research bulletin, map and new county-level maps.

Suitts, Steve. A New Majority Research Bulletin: Low Income Students Now a Majority in the Nation's Public Schools. Southern Education Foundation. (2015).

NEWS COVERAGE

Mapped: The places where most public school children are poor. Washington Post. (May, 2015).
The Stark Inequality of U.S. Public Schools, Mapped. The Atlantic. (May, 2015).
Majority of U.S. public school students are in poverty. Washington Post. (January, 2015).
Study Finds Widespread Poverty Among U.S. Public School Children. The New York Times. (January, 2015).
More students living in poverty strains education system. PBS NewsHour. (January, 2015).
More Than Half Of American Public Schoolchildren Live In Poverty: Study. The Huffington Post. (January, 2015).
New Milestone: Majority of Public School Students Now Considered Low-Income. Education Week. (January, 2015).

RELATED RESEARCH

A New Majority Update: Low Incomes Students in the South and Nation. Southern Education Foundation. (2013).
A New Diverse Majority: Students of Color in the South's Public Schools. Southern Education Foundation. (2010).
New Diverse Majority Video. Southern Education Foundation.
A New Majority: Low Income Students in the South and Nation. Southern Education Foundation. (2007).

SUGGESTED CITATION

Suitts, Steve. A New Majority Research Bulletin: Low Income Students Now a Majority in the Nation's Public Schools. Southern Education Foundation. (2015).

FOR MORE INFORMATION

PLEASE CONTACT STEVE SUITTS, SENIOR FELLOW.