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The Spring 2022 edition of Insiders’ Scoop is here! An exciting new chapter for Beech Acres Parenting Center is about to begin! Since August, we’ve been working closely with the board, leaders from across the organization, key staff members, and an outside consultant on what’s next for Beech Acres. We’ve laid out an exciting, intentional, and an inspirational new plan for the next three years that will shape the future of Beech Acres Parenting Center for years to come. This new plan includes an exciting new mission and vision for the organization that respects our past but guides us into the future, a new set of values that reflects who we are and who we want to be as an organization, and three foundational new strategic priorities that will be implemented over the next three years.The Accelerating Impact chart on the next page outlines the Plan for you. Our leadership team is now developing the key initiatives that will allow us to reach our North Star goal of strengthening our foundation to reach more, serve more and influence nationally. Details will be shared in the coming months, but I am particularly excited about these opportunities that are before us:• Expansion to a national footprint inThe Character Effect™, Parent Connext™ and as a thought leader in our field.• Founder and leader of the #GreatKidsGreaterCincinnati mental wellness movement.• Establish a Social Enterprise Lab to explore mission-driven business lines.• Explore new service lines, including pre-school programs, new products, and publishing opportunities.• Double down on success with our highly acclaimed evidence-based programs including Foster Care and Adoption, Kinship Care, and Mental Health Services. For over 170 years Beech Acres Parenting Center has been serving parents, families, and children by adapting to an ever-changing landscape. Meeting parents, families, and children where they are. Helping them discover what’s strong with them, not what’s wrong with them.Today, we begin our next century of serving the community. Together – and with your continued support – let’s make the world a brighter place for children to grow up. Download the latest edition of Insiders’ Scoop here. Want to become a Beech Acres Insider? Make a donation today to help support parents, families, and children!

We know that any given night we have 1,800 children in need of a home in Hamilton County. We want to change that by hosting a virtual #TakeAChance event to bring awareness to the need for Foster Parents. This Virtual event will be Wednesday, March 30, 2022, 5:00p-9:00p. We want to first show the community’s need for foster parenting. We also want to show how easy it is to become a foster parent with the help and support not only of the Beech Acres Parenting Center staff but with the help of our foster parent network. Lastly, we want to share the impact that becoming a foster parent has on a child’s life. We need your help. Please share with your networks! Registration is now closed! Thank you. #TakeAChance

Introducing With All Families  For over 170 years, Beech Acres Parenting Center has been serving parents, families, and children in the Greater Cincinnati community. We’ve constantly grown and iterated to ensure that we are meeting parents where they are in their parenting journey with innovative solutions that cultivate their strengths and build resiliency.  Over the last several years we’ve relied on science and data to drive decisions about where are services are best deployed. We’ve introduced several initiatives to serve parents, families, and kids in schools, in pediatric offices, in the workplace, and of course in the community.  Introducing With All Families  With All Families joins The Character Effect™, Beyond The Classroom™, and Parent Connext ® under the Beech Acres Parenting Center umbrella of services. With All Families, represents our focus to reach all families regardless of how they are put together. Our team is equipped to support foster families, adoptive families, kinship families, and any family facing challenges and hardships that need empathy and help connecting to resources. Along with reaching families in schools (The Character Effect™, Beyond The Classroom) and in pediatric offices and the workplace (Parent Connext™), Beech Acres continues to meet families where they are in the community with the particular services they need to thrive.  With All Families represents the important work that is being done in foster care & adoption, Kinship Connections, and the Parent Enrichment Program (PEP).  Foster & Adoptive Care For individuals willing to open their hearts and their homes to our most vulnerable children, the Beech Acres foster care and adoption team has been supporting foster families for 40 years. Learn more about foster care and adoption. Kin Caregiver For a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or even a close friend taking care of a loved one’s child full time, this support network offers both individual resource navigation and group meetings. Kinship Connections is also able to provide support for teen moms, single parents, and those families facing financial hardships.  Parent For parents fulfilling a referral from Hamilton County Job & Family Services, the Parent Enrichment Program (PEP) is a non-judgmental, goal-driven parent and child-focused program. Beech Acres Parenting Center also serves young parents, parents who play both mom & dad, plus families who’s financial burdens are adding stress to their family home. Compassion is at the heart of what we have done for over 170 years. While the challenges that parents, families, and children face have changed, our caring approach has not. Empathy, love, kindness, and hope guide our services. We set an intention to be present with each of our clients, actively listen to their challenges, ask powerful questions, and offer solutions that enhance and improve their lives.​

Your children may have a lot of questions about things they may be hearing in the news lately. Even if you try and shield them from bad or scary news, kids are intuitive, they know when something is wrong. Large-scale news such as the geopolitical turmoil currently unfolding in Ukraine may be even more challenging for them to comprehend. The questions can turn into anxious feelings that may impact everything from bedtime routines to performance in school. It’s ok to talk to your kids about what’s going on in the world and what they may hear in the news or in adult conversation. They’re always listening to what’s going on.  Here are some tips from our parenting specialists to help you have these conversations. Children may hear and watch content about the war on the news, on social media, or on the playground that can be frightening and overwhelming for them. They may have questions about what they are hearing, but they may be too afraid to ask, or not know how to articulate what they are feeling. Consider monitoring what your child is watching (news, on TikTok, etc.) and try to avoid viewing repetitive violent and graphic images, which can be disturbing both for adults and children. Instead, seek out and share verified, positive stories of perseverance in light of tragedy with your child.  For parents and caregivers, it is important for you to handle your own emotions before having discussions about war with your child. Your children are listening to and watching how the adults around them are reacting to current events and they learn from your responses. Use your strength of honesty when speaking to your child about these difficult issues. They’ll recognize that you’re being genuine and appreciate the candor.  Have Intentional Conversations with your children Create a time and place for your child to ask you questions, but do not force your child to talk about it.  Try to use the questions our parent coach recommended in a recent Facebook LIVE,  ‘what are you wondering about?’ ‘what are you worried about?’  Listen to your children and answer their questions as best you can at your child’s appropriate developmental level. Affirm how your child is feeling and reacting to the news. Briefly, share how you’re feeling with your child. It’s ok to let them know if you’re concerned about recent events, but do not overwhelm them with your concerns. This intentional time can help your child focus and express their feelings in a safe and open manner. Next, provide support by exploring ways that children can share feelings (drawing, writing a story, playing, etc.). Create and stick with a consistent, predictable routine. Incorporate a mindfulness exercise before dinner or at bedtime. Simply stopping and focusing on breathing for a step or two can help your child (and you!) calm your mind. These tips will help your child feel safe.  Take Action For some kids, taking action may make them feel better. Find an organization, like UNICEF, that is providing direct relief to citizens in the affected region and make a donation for example.  Or for older children, teach them how to email or call their congressperson if they have strong opinions to share.  Monitor how your child is feeling, whether they are worried, and how they are doing physically (eating, sleeping, body aches, etc.). Consider a referral to a mental health professional if your child has ongoing persistent and upsetting thoughts, intense distress or anxiety about death, difficulties separating from their caregiver, has difficulties sleeping, and seems very overwhelmed by war or current events. Parent Connext™ Child Development specialists are always here if you want individualized support for your family if for example, you have family abroad or family in the military, which may heighten your child’s concerns.

Guest Blogger Deanna Martin, Senior Specialist, Center for Excellence Beech Acres Parenting Center is saddened and angered to hear of recent reports of lawmakers proposing bills that limit the rights of people who identify as LGBTQ and aiming to limit both freedoms of speech around sexual orientation and identity and interfering in the medical decisions of children and families.  We stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ children, families, and youth and support the wellbeing of all families. We denounce legislation that promotes behaviors that increase risk and decrease the health and wellbeing of the LGBTQ community.  As we navigate these challenging times together, we invite you to engage in behaviors that help young people thrive. Research from the Family Acceptance Project has shown there are over 50 family accepting behaviors that can reduce risk and promote well-being.   Here are some behaviors that you can engage in that will support your LGBTQ children and their friends.  Tell you LGBTQ/gender diverse child that you love them Support your child’s gender expression Ask your child if – and how – you can help them tell other people about their LGBTQ identity Show affection when your child tells you or you learn your child is LGBTQ Use your child’s chosen name and the pronoun that matches their gender identity Tell your LGBTQ/gender diverse child that you will be there for them – even if you don’t fully understand them.  Speak up when others make negative comments about LGBTQ people The children of parents who engage in these accepting behaviors have children that experience:   Better health Higher self esteem Stronger social support Better family relationships Less likely to be depressed 3 times less likely to think about suicide 3 times less likely to attempt suicide Less likely to have substance abuse problems Learn more about behaviors that support and hinder the health and well-being of LGBTQ people.

Warren County Connect is a collaborative of organizations serving Warren County that provide prevention services to children and families. The purpose of the collaboration is to be efficient and effective in utilizing resources across the community. Members of the group aim to minimize overlap of same or similar programs, to look for gaps in prevention services, and to assist members and schools to respond to emergencies and to emerging issues for youth. Beech Acres Parenting Center is proud to partner with Warren County Connect! Click here to learn more about this collaborative effort.

February 7-11 is National School Counseling Week! School counselors play an important role in schools. They help shape a school’s culture and community. They help students find and stay on the right path to success. This week we celebrate school counselors and the critical role they perform in schools. Looking for a way to say “thank you” to your favorite school counselor? Download and print this certificate! The genuine recognition is sure to brighten their day!

Beech Acres Parenting Center was shocked, saddened, and angered by recent reports of threats of violence this week at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) around the country. Several members of our staff are alumni of HBCUs, making this news personal and real.  We stand in solidarity with our Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Parents who may have children at one of these schools, far away from home, are likely feeling a range of emotions from anger to fear and everything in between.  This is a difficult situation, especially when some students are miles away from home. It’s not as simple as just driving to pick them up and bring them home where you can watch over them, which is probably exactly what you want to. The safety and protection of their children are always the top priority for any parent.  HBCU Unity is embedded in the Beech Acres staff and community. From our “Sunken Gardens” to our Booker T. Washington statues, these campuses are more than just a college; they are home and safe havens to many of our staff members. At times like these, it is important to talk to your children and even more important to listen to them. Provide your child with the space to voice how they feel. Do more listening than talking. Even among great adversity, you must be present and available to support your child.  “As an HBCU alumni, I know that with the support of the school’s staff and the people that I went to the café with and enjoyed trips to the library with, we will be overcoming this moment.” Ashley Gray, Recruiter, Beech Acres Parenting Center. 

February is Black History Month. This year we will be celebrating by acknowledging significant contributions by Black pioneers in the area of mental health. We will also be sharing what Black History Month means to our employees through a series of videos from the team. Follow along all month long! “I am Black History. My future is unlimited. It is very intentional. I live this life. I love this life and I’m very excited to share this video with you.” David T. Brand, Senior Therapist Beech Acres Parenting Center. “The fight, the struggle, the resilience, the experiences, the life, the journey that my ancestors took for me to be able to experience Black joy…all the beautiful things that make me…me!” Donial Curry, Events and Stewardship Specialist Beech Acres Parenting Center. “I’m glad we have this time and this month to stop and reflect to think about equal rights for all people and how important that is.” Craig Dobson, Team Lead, Beyond the Classroom. “Black History Month gives us an opportunity, a more intentional space and time for learning. The more we can learn, the more we can spread the awareness and the love and the understanding, is when we will truly begin to come together as one community and lift each other up.” Amanda McDermott, Team Lead Beyond the Classroom “Black History Month has been absolutely amazing for me and my family. It means so much more now that my daughter is starting to see herself in people and see herself in the world around her.” Ashley Gray, Recruiter, Foster Care & Adoption “I feel the more I know about others the better I can have a true understanding and not judge based on stereotypes.” Diana Betz Program Data Analyst “Black History Month is really a time to celebrate, reflect and learn.” Deanna Martin Senior Specialist, Center of Excellence

Try this activity to remember and develop your strengths and practice mindfulness! Download here.