May 3rd-May 7th 2021 is Teacher Appreciation Week! After the last year, teachers need appreciation more than ever! Make sure you take a chance to #ThankATeacher this week. Download one of these cards featuring The Character Effect™ Characters and let your favorite teacher know you appreciate them!
May is #FosterCareMonth! We are challenging you to “take a chance” on foster care this month. Learn more about #fostercare, begin your foster care journey, resume your training, or make a donation to support our program. Will you take a chance by opening your heart and your home to the community’s most vulnerable children? Get started today!
This month The Character Effect™ brings you the May Family Engagement Challenge! We’ll be focusing on the strengths of honesty and leadership! Download the tips and get started today!
Today the Beech Acres Parenting Center community breathes a collective sigh of relief with our country, the citizens of Minneapolis, the family and friends of George Floyd, our Black employees, clients, and partners, and the entire world. Yesterday, twelve men and women chose accountability. Accountability for the murder of George Floyd. Accountability for the trauma inflicted on the Minneapolis community. Accountability for the young Black men and women who fear for their lives whenever they leave their homes. Accountability for the mothers and fathers who are filled with a sense of dread and desperation when their children aren’t home and they hear a siren in the distance. Accountability is just, but it is not justice. Justice would mean equity. Justice would mean fairness. Justice would mean George Floyd was still alive. There is much work still to be done. What we say to our children and to each other can define what accountability, equity, justice, and fairness look like. Set an intention to talk to your children about racial inequality and injustice. Be mindful to teach them acceptance and inclusion. Develop their strengths of judgment, kindness, perspective, and fairness. Our children are watching. What we do next matters.
Guest Blogger Amanda McDermott, Team Lead, Beyond the Classroom As I reflect on the events unfolding before us, it is clear, there is so much work to be done. I am reminded of an image I saw recently. While we slowly work as a community to make progress toward systemic change such as demanding police reform, negotiating housing reform, education reform, and much more, change will not come about until values and principles of respecting equitable rights in Americans’ homes are instilled. True change will be seen when we hold one another accountable for parenting our children using awareness, empathy, and compassion. As parents, we must keep our children responsible for their individual behavior and teach them the value of all people. It is in true compassion and true understanding that we begin to comprehend the substantial impact that our differences have on our lives. As a 10 and 14-year-old white children parent, my responsibility lies in educating them on a world full of inequities and biases, teaching them to learn and grow in their place in this world. Children learn best by example. Our kids look to us to model the behavior that we want to see from them. As my kids watch me acknowledge and make an effort to correct my own unconscious bias, they will learn that our work on ourselves is never complete. We must work on ourselves each day, to be better than the person we were the day before, for the good of ourselves and for the good of all people. For me, in addition to acknowledging my unconscious bias’, this starts with kindness. Emphasizing the significant effect that being kind can have on another individual is key. In addition, I use everyday conversations about what my kids are encountering in their lives each day and using playful curiosity to help them broaden their perspective. It is important to me that my children understand that each of us struggles with something and that most of the other’s behaviors are a direct result of their own internal struggle that we have no idea about as an outsider experiencing the situation. Lastly, teaching my kids to use their own privilege to stand up for the rights of others who do not share in that privilege is essential. When we have the means to do good for another or keep another from harm (psychological or physical), it is our responsibility to do so. To summarize, as parents, we must teach our children by modeling the behavior we want to see in them through: acknowledging our own bias and making an effort to correct it. using kindness in our everyday interactions holding ourselves and our children accountable for our actions and behaviors using our place of privilege to help others.
Hoops with my bros… School with my friends… Sleep in a safe bed… Love and support from a foster family… It may not seem like a lot, but it’s everything to a child. Beech Acres Parenting Center is now serving the Dayton & Montgomery County Area! Beech Acres Parenting Center has matched children with safe, loving, well–trained foster parents for over 40 years. Get started fostering today! Contact Ashley Gray at AGray@BeechAcres.org or visit our website. Watch the video!
Guest Blogger Christy Honschopp, Parenting Specialist Having a child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder can be a challenging and very fear-producing experience. Please know you are not alone. There are resources available to you to help navigate parenting an Autistic Spectrum child. Please know that with all things knowledge is power and keep these important tips in mind: Learn about Autism– The more you know about spectrum disorders the better equipped you will be as a parent to make decisions for your child Become and expert on your child– Figure out what triggers your child’s challenging or disruptive behavior and what elicits a positive response as well Accept your child quirks and all – Rather than focusing on how your autistic child is different from other children and what he or she is missing -practice acceptance. Don’t give up– Its impossible to predict the course of Autism Spectrum Disorder- Don’t jump to conclusions about what life is going to be for your child. Like everyone else, people with Autism have an entire lifetime to grow and develop their unique abilities. We are fortunate to have many resources available to assist you along your parenting journey with an ASD child- Please utilize any and all of the resources below if you need help. Remember you are not alone. The Kelly O’Leary Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center 513-636-4611 Autism Speaks of Cincinnati 1-888-288-4762 Cincinnati Center for Autism 513-874-6789 Autism Society of Greater Cincinnati 513-561-2300 Children’s Home of Cincinnati Autism Services 513-272-2800
This month celebrate your family’s strengths of sense of meaning, appreciation of beauty, and humility. Download these fun parenting tips and get started today!
Jerri Rednour, a Family Specialist in the Kinship Connections Program at Beech Acres Parenting Center has been named an Everyday Ohio Hero by the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund. “Jerri is a loving grandmother who provided kinship care for her two grandsons when their home life was interrupted, Kinship Connections Manager Dawn Merritt said. “Jerri provides a safe, loving, and supportive home for her grandchildren.” Jerri’s support of kinship care in Ohio doesn’t end with her own individual experience. Jerri has learned and grown from her experience which has driven a passion to provide support to other adults providing kinship care. As a Family Specialist at Beech Acres Parenting Center, Jerri has helped others navigate through the court system and provide community resources that improve children’s well-being, improves family function, and support these other kin caregivers. Jerri’s road to supporting kinship care providers is a unique one. Jerri worked in the business world as a purchasing specialist for 41 years. After losing her husband to cancer in 2008, Jerri decided it was time to expand her career to something familiar and heartfelt. Jerri became a Weekend Coordinator at the American Cancer Society Cincinnati Hope Lodge, where she worked for 8 years. “I felt a deep personal commitment and wanted to brighten the days of others as they faced possibly their most difficult of times,” Jerri said. Soon after starting this position, Jerri’s life unexpectedly changed. An unexpected, and unfortunate set of circumstances interrupted her grandson’s home lives. Without hesitation, Jerri picked them up, took them in, and begin caring for them. “One summer morning I picked up my two young grandsons for the weekend, unaware that this was going to be a new beginning for all of us,” Jerri recalled. “I was so unprepared!” Kinship care is often an unexpected situation for grandparents. Brought upon by unexpected and unfortunate circumstances, caring for a loved one’s child can be a difficult transition that often comes long after a caregiver has last cared for a child day to day. What is extraordinary is these grandparents, aunts, uncles and other loving adults step up to care for these children without hesitation and often without any idea where to turn for help. “The boys and I clung together out of fear and necessity and together we built our new, unconventional family one challenge at a time, Jerri said. “Finding help was like mining diamonds, oh so precious and oh so rare.” As her job at the Hope Lodge was ending, Jerri decided she wanted to continue something heartfelt, meaningful, and familiar. Her job search led her to Beech Acres Parenting Center. “The position I discovered mirrored my most recent experience, my life, my passion…Kinship Care,” Jerri said. “I wanted to smooth the transition, lessen the stress, and fill in the gaps for all new Kinship Families,” Jerri said. “I wanted to help those that shared the same feelings that I did as a new Kin Caregiver when I was surprised, overwhelmed, and lost! I had great love to share and high expectations, but what I did not have was direction, support, and financial assistance.” Kinship Connections, with support from the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund, Mental Health Recovery Services of Warren and Clinton Counties, and OhioKAN, helps kin caregivers find financial resources, navigate complex paperwork, and connect with other families in similar situations. It was a perfect fit for Jerri. “Jerri is an inspiration, not just for how she has stepped up for her own family, but for her support of other kinship caregivers in the state of Ohio,” ”, Dawn Merritt said. Jerri is humbled to be honored as an Everyday Ohio Hero but is very proud of her work with other kinship providers in Ohio. “I am continually proud to be a part of Beech Acres Parenting Center and Kinship Connections, and for my personal journey, I am proud to say, “Boys, we made it!”
Find out how you can bring the popular concept of The Relaxation Station from your child’s Character Effect classroom to your home. Guest Blogger Lindoria Felder, Parent Engagement Specialist Many of us have experienced the blessings of being a parent. We know that our angels, our babies, our kids come with HUGE emotions. Meltdowns known as let-downs come when the child doesn’t know what to do with that HUGE emotion. The child doesn’t know how to express the feelings or emotions that he or she is having and as parents, we identify it. We call it a TANTRUM! When those TANTRUMS start, they can become epic and your child can make sure you will remember it. It can become legend! If the truth is told, many of us parents are just learning how to use breathing techniques ourselves to self-regulate and calm down. So, saying to your child “take a deep breath’ may not be part of their toolkit or vocabulary yet. It must be introduced with intentionality. To help your child understand his or her emotions, the idea of a Relaxation Station (calming corner) in your home may help. A Relaxation Station is a method of helping your child process his or her emotions that have been proven to be as effective as “time-outs” you may have received before we had electricity or running water! Do you remember the time-out chair?! How many times did you get up to be taken back to the same chair in the same spot until you got the concept that this was a way to teach you to sit still for inappropriate behavior. Well, creating a Relaxation Station in your home or apartment for your child to chill is a great way to manage emotions. I’m calling it a Relaxation Station because it offers your child a place of safety and comfort that belongs to him/her when the emotions become too much for them to handle on their own and they start tumbling out of control. • The Relaxation Station is not a space to put your child into time out. It is not to be used for disobedience. It’s a space to help your child gain self-control and calm down when the emotions start tumbling out of control. It’s an area in your home your child goes when he or she is experiencing high levels of emotion and can gain control in a safe and self-restrained manner. It’s an area to give attention to what’s going on in the mind, to calm the body, and let go of strong feelings of agitation. Being consistent with its purpose, your child will begin to learn when he or she needs to go to their Relaxation Station for emotional control. • The Relaxation Station should be used before things increase in intensity with your child. It will help your child(ren) recognize the signs their body gives to let them know they are becoming out of control, throwing things, yelling, tight fist, etc. • The Relaxation Station can be as simple as you want it to be with a small mat, a favorite blanket or item that has value to the child, along with a basket of books, Lego blocks in a bucket to build — be creative. It can also be as sophisticated as you want it. Be intentional in its purpose to create a safe place to calm your child and provide comfort. Find a space in your home that your child will know is his or hers. Put art with warm pictures on the wall (Appreciation of Beauty), baskets with sensory activities (Curiosity), books (Love of Learning), a favorite stuffed animal (Love), bubbles for controlling breaths, or Lego blocks to be creative. • Have your child help with the planning of the space, the setting of rules for the space without assuming the child knows. Whatever you put in the space, teach your child how to use it and what it is for. Reminder: Set your child up for success in their new space. Download this activity and get started on your own Relaxation Station today!
