May 2009
Whether we’re a preschooler or a young teen, a graduating college senior or a retired person, we human beings all want to know that we are acceptable, that our being alive somehow makes a difference in the lives of others.
-Fred Rogers
In the News
Children in Poverty Cannot Learn as Well as Other Children
Research shows that children growing up in poverty experience many adverse effects. It has now been shown that one of those negative effects is poorer memory which in turn affects learning. Read the Washington Post article.
Teen Programs: Consider Partnering with Early Head Start
The federal stimulus package contained $1 billion for Early Head Start (EHS) program expansion. The RFP for the competitive grant process has now been released, with about $5.8 Million expected to be allocated for Minnesota. Grants will be for a two-year period. To read more and apply, visit www.acf.hhs.gov. Applications are due by July 9, 2009.
Research
Maternal Age Associated with Higher Risk of Child Maltreatment
A large longitudinal study conducted in Chicago indicated that the younger a mother is at her child’s birth, the greater the risk that her child will be abused. The findings suggest that a one-year increase in maternal age was associated with a 7.5% reduction in the likelihood of maltreatment.
Teen Pregnancy Associated with Childhood Sexual Abuse
In a review of 13 studies on teen parents, it was found that nine of them indicated a significant relationship between teen pregnancy and prior childhood sexual abuse.
Adolescent Pregnancy Boosts Girls’ Risk of Getting Overweight
New research shows that young women who gave birth during adolescence and young adulthood are at greater risk of becoming overweight than their peers who don’t get pregnant. Read the abstract.
Resources
- Development from 3 to 6 Months (Zero to Three)
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (Centers for Disease Control)
- Adoption as an Option
- In The Know
- Positive Discipline: A Guide for Parents
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Group Beginning June 09 in Rogers, MN
Development from 3 to 6 Months (Zero to Three)
Nice description of behavior, development and research about babies of this age. Also contains a short piece on choosing day care.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (Centers for Disease Control)
Research shows that binge drinking is increasing in women age 18-44. Efforts to inform pregnant women about the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy are very important. Also check out Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome for events, trainings and more information about FASD.
Adoption Option Committee Inc. is a Minnesota organization dedicated to providing information on adoption and supporting both birth and adoptive parents. They offer trainings on how to talk to teens about the ‘Adoption Option.’ Financial assistance and scholarships are available to birth mothers.
In The Know is an adoption information website designed with pregnant teenagers in mind.
Positive Discipline: A Guide for Parents
Positive Discipline: A Guide for Parents is newly revised and now available for sale. This popular, easy to read booklet discusses common parenting challenges with children birth through early elementary years and gives parents ways to address behavior using positive discipline techniques to guide and teach their child. It is filled with ideas that work on topics such as tantrums, biting, bedtime, wetting the bed, whining, toilet teaching, talking back, time out, spanking and anger. Available in print in English and Spanish. Hmong and Somali translations are available online. Customization of this product is also available.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Group Beginning June 09 in Rogers, MN
Michelle Hunt-Graham, MA, LMFT with Inside Out Life Development, and Heidi Waldoch, MA, LAMFT with Bridging Hope Counseling are teaming up to offer a 20-week DBT Skills Group for teenage girls age 11-17 years in June. Parents attend one session a month.
Goals of DBT Skills Group:
- Increase mindfulness
- Improve interpersonal effectiveness
- Learn emotion regulation skills
- Increase distress tolerance abilities
- Balance of coping with emotions and solutions
- Processing of internal and external information
- Balance of feelings and behaviors
- Attend to current, near future and distant future
For more information, please contact Bridging Hope Counseling at 763-291-5505 or .
Policy Action Alert
NEW A Policy Platform to Promote Health and Success among Young Families
Healthy Teen Network has recently released A Policy Platform to Promote Health and Success among Young Families, a set of federal policy recommendations aimed at establishing or reforming programs and systems that influence whether or not young families may achieve health and success after a teen birth. Along with the report, Healthy Teen Network has developed suggested action steps to implement the Policy.
MOAPPP will be organizing a networking event of some kind this summer to discuss these action steps and how we might implement them in Minnesota. Stay tuned for more information.
Items of Interest
Photo-Documentary Study of Teen Parents
You might enjoy taking a few minutes to look at this website that includes photos and stories of teen parents in Massachusetts. Viewing these might give you some good ideas about how to showcase your program to potential funders.
Looking for Input from Programs Working with Males of Color
Public/Private Ventures is creating a new web-based Practitioners Network. The Practitioners Network will provide technical assistance, up-to-date research, and other resources and tools for organizations working to improve outcomes for “marginalized males of color”—African American, Latino and other males of color who are at high risk for poor economic, educational, social and health-related outcomes. While there is a vast community of practitioners working to tailor their services to this population, no network currently exists to unify their efforts. P/PV’s Practitioners Network will help practitioners reach across silos to foster innovation and identify best practices.
They are requesting your input to help them develop this new initiative. They are interested in hearing from practitioners from both prevention and intervention programs, including those in the following practice areas:
- Education
- Workforce development
- Violence reduction
- Adult prisoner and juvenile offender reentry
- Sexual and reproductive health
- Civic engagement
- Mentoring
- Fatherhood and parenting
They have developed a brief online survey to assist them with information needed to design a useful Practitioners Network. The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete. Please complete the survey by Friday, May 29, 2009. Contact Angelique Jessup at if you have questions about the initiative.
Upcoming MOAPPP Trainings
June 18, 2009
Becoming Indispensable: Ensuring Program Sustainability
9:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Wilder Center
451 Lexington Pkwy. North, St. Paul
Now that you’ve implemented an effective adolescent pregnancy prevention program, how can you ensure it is sustainable over time? This training, led by Tom Klaus from Advocates for Youth, Washington, D.C., examines how program and organizational sustainability are interconnected; how evaluation results can build community and financial support; and the optimal conditions necessary for programs to continue beyond the life of their original funding. This session is designed for executive directors, program managers and board members from community-based organizations. For more information and to register for this training, see the flyer and registration form (PDF). Questions? Contact Jill Farris at 651-644-1447 x18 or [email protected].
June 19, 2009
What About the Baby? Nurturing Healthy Attachment in Young Families
9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Rochester Community and Technical College
Coffman Hall 206/208
851 SE 30th Avenue, Rochester
Early learning happens in the context of relationships. This workshop focuses on the importance of relationship—between adolescent parents and their children and between young families and the professionals who work with them. It offers insight into the strengths and challenges faced by young parents, the competing developmental agendas of adolescent parents and their children, and strategies for promoting relationships that lead to the healthy development of both parent and child (this workshop has been offered in the past under that title Relationship Matters). For more information and to register for this training, see the flyer and registration form. Questions? Contact Sue Fust 651-644-1447 x15 for more information or [email protected].
July 27-29, 2009
July 30, 2009 (grad students only)
Summer Institute in Adolescent Health
Social and Emotional Health for all Young People: Expanding Approaches
St. Paul
At the 2009 Summer Institute in Adolescent Health, learn strategies for enhancing supportive environments and fostering skills for social and emotional health. Gather ideas for adding to what’s already working, whether in a community clinic or youth program, at school or after-school, within a residential center or a juvenile justice setting. Practice skills for selecting optimal approaches for reaching young people, all of whom we hope are on healthy social and emotional pathways to adulthood.
All who work with young people should attend—teachers, coaches, and administrators; nurses, physicians, nutritionists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, and youth workers; religious leaders and policy makers. To find out more information or to register, click here.
Other Upcoming Trainings
Summer Courses Offered at University of Minnesota Family Education
*CI5900-Sec 103 – Why Do Teens Act That Way? A Guide for Family Educators (1 credit)
Registration # 93522
Instructor: David Walsh
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
This course will describe the major features of adolescent brain development and explain how they influence the behavior of preteens and teens. Risk taking, impulsiveness, moodiness, problems with communication, changing sleep patterns and many other typical traits are all due to the changes taking place in the adolescent brain. In addition, this course will explore the needs of adolescents and strategies for parents and teachers to help teens survive and thrive during this dynamic developmental stage.
*CI5900-Sec 005 – Fatherhood (1 credit-online course)
Registration # 91814
Instructor: Chris Buzzetta
Saturday, July 4, 2009 to Friday, August 7, 2009
Online Chat: Thursdays 7:00-7:45 p.m.
The course explores unique aspects of the father-child relationship and the important role fathers play in child development. Participants will explore: attachment, topics of diversity and changing perspectives on masculinity and gender roles. They will also discover ways the father-child relationship can be fostered within educational settings. This class consists of 5 weekly modules. If you have any questions about registering for these courses, contact Onestop student services at 612-624-1111. If you would like to learn more about these courses or other courses and programs offered in Family, Youth and Community, contact Heather Cline at or 612-624-1294.
June 10, 2009
Ten Moons Rising Holistic Family Education presents
BEING WITH BABIES
In Ways That Positively Influence Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond
For Professionals Involved with Babies from Preconception through Infancy
8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Woodwinds Health Campus
1925 Woodwinds Drive, Woodbury
Enhance your impact on the birth process and the lives of babies. Leading edge approaches in psychology, medicine and healing incorporate the whole person. With over three decades of research, Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology (PPN) reveals that holistic approaches profoundly benefit prenates and infants as well. Learning to be with babies in ways that acknowledge the mindbody-spirit connection has the potential to significantly impact pregnancy and birth outcomes. For more information or to register, visit www.tenmoonsrising.org or contact 651-216-6029, .
June 15-16, 2009
Minnesota Early Intervention 2009 Summer Institute: Evidence-based Practices Revisited
St. John’s University, Collegeville
The Minnesota Early Intervention Summer Institute is a unique professional development opportunity provided to the early childhood field through sponsorship by the Minnesota Department of Education. Gain new insights and develop new skills for your work with young children and families. For more information and to register, visit http://cehd.umn.edu.
For more resources and information about adolescent parents, visit the Adolescent Parent Program page on the MOAPPP website. Please send questions or comments to Sue Fust at [email protected].