First3Years Policy Update: January 2017
In 2016, First3Years is proud to have worked successfully with partners to secure a statewide waiver of fees for the Texas Early Childhood Professional Development Registry to all Texas Rising Stars Centers beginning in 2017.
As we look ahead toward the 85th Texas Legislative session, we need your help to continue to be a strong voice for Texas' infants, toddlers and their families!
We've outlined key issues to watch in the coming months. Please also stay tuned, as we'll be sending out alerts throughout session and asking for your help. We need your voice, as everyone has a role! Policy focus areas for this year's session include: Early Childhood Intervention, Home Visiting, and Quality Early Learning.
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Celebrating a Successful Pilot Year for
Safe Babies Tarrant County
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 There are always many joys to celebrate at the end of the year. For First3Years, one of those joys is the success of its
Safe Babies Tarrant County pilot program. During its first year, Safe Babies
trained
more than 300 community stakeholders in trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate best practices, impacting more than 12,000 children in the Tarrant County area. Safe Babies' Fostering Relationships Co-parenting program also saw success in enhancing collaboration between parents and foster parents and fortifying a child's social support network.
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Funder Highlight: The Miles Foundation
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"We are proud to support First3Years in its work to ensure children gain the healthy start they need to learn, grow, and thrive. It is a privilege to partner with First3Years in pursuing our shared mission of building strong beginnings and a brighter future for Fort Worth."
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Grant Coates, President & CEO of
The Miles Foundation
The Miles Foundation recently awarded a grant of $21,000 to support the work of the Raising of Fort Worth collaborative, for which First3Years serves as the lead partner agency. We sat down with Sara Redington, Director of Communications for The Miles Foundation to learn how this support furthers the Foundation's mission and vision.
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Am I a good parent? and other questions that
keep us up at night
It's hard work being a parent, and despite all the hours spent caring for children, many parents are left wondering if they're doing a good job. After all, the seeds planted by parents in the early years often don't show their impact until the child is a teenager or an adult.
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In 2016, First3Years reached 2,426 professionals whose work directly impacted150,000 infants and toddlers in Texas.
The number of professionals who have received the IMH-E® Credential reached 207.
In 2017, we're excited to continue with professional development offerings that are interactive, relevant, and offer "real-life" applications founded in research.
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January 10th
Toxic Stress - Natalie Baerwaldt, IMH-E
January 12th & 17th (repeat of 1/12)
January 18th
January 27th
Trauma Informed Care & Brain Architecture Game -
Natalie Baerwaldt, IMH-E
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| First3Years Announces Full Lineup for 2017 Webinars |
We are excited to announce our 2017 Webinar Series! First3Years offers webinars to current members (free) and non-members for a fee (student discounts available). Webinars are live, 1-hour in length, and a CEU certificate is provided. Join us in 2017 for monthly trainings which will offer two general sessions (at different times) and an expert session on the month's topic. Our full lineup in 2017 highlights
important issues and current research on infant and toddler development, kicking off with "Safe Sleep for All Babies" in January. First3Years Webinars are interactive and offer best practices for professionals working in the field.
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Growth & Repair in Child Welfare:
The Architecture of Helping Families - 2017 Training Series
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First3Years is building on the progress achieved in year one of its Safe Babies Tarrant County program to bring child welfare stakeholders its 2017 training series, Growth and Repair in Child Welfare: The Architecture of Helping Families
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This series will focus on the building of a stronger infrastructure for child welfare, including changes in policy, protocols, and ultimately culture. Topics include mitigating secondary trauma, predictive analytics and child maltreatment, building a supportive system for children and families experiencing poverty and homelessness, mitigating the impact of substance abuse for children in foster care, building supportive practices across race, class, and gender in child welfare, and many more. Stay tuned for details on 2017 trainings!
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Season passes available for Building Blocks of Connection - Dallas Food for Thought 2017
Join us January through May 2017 for Dallas Food for Thought! Held at the Meadows Conference Center, the 2017 training series will focus on the building blocks needed to help children grow and how professionals can support their development. Purchase a season pass (5 sessions for the price of 4!) before January 27th to easily gain access to every training. Topics include:
- Trauma-Informed Care and the Brain Architecture Game - Natalie Baerwaldt, IMH-E January 27 11:30am - 1pm
- Self-Care and Mindfulness - Dr. Susan Wolbe, February 24 9am-10:30am
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Sensory Integration and Technology
- Sally Fryer Dietz, March 31 11:30am-1pm
- Building Connection through Play Therapy - Tasha Muhammed, LPC April 28 11:30am - 1pm
- School Readiness - Dr. Karen Petty, May 26 11:30am - 1pm
Lunch and CEUs are included. We'll see you there! |
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Partner Event: Circle of Security Training
Circle of Security has established a parenting education program offering the core components of the evidence-based and internationally acclaimed COS protocol. This 4-Day seminar trains professionals to use an eight chapter DVD to educate parents and caregivers. Join
Life Path Systems for a CIRCLE OF SECURITY® PARENTING™ FACILITATOR TRAINING in McKinney, TX. Presented by: Deidre Quinlan - Circle of Security Trainer /
Tuesday, February 28 - Friday, March 3 2017 Questions?
Diane Kazlow, Life Path Systems,
[email protected]
Click Here for Details.
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