Parenting’s demands are ever-changing. As their children head for middle or high school, parents realize the values they have taught may be challenged by new choices, like exposure to alcohol and drugs and other high-risk situations.
Moms and dads can learn how to prepare their kids for these new challenges in “Guiding Good Choices,” a free five-part series that will begin Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at Lake Elementary School, 28150 Lemoyne Rd., Millbury.
The nationally recognized program gives parents the skills they need to help reduce or prevent substance abuse and other potential problems in their children ages 7 through 14. It also teaches parents ways to resolve family conflicts and express anger constructively. Childcare and a light supper are provided at each session. Contact Greg Bonnell at the Wood County Educational Service Center at 419-354-9010, ext. 228, to register.
According to Bonnell, research demonstrates that children who have strong relationships with their parents develop better judgment and social competence, which in turn help them succeed in school and resist peer pressure. A proven, research-based program, Guiding Good Choices emphasizes that building a strong, supportive family requires establishing firm boundaries and clear expectations for children. The boundaries enable adolescents to avoid destructive behavior and make healthy choices.
Bonnell describes the course as “providing the handrails for life’s slippery slopes.”
Guiding Good Choices is offered several times each year in various locations around Wood County. It is supported by the federal Safe Schools Healthy Students grant. For more information, call the Wood County Educational Service Center at 419-354-9010.
Foster homes needed
Lucas County Children Services (LCCS) is in dire need of foster homes for infants and young children, and is asking families to help meet that need by becoming licensed as foster parents.
“For the first time in recent memory, the agency is having difficulty finding licensed homes for infants,” said Dean Sparks, LCCS executive director. “Families in our community should know that they can make a tremendous impact by fostering a baby in its formative first years.”
Prospective foster families need to attend free information and training classes at LCCS. A Tuesday/Thursday evening session will run Jan. 8 through Feb. 14 from 6 to 9 p.m., and a Saturday session will be offered Feb. 9 through March 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To register, call 419-213-3336 or visit www.lucaskids.net.
The agency is always in need of adults and families who can provide loving and stable homes for babies, young children, teens and groups of three or more brothers and sisters.
Foster or adoptive parents:
• Must be at least 18 years of age to adopt; 21 to become a foster parent;
• Can be married or single;
• Can own or rent a home with at least two bedrooms;
• Can work outside the home;
• Must have a source of income;
• Need a safety inspection for their home;
• Agree to a background check;
• Receive free training;
• Receive financial support, based on your child(ren)’s needs.
Nomination deadlines for two of the Ohio Department of Aging's highest recognitions for older adults are fast approaching and Bonnie Kantor-Burman, director of the department, encourages all Ohioans to nominate outstanding elders they know for the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and the Joined Hearts in Giving Award. Nominations for the Hall of Fame will be accepted through Sunday, Dec. 2 and for Joined Hearts in Giving through Monday, Dec. 31. Nomination forms are on the department's website at www.aging.ohio.gov/news/nominations/.
"Our elders are vital members of society who continue to grow, thrive and contribute throughout their lives and our state and its communities are stronger because of their efforts," Director Kantor-Burman said. "Whether they volunteer in the community, lead companies, drive innovation or mentor and inspire others, we owe each of them a debt of gratitude and it is both our honor and our duty as a state to recognize them."
The Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame celebrates the achievements and contributions of older adults, as well as the vital role our elders play in their communities, across the state and nationwide. Honorees personify the benefits of active, productive and purposeful living at all points in our lives. Nominees must be age 60 or older and be native-born Ohioans or residents of the state for at least 10 years. Posthumous nominations are accepted. Nominees will be evaluated on their contributions in areas of endeavor including, but not limited to the arts, business, education, health, activism and science. Selected individuals will be inducted during a special ceremony held in May in recognition of Older Americans Month.
The Joined Hearts in Giving Award is presented in conjunction with the First Lady of Ohio, Karen Waldbillig Kasich and honors Ohio couples who share a lifelong commitment not only to each other, but also to their community through volunteerism. Eligible couples have been married for at least 40 years with one of the spouses being at least 60 years old. Each spouse must actively participate and volunteer in community service, and the couple's primary residence must be in Ohio. The Joined Hearts in Giving Award is presented during a special reception hosted by the First Lady at the Governor's Residence in observance of Valentine's Day.
The department accepts nominations for these honors as well as the Elder Caregiver Award year-round. Nominations received after the annual deadlines will be held and considered for the following year. The individuals being recognized must be aware of and consent to the nomination. Nominations are evaluated by a panel of department staff and state and local partners based on objective criteria as they move into adulthood. As they age out of the social services network that helped them as children, they need to connect with services they can now use as young adults. All those who want to help young people (ages sixteen through twenty-four) succeed in this transition are invited to a free half-day training session
November 26 in the multipurpose room of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church (315 College Drive) in Bowling Green, Ohio. In response to popular demand, this is the second time this fall that the training is being offered in Wood County.
Behavioral Connections of Wood County is sponsoring “An Orientation to the Transition to Independence Process Model: Practices for Improving the Outcomes of Young People with Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties.” Patrice Fetzer, LISW-S, of the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Stark County, Ohio, is the presenter. She is specially certified in this evidence-based training, which is appropriate for professionals in the fields of behavioral health, criminal justice, jobs and family services, education, employment, housing, and developmental disabilities. Interested parents and young people are also welcome to attend.
Continuing Education Units will be available. To register or for more information, contact Behavioral Connections of Wood County at 419-352-5387 (Jessie Broz or Scott Acus.)
Just as they enter the world of adult responsibilities, young people in the behavioral health system lose many of relationships that helped them as children. In many communities, for example, children’s mental health services end when a youth turns eighteen. At this same age a juvenile offender may be switched from a juvenile to an adult parole officer. And all these changes happen while the youthful brain is still
not fully matured.
The transition model Ms. Fetzer will present November 26 is evidence-supported; six research studies have demonstrated how it can improve real-life outcomes. (More information on the training model is available at nnyt.tipstars.org.) As Scott Acus, Residential, Transitional, and Prevention Services Program Manager at
Behavioral Connections explains: “Only recently have we begun to recognize what a significant impact we can have by focusing on helping young adults, or ‘transitional youth,’ as they take their final steps into adulthood. Wood County is really ahead of the curve in understanding that the needs of transitional youth are unique, and that we can improve outcomes by providing age-specific services now, before these
young adults have fully matured.”
The TIP training is sponsored by the Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board in conjunction with Behavioral Connections. For more information, contact Behavioral Connections of Wood County at 419-352-5387.