Family Focus
Programs & News February 2020
Supporting Kinship Caregivers
Our Relative Recharge groups offer a friendly environment for grandparents and other relatives who are raising children to connect and support one another. All grandparents and other kinship caregivers are welcome!

Monthly in three locations:

Hampton
1st Tuesday each month @ 9:30
Next meeting: February 4

Somersworth
2nd Monday each month @ 9:30
Next meeting: February 10

Epping
3rd Wednesday each month @ 9:30
Group begins: March 18

Please sign up at (603) 422-8209 or using the button below. Free child care is available upon request - let us know if you need that when you sign up.

We look forward to seeing you.
Here’s why three current participants love Relative Recharge:

“It gives me connection with others who relate to my family story. It offers a safe, supportive place where I can share with others who have understanding of what each day brings, good or bad. I often get great tips on new things or places to go with the grandchildren as well.”

“It helps knowing that others are going through similar issues and you’re not alone. You learn how they handled it. They help you find answers to your difficulties.”

“I am able to express my feelings at these meetings, which I do not feel free to do in my home. Because there are others in the same situation, they do not judge those who are expressing their feelings.”
Upcoming Parenting Programs
Keeping Our Kids Safe
Tuesdays @ 6 pm in Portsmouth
Attend any or all sessions in the series
C ommunication Series:
Tuesdays @ 6 pm in Portsmouth
Attend any or all sessions in the series
with Kris Lang, Head Start
@ 9:30 am in Portsmouth
Thursday, Feb. 27
@ 9:30 am in Portsmouth
@ 6 pm in Portsmouth
Dr. Peg Dawson at Families First!
"Many youngsters who are considered 'underachievers' have a constellation of challenges that fall under the category of executive skills," says Dr. Peg Dawson, co-author of the books Smart but Scattered and Smart but Scattered Teens.

As Dr. Dawson explains, "Executive skills refer to the processes required to plan and organize activities, start and finish tasks, sustain attention, control impulses, and persist to achieve goals."

Are these processes hard for your child? If so, join us in March when Dr. Dawson, a psychologist specializing in children with learning and attention disorders, will be at Families First.

Come learn how executive skills develop throughout the first two decades of life and how to help your children and teens acquire the critical skills needed to be successful in school and in life.

Tuesday, March 24 @ 6 pm
Families First in Portsmouth
Free! Free child care with advance signup!
Keeping Our Kids Safe
As a parent, how do you teach your kids to be cautious and protect themselves, without making them anxious and fearful?

With the help of our partners from the community, we'll address this question at our "Keeping Kids Safe" series, Tuesday evenings in February at Families First:

2/4: Teaching Personal Body Safety (with Haven)
2/11 : Talking About Tough Topics (with Dr. Laura Rubin)
(with the Portsmouth Police Department / NH Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force)

We want our children to feel safe and confident, but we need to educate them in a healthy way about dangers and risks that exist in our world. Join us for any or all of classes in this series.
Family Fun Night Returns in March
Monday is Family Fun Night! Enjoy a family-style dinner and family-friendly activities, without the stress of making it happen at home. A fun, relaxing evening out for families with children from infants through teens.
1st Monday each month @ 5:30 p.m.
Beginning March 2
Free! Advance signup needed.
Winter Weather Cancellations
When a public school cancels the school day due to weather , any parenting classes or family groups  taking place in that town or city  will also be cancelled for that day. If the public school is open, we usually hold our programs at least in the morning, but it is a good idea to check, especially about evening programs if the weather has been worsening during the day. (Check our website or Facebook page , or call 602-422-8209 .) We'll also contact all registered participants by phone or email.