1993 Consortium Connections: Spring
Published by the Children, Youth and Family Consortium: A
University and
Community Collaboration
THE CONSORTIUM IN ACTION
By Marilyn Larson, Member of the CYF Consortium Executive
Committee
In just a little more than a year, the Children, Youth, and Family Consortium has gone from a concept to a vital set of activities involving University and community people. The Consortium is helping to bring the resources of the University together in a more integrated fashion, and then taking them into the community where people who work with and care for children and families can benefit. Workgroups are developing action plans that include organizing conferences, designing training modules, conducting research, and writing articles and papers. Consortium staff and executive committee members have helped to bring diverse groups together in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration around grant writing, course development, program implementation, and community education. Along with bringing back a sense of reality and practicality to the University, the Consortium is clearly acting on behalf of Minnesota's children and families.
KIDS = HANDLE WITH CARE
by Ron L. Pitzer, Family Sociologist, Minnesota Extension Service
and Kathleen Olson, Extension Educator, Goodhue County
There is considerable evidence that use of spanking and other legal corporal punishment have harmful side effects on children and increase the risk that parents will go too far and physically abuse a child. Research also indicates that spanking is less effective than other disciplinary approaches in gaining compliance when children are not in the presence of their parents and in teaching them the effects of their behavior on others.
A unique three-year project was launched in Goodhue County in April 1993 to attempt to increase parents' awareness of physical punishment and use of alternatives in the discipline of children through education, information dissemination, and advocacy activities. The project is a collaborative, community-based, and community-directed effort called - KIDS = Handle With Care, supported by the Children, Youth, and Family Consortium, Minnesota Extension Service, and the Family Research Laboratory of the University of New Hampshire.
Support for a "no-spanking" education program has been growing in Red Wing for some time especially due to interest and efforts of a member of the Red Wing correctional facility, a county extension educator, a staff person of the local technical college, and a public health nurse. The possibility of organizing a community effort was crystallized at a February meeting attended by roughly 25 persons representing most of the relevant institutions (extension service, schools, child protection services, early childhood family education (ECFE), clergy, public health, child care, Head Start, mental health center and others. At this meeting, Marti Erickson, coordinator of the Consortium, spoke on the needs of children. Ron Pitzer, family sociologist with the Minnesota Extension Service, briefly reviewed research on the effects of physical punishment. They then led a discussion of community interest and commitment towards undertaking a long-term community effort to: 1) provide education to parents on alternatives to physical punishment; and 2) change cultural attitudes in the community about physical punishment.
The community-wide effort began in April with the Illusion Theaters production called "Families". Over the next months and years, parent education programs will be offered by ECFE, Headstart, Extension, and others. Churches, schools, social service, public health, child care centers and homes, and other agencies and organizations will present the message in various ways. Newspaper articles, radio programs, newsletters, and other media will carry information about discipline. Posters in public places, bumper stickers, and videos may also be used to present the message. Dr. Murray Straus, sociologist and family violence researcher at the University of New Hampshire, will conduct an evaluation of the project.
THE VILLAGE PROJECT "IT TAKES THE WHOLE VILLAGE TO RAISE THE CHILD" by Katie O'Brien, Project Facilitator
The Call To Action
We sat on short kindergarten chairs and heard the teachers'
concerns about their students. Each year they see more kids who
have a hard time sitting still, who are withdrawn, who have few
real friends, who act tired and hungry, and who are disruptive
and aggressive. These problems, seen in many settings, are not
"school problems" or "home problems" or
"social problems". Efforts to solve them have resulted
in diagnosing and labeling, making it difficult to provide
child-centered, coordinated help for children. Too often the
child and the family are confused by the numbers of people
intervening and the lack of a consistent message that is in a
form the child and family can accept or understand.
To respond to the lack of coordinated services, a pilot project was begun in the St. Croix Valley to find ways to provide earlier and more effective intervention for children. Representatives from the St. Croix Area United Way, the Stillwater Area Schools, and Washington County met and created The Village Project. The project is bringing the community together to work with and for children. The base for the pilot program is Oak Park Elementary School in Stillwater. The focus is on early intervention, developing parenting skills, and mobilizing community support. There is a strong emphasis on a family-based systems model, which supports parents for making positive changes in their lives.
Goals
Meetings with parents, school staff, and staff from community
agencies and organizations provided the goals for The Village
Project. Four areas are being addressed by teams. -Families Team
Developing a partnership with parents based on respectful sharing
of information, hearing child and family concerns, and using
language all can understand. -Support Team Providing support for
child care staff, especially in the areas of wellness,
friendship, behavior management, and specialized learning (i.e.,
peace education). -Communication Team Increasing awareness, trust
and cooperation to better communicate on a personal level,
mobilizing community support, using cross system training,
celebrations across lines, etc.
-Systems Change Team Improving the ability of the
"system" to provide earlier and more effective services
for children through use of a wellness approach, more efficient
resources and referral; and agreement on coordinated goals for
outcomes and evaluation.
Team Accomplishments
-Kick-Off An event with a message of hope for parents, staff
and administrators across systems on what works for children.
-Choices, Challenges and Changes Group Finding ways for children
to become friends to themselves and others. -Village activities
with the school A Wellness Night for kindergarten students and
their families to experience routines for clean-up time, meal
time, play time and bed time; Rotary Readers; meals on wheels;
peer mediation.
-Spring Celebration An event planned with a lunch and keynote
speaker followed by solutions work groups and a production of a
spoof on the challenges families face in dealing with the
"systems". The "seeds planted" will lead to a
fall interagency workshop on healthy communication and a second
"Celebrating Families Super Sunday."
Future Plans
The core group of planners held open discussions focusing on 1) the difficulty of getting past the trust, turf and money issues that can get in the way of progress and 2) the need to use more sophisticated research information and evaluation techniques to examine the success of this pilot project. The Consortium Advocacy Workgroup is planning to engage in some of these activities. The group's focus on the needs of elementary school children for support, supervision, and positive activities after school and during the summer fits well into the expansion of The Village Project.
All in all, participants in the project have made a continuing commitment to this process of change. They have clearly found that talking with each other across systems has brought together people who believe that with a balance of practicality and philosophy, positive change is possible.
NATIONAL PARENT EDUCATION INSTITUTE
by Naomi Silberberg, Parent Education Advisory Committee
The 2nd National Parent Education Institute will take place June 15-17 at the Earle Brown Center of the University of Minnesota. The title of this year's Institute is "Critically Examining Parental Guidance of Young Children: Building Non-Violent Relationships Based on Respect and Reciprocal Interaction." The Institute is organized by the U of MN Parent Education Advisory committee, a collaborative group of University and community professionals and is endorsed by the Children, Youth, and Family Consortium. It is designed to meet the needs of teacher educators who prepare parent educators and practicing family life educators.
Participants will examine: 1) current parent practices that interfere with healthy child development and contribute to violence in society; and 2) societal forces which may contribute to disrespectful parental actions towards children. Alternative parenting methods, based on respect, will be presented and applications to parent education discussed. Small group discussions will provide an opportunity to use critical thinking skills as a foundation for change.
The Institute features presentations by several nationally and internationally recognized experts. Murray Straus, Director of the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire, and a leading researcher in family violence, studies the relationship between violence in the home and violence in society. He will discuss his research on practices (i.e., spanking) and the implications of accepting physical punishment as part of the repertoire of parent-child interaction. Stephen Brookfield, Professor at the University of St. Thomas, and a leading spokesperson for applications of critical thinking methods in education, will present an overview of using critical thinking to develop alternative perspectives.
Institute participants will also interact with U of MN's Linda Budd, award winning teacher of Parenting classes; Ruth Thomas, Associate Professor in Home Economics Education, W. Andrew Collins, Professor, well-known scholar and speaker from the Institute of Child Development; Lynn Galle, who runs the Institute of Child Development's Laboratory Nursery School and Early Education Certification program. For more information regarding the Parent Education Institute, call Naomi Silverberg at 612/624-1294.
CONSORTIUM ELECTRONIC CLEARINGHOUSE: NOW UP AND RUNNING
The Children, Youth, and Family Consortium is pleased to announce that the Consortium Electronic Clearinghouse (CEC) is now up and running. CEC provides access, via computer, to an array of information on children, youth, and families. On the next two pages (5 & 6) of this issue of Consortium Connections is the CEC brochure which gives you information about CEC as well as instructions on how to access CEC. We continue to improve CEC daily by adding more information and new features. (We hope to have an 800 number available by fall.) We believe that this is just the beginning of a tool that will be useful to many of you in your work and experience with children, youth, and families.
Following are the thoughts of Lynn Englund, volunteer community activist in Rockford, MN, on how she and her community will use CEC.
The Consortium Electronic Clearinghouse excites my imagination for how it will help individuals in my community improve the well-being of our children, youth and families. CEC will be a valuable resource for teachers and staff within my school district, the Rockford Schools. Computer capability at each of the district's schools suggest that as a "first call for help" CEC could help teachers and staff quickly access current information relevant to the specific needs and programs in our area by drawing on current information available through the U of MN and various state agencies. For example, one area I might explore through CEC is how to coordinate and provide expanded youth service learning opportunities in our community. Linking research at the University on the merits of youth service opportunities with other organizations or agencies promoting or funding youth service learning opportunities could greatly facilitate efforts to develop and implement local policies and programs.
Our Community/Family Partnership Advocate, Marsha White, will find CEC valuable. Marsha's job is to help area residents of all ages access existing programs offered through our schools, cities, counties and programs at the state or federal level. (This is especially important in the Rockford area which straddles the Wright Hennepin County border, includes portions of four municipalities, and is located ten to fifteen miles from service centers in either county.) Marsha is our local clearinghouse. She develops support groups and programs which meet the specific needs of our community. Because Marsha works with service providers in Wright and Hennepin County, the schools and local communities, she is in a position to help develop policies for the delivery of services to children, youth and families in our community and could benefit from the variety of information and expertise available through CEC.
As an individual citizen concerned about children, youth and families I will value having access to CEC to increase my understanding of education, health, and social policy concerns to better advocate for children, youth and families in my daily activities.
Following is the information on the CEC brochure:
What is the Consortium Electronic Clearinghouse? The Consortium Electronic Clearinghouse is an on-line distributive information system available 24 hours a day which provides research-based information related to the health, education and welfare of children, youth, and families. The Clearinghouse lists University and community resources and services related to children, youth, and families. The Clearinghouse also facilitates the accessibility and use of such information by families, policy makers, agencies and individual professionals in Minnesota to improve family functioning as well as policy and program planning and delivery. The second phase of the Clearinghouse development will offer an interactive electronic bulletin board and e-mail features.
Who can use the Clearinghouse?
Anyone who needs information on children, youth or families including: parents, educators, clergy, human service providers, health care providers, researchers, students, policy makers, youth and media.
What kinds of information would I find on the Clearinghouse?
Information on classes and workshops on child and family
issues Educational videos available for loan
Informative articles for personal use or for reprinting in your
publications
Data on children and families, useful for preparation of grant
proposals
Experts to serve as speakers or program consultants. Educational
and recreational activities for children, youth, and families
What's happening at the Consortium and other CYF agencies and
organizations.
Help to learn how to use the Clearinghouse
How can I access the Clearinghouse?
All it takes is a personal computer, modem, telephone line, and communications software (such as Procomm, Kermit, Tincan, etc.). Schools and libraries usually have this equipment and some will make it available for public use.
How can I use the Clearinghouse?
You locate the information you need by "searching" for specific topics or "browsing" through articles. To "search" you type in a term describing the topic of interest (e.g., child care or teen depression), and the system will find and list each document which includes this term. (This is called a full text search.) To "browse" you select among the information categories, scrolling past titles until you find one that looks related to your need. With both "search" and "browse" you can read or review the documents while still connected to the Clearinghouse. You can also download or save a copy of the documents you might want to keep on your disk. Check the statement at the beginning of the document for a copyright or information use restriction; all documents on the Clearinghouse can be copied and distributed, but they cannot be sold, and the full citation must be included.
What does it cost to use the Clearinghouse?
There is no cost to access the Clearinghouse in the Twin Cities metro area. Outside of this area there may be long distance phone charges. (We are currently exploring the possibility of providing an 800 number.)
How does the Clearinghouse get information?
By asking data owners and authors of useful, interesting, research-based information for permission to place their work on the Clearinghouse and allow our users to print and disseminate copies. [If you know of resources that you think should be part of the Clearinghouse, call the Consortium and we'll follow up your leads.]
How does the data owner/author benefit from being part of the Clearinghouse?
They receive full credit for creating or compiling their work, and their work receives wider dissemination and use. In turn, they are required to keep their documents up-to-date and, for owners of large databases, store the data and maintain the Gopher connection on their own computer.
What's happening next with the Clearinghouse?
We continue to add information and resources to the Clearinghouse each week. We are seeking additional funds to support ongoing free access throughout Minnesota, and staff support to assist users in using the Clearinghouse. Future technical features planned for the Clearinghouse include access to other electronic clearinghouses, electronic mail for community agencies and organizations in the Consortium, and interactive bulletin boards which would allow users to carry on conversations with each other on CYF issues.
CONSORTIUM CALENDAR
May 13 Sir Michael Rutter, Professor of Child Psychology, University of London, will present a colloquium entitled "Transitions and Turning Points In Development" from 3:15-4:30 pm at the Hubert H. Humphrey Center, U of MN. For more information contact Sue Eastman at 612/624-8038.
May 14 The U of MN School of Social Work is sponsoring an all day conference titled Children with Disabilities: Strategies for Improving Professional Competence. It will be held at Earle Brown Center in St. Paul. For more information and registration contact Chris Carlstrom at 612/625-6616.
May 24 The Consortium is sponsoring a Policy Orientation Day to provide students with an opportunity to learn about the policy process in relation to children's issues. Minnesota legislators, lobbyists, and members of the Children's Cabinet will be participating. The forum will run from 9:00 am to 12:15 pm. Bus transportation will be provided from U of MN campus to the Capitol. The event is free. Call the Consortium office at 612/626-1212 by May 5 to register.
May 25 The Center for Early Education and Development (CEED) and the Consortium will be sponsoring a coffee clatch on substance abuse during pregnancy. For more information call Ellen Smart at 612/624-5780.
June 14 The MN Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting and Prevention will present their 2nd Annual Conference entitled Coming of Age in the 90s: Issues in Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, Pregnancy Care and Parenting. The conference will be held at the Earle Brown Center in St. Paul. For more information call Teresa Winger at 612/296-2571.
June 15-17 U of MN Parent Education Advisory Committee and the Consortium are sponsoring the 2nd National Parent Education Institute entitled Critically Examining Parental Guidance of Young Children: Building Non-Violent Relationships Based on Respect and Reciprocal Interaction. (See page 4.)
June 17-18 The U of MN is sponsoring The First Annual Summer Symposium on Children's Literature in the Classroom: Native American Authors. The symposium is designed to introduce professionals working with children to the literatures of diverse cultures. CEUs are available. Registration deadline is June 3. For more information contact Theresa Washington at 612/624-6053.
CONNECTION CORNER
Search Institute, in cooperation with Corporate Radio Network, has a new audio tape available entitled Breaking the Silence: Parents as Partners in Sexuality Education. The tape encourages parents to get beyond their embarrassment to talk about the real issues, expectations and values regarding sexuality. (Cost: $5.95 plus shipping and handling.) Contact Jan Mills or Gene Roehlkepartian at 1-800-888-7828 for further information.
The Family Resource Center, which opened April 1, provides a "one stop shopping location" for families and children to access the resources of the community. It is located at 915 Main Street in Hopkins, and is sponsored by the School and Community Partnership Committee. For further information, contact Jan Guetschow at 612/933-9289.
HARAMBEE, Minnesota's only private African American adoption recruitment program, is seeking African American married and single families with an interest in adopting. This is a no-cost adoption program. Over 200 African American foster children are waiting for adoptive families. All need loving and skilled parents to provide them a permanent home. For more information contact Katherine Harp or Joanne Neal Sloan at 612/379-5384.
The Ramsey County Family Violence Initiative is creating a Community Resource Exchange to link together the Initiative's Action Teams and other violence prevention efforts in the community. If you or your organization would like to be listed in the Exchange, or if you would like information about other resources, please contact Don Gault at 612/266-2404.
MN Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Prevention and Parenting (MOAPP) is a statewide organization consisting of individuals and organizations committed to reducing teen pregnancy and supporting pregnant and parenting teens in MN. For more information please contact Laurie Petro at 612/296-2571.
The U of MN Twin Cities YMCA is developing a program for students with children.The program includes a series of skill-oriented workshops on topics such as time management, creative games to play with kids, healthy eating on a tight budget and U resources. The existing YMCA Home Team Program, which includes family events, support groups, and family counseling, will serve as the model for developing this program. For more information or to contribute suggestions for programming, contact Suzanne Robinson at 612/625-3800.
Family to Family Ties, a metrowide family support program of Episcopal Community Services, is seeking families/individuals interested in volunteering to provide support and encouragement and to share social activities and fun with low income families seeking healthy and supportive family relationships. Regular training and support is provided. For more information contact Sue Gronemeyer at 612/291-0386.
Do you know families who have a child with diabetes? Drs. Andrew Collins and Nancy Leffert are conducting research in this area and are looking for subjects.Please call Dr. Collins at 612/624-1551.
MN CHILDREN'S SUMMIT
On October 28, 1993, a "Minnesota Children's Summit"
will be held at Earle Brown Center on the St. Paul Campus of the
University of Minnesota. Sponsored by the Children, Youth, and
Family Consortium, the Children's Defense Fund MN, Action for
Children, Congregations Concerned for Children, and the Coalition
of Family Organizations, this conference will bring together
leaders from around the state for a series of action-oriented
roundtable discussions about how we can work together to address
the needs of Minnesota children most effectively and efficiently.
We've Moved
As of April 13, 1993 the Children, Youth, and Family Consortium
has a new home. Our office is now on the St. Paul Campus of the
University of Minnesota. We also have a new phone number and fax
number. Please note these changes.
Children, Youth, and Family Consortium
University Gateway, 270A
200 Oak Street SE
Minneapolis MN 55455
612/626-1212 Fax: 612/626-1210
CONSORTIUM UPDATE
The Children, Youth, and Family Consortium has a new office, address and phone number. Please see information on page 7.
We are excited to welcome Colleen Landkammer, Blue Earth County Commissioner, and Sheila Ards, Assistant Professor, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, U of MN, to the Consortium Steering Committee. We also want to introduce and thank Beth Maddock, graduate student in Family Social Science, who has been volunteering at the Consortium for the last few months.
The Consortium Workgroups are accomplishing exciting things. The University Teaching Workgroup, in conjunction with the U of MN's Practical Scholar and Early Childhood Studies programs, is planning a series of no cost/no credit workshops for parents. The Community Training Needs Workgroup is focusing on how it can provide support to those involved with developing and implementing violence prevention programs for children and youth. Guests representing several successful violence programs met in February to share information about their programs.
Workgroups are open to all and we encourage people to get involved. The next meeting of the Community Training Needs Workgroup is on May 4, 9-10:30am for anyone interested. For more information on this and other upcoming workgroup meetings call the Consortium office at 612/626-1212.
Congratulations to Ruth Ann Ball, member of the Community Training Needs Workgroup, who received both the American Vocational Association Home Economics Education Graduate Fellowship and the Phi Upsilon Omicron Founders Fellowship.
The Consortium is eager to co-sponsor appropriate activities and to publicize your events in our newsletter. Deadline for fall (late September) newsletter is August 30. Call Jan at 612/626-1212 if you have questions.
WHO IS THE CONSORTIUM?
Marilyn Larson, an independent consultant and member of the Community Training Needs Workgroup and our Executive and Steering Committees, helps meet the training needs of front-line workers who interact with children, youth, and families.
Roz Anderson, with the School-Age Child Care Alliance and School Age Child Care in Robbinsdale Schools, is a strong voice in the Advocacy Workgroup for encouraging ways to keep adults involved in children's lives.
Karen Alaniz, a professor in the School of Nursing and co-facilitator of the University Teaching Workgroup, helps to give students at the University opportunities to learn from a multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural perspective which will enable them to be better prepared for work in the real world.
Mike McGrane, a social worker in the Community Assistance Program at the Wilder Foundation, offers the Community Training Needs Workgroup insightful advice regarding efforts to foster school-community dialogues on expectations for children's behavior.
Joe Mahoney, Duluth native and recent U of MN graduate, is an intern with the Consortium who tackled the challenging and important job of gathering and coordinating information about courses and research currently available at the University on children, youth, and families.
Steering Committee Members 1993
Sheila Ards Assistant Professor, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute
of Public Affairs, U of MN
Robert W. Blum Professor and Director, Adolescent Health Program,
U of MN
Geraldine Kearse Brookins* Professor, Child Welfare and Youth
Policy, Gamble-Skogmo Land Grant, U of MN Robert H. Bruininks
Dean, College of Education, U of MN Richard Byrne Assistant
Director, Minnesota Extension Service, 4-H Development
Paul Carrizales Director of Advocacy, Family Service of Greater
St. Paul, and Chicanos, Latinos, Unidos en Servicio (CLUES)
Donald Fraser Mayor, City of Minneapolis Harold D. Grotevant*
Professor & Head, Dept. of Family Social Science, U of MN
Karen Kurz-Riemer Director, Action for Children Colleen
Landkammer Commissioner, Blue Earth County Marilyn Larson*
Consultant
Lee Luebbe President, Luebbe Consulting Services Jeanne Markell
Associate to Vice President of Agriculture, Forestry, and Home
Economics, U of MN
Jane Ranum Senator, Minnesota State Senate Rosa Smith Assistant
Superintendent for Planning and Support Services, St. Paul Public
Schools
Richard Weinberg* Chair, Professor and Director, Institute of
Child Development, U of MN
(Members with * also serve on the Executive Committee)
CONSORTIUM STAFF
Martha Farrell Erickson Coordinator
Jan Joannides Office Manager
Lynn Marrs Administrative Fellow
Amy Susman Administrative Fellow
Joe Mahoney Intern
Beth Maddock Volunteer
All University-Community Consortium
on Children, Youth, & Families
612/626-9582
