Summer is a time for family vacations, neighborhood playdates, backyard grilling, and many other activities. The longer days and warmer weather motivate us to go out and do more. By participating in more activities and events, we make new memories, strengthen current relationships, and foster new ones. 

When families arrive at A Child’s Haven (ACH), they are emotionally fragile, may not have solid relationships and need a great amount of support. Families seek our help because their child has extreme developmental delays due to abuse, neglect or limited resources. The child’s delays often result in behavioral problems that lead to children being kicked out of traditional childcare. It is our job to help teach teach children how to self-regulate and communicate their emotions properly. In addition, we give parents and caregivers education, support and resources to help their child build healthy relationships. Once achieved, it sets the child up for success throughout their life and a new beginning. Our multi-generational work is upstream! 

Thanks to the support of Sisters of Charities and 3M Corporation, this month marks a new beginning as we launch the Incredible Years® evidenced based curriculum, starting with Incredible Beginnings. The Incredible Beginnings ® program is a program for providers of children ages 1-5 years old. In this program, our Clinical Treatment Providers will meet together to discuss and share ways to provide an environment that supports children’s optimal early development. 

Methods discussed include using social and emotional coaching, nurturing child-directed play interactions using narrated descriptive commenting, proactive teaching with predictable routines and consistent positive behavior management strategies. All of these approaches rely on building positive relationships with children using sensitive and responsive approaches. A Child’s Haven is not a typical child care program, in fact, we are more of a child treatment center. The research behind Incredible Beginnings along with SAMHSA’s (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) endorsement, helped our team recognize that this model was optimal for the ACH’s therapeutic child care treatment program.

To get the full picture of A Child’s Haven, come see us! I love showing off the great work our team does. July 1 we start a new fiscal year. Will you help us kick off our new year by making a gift in celebration of our implementation of this new curricula? Keep scrolling to learn more about how to get involved with ACH through fundraising events and volunteer opportunities. With your support, there will be many new and incredible beginnings .

Moving the mission forward, together,

Laurie Rovin, Executive Director

laurier@achildshaven.org

Recently, ACH hosted our annual Family Engagement for our children and their families. This Parent Child Engagement activity is a celebration of the hard work and accomplishments of our families. Minimizing stress and maximizing love, a lot of fun during the picnic was had by all. The barnyard bash themed picnic provided our families an opportunity to practice the skills learned during treatment that are important for social and emotional learning. It provides an opportunity to participate in a fun and controlled social activity with other families; giving them the confidence to do more as a family outside of our facility, creating memories and strengthening their relationship. 

Donate today, lift lives tomorrow. For as little as $10 a month, you can become a Life Lifter and feed 9 hungry children two meals a day for a week. Other levels include $20 a month (mileage reimbursement for 8 Child and Family Therapists) or $40 a month (ensures transportation to and from our facility). For your generous donation, you'll even receive a stainless steel tumbler with the ACH logo!

Practice yoga and share the magic! Join us on August 17th for a yoga session and refreshments on the rooftop of Avenue. 100% of the $20 donation entry fee goes towards SYNNEX Share the Magic. Be one of the first 30 registrants and you'll receive a 16oz juice from Southern Pressed Juicery. Click here to register today!

Our 21st Annual Holiday Benefit Breakfast will be here before you know it! Our theme for 2019 is "Building Champions" because ACH works daily to help prepare children to be "champions" of life. We invite you to join us December 6th at the Embassy Suites Verdae. Keynote Speaker, Dr. Laura Jana , is the author of The Toddler Brain . Pediatrician, educator, author, and health communicator, Dr. Laura Jana finds connections across disciplines and crystallizes big ideas into far-reaching, real world applications. For details on sponsorship information please visit our website or contact Michael Beaver.

Exercise your body and soul by joining us at the 3rd Annual Hartness Half Marathon and 5K on November 9th. This is a great race for all kinds of fitness levels, groups and individuals. Sign up now !