Family Connections is a collaborative comprised of many local agencies which serve families with very young children. At this time there are three goals which we are in the process of completing:
- To develop a collaborative forum within which service providers, families and community members plan and develop an integrated, comprehensive and accessible system of service s and supports for our county's babies, young children, their families and caregivers.
- To provide a forum for communication and support between and among member agencies and individuals.
- Bridge with the Community Collaborative of Tahoe Truckee.
The Collaborative has a minimum of 10 meetings per year on the second Thursday of each month at 2:00 p.m. The Childcare Coordinating Council boardroom, 640 East Main Street, Grass Valley. There are usually representatives from 12 - 15 agencies and non-profits of Nevada County. The average attendance between July 2005 and January 2006 is 20.
We provide a series of technical assistance classes during the months of the school year. It is to improve the skills and knowledge of staff in member agencies based on results of a survey given to the Collaborative. In 2005 and 2006 we are offering a total of 11 workshops in a variety of technical areas like Excel and Mail Merge as well as Grant-writing and Media Saavy.
The coordinator of the Collaborative also manages a Listserve which goes out to all agencies and individuals connected with the Family Connections community. Members of the listserve post job openings, workshops for agency workers and their clients, and transitions within the nonprofit community.
As issues of concern arise within the Family Connections Collaborative, a committee is formed to look into the issue. At this time there is an ad hoc committee to form a coalition for the prevention of drug abuse in Nevada County. This group is taking steps toward a coalition by following a proven model provided by the Community Recovery Resource of Nevada County.
Another group that has come into being from the Collaborative is Colaborando En Espanol, a subgroup comprised of workers whose clients' first language is Spanish. Colaborando meets monthly immediately after the Family Connections meetings. At this time they are putting together a Mexican appetizer cookbook with recipes that come from their clients, working on a cultural competency training for county employees and service providers and making plans to be a part of the 2006 Day of the Young Child in April and The Altar Show in October.
Members of the Collaborative assist at the the Read to Your Child Halloween Celebration in Grass Valley and the summer Children's Festival in Nevada City. Both events are quite large with nearly 1000 in attendance.
In 2005 the Family Connections Parent Education Team created Recipes for Success: A Cookbook of Ideas for Engaging Parents in Nevada County. This cookbook will be useful to agencies serving families of young children in engaging parents and as needs assessment. In the process of creating the cookbook, the Team also developed a Community Resource Directory especially for parents of young children.
Representatives from Family Connections attend approximately half of the Tahoe Truckee Collaborative meetings as a way of bridging the western and eastern county.
Groups and Agencies Attending Family Connections Collaborative Meetings- Big Brothers Big Sisters
- CalWorks
- Chape de
- Child Abuse Prevention Council
- Child Advocates
- Child Care Coordinating Council
- Children's Festival
- Colaborando (Spanish speaking home visitors)
- Community Recovery Resource (CORR)
- Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
- Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalition (DVSAC)
- Foothill Healthy Babies
- Gold Country Association for the Education of Young Children
- GVSD School Readiness
- Head Start
- Helpline
- KARE Crisis Nursery
- Library Literacy Council
- Literacy Council of Nevada County
- Nevada County Behavioral Health
- Nevada County Health Dept.
- Nevada County Human Services
- NUHSD Young Parents Project
- RSVP (Retired Seniors Volunteer Program)
- Sierra Adoption Services
- Sierra College Child Development Center
- Sierra Nevada Children's Services
- Spanish Language Therapy Services
- United Way of Nevada County
