HELLO!
Hope your new year is off to a great start! I am excited to be reaching out with the first newsletter of 2023. This is a time of renewal and fresh energy, and we here at Cope are setting intentions to create positive change in the lives of our clients, volunteers, donors, and staff.
This past year has been one of many ups and downs. We have witnessed some of our clients' hardest moments and many of their happiest victories. We have seen the challenges our parents have worked to overcome and the positive changes they have made in their children's lives.
We are beyond grateful to have you as part of our Cope family. We will continue to show up for the parents and children in our community, and we look forward to having you along for the ride.
Gratefully,
Michele
In this issue:
"I let them know that there’s help available, and that gives them hope.” Read how a school social worker is helping students thrive by supporting parents.
January was Positive Parenting Awareness Month. Learn what this month is all about, and how you can use positive parenting tools to create a stronger bond with your child.
Cope's client holiday party made December extra special for the parents and kids in our programs! See some photos from the gathering.
Christie's Story: Normalize the Fear of Parenting
As a Social Worker for Napa Valley Unified School District, Christie Johnston sees firsthand the ways that family and community struggles impact Napa’s children. Working with students at Phillips and Shearer Elementary Schools, Christie has the vital job of supporting students through these challenges so that they can thrive in the classroom: “School social workers work hard to address issues that get in the way of learning. For many students, that includes challenges like mental health, insecure housing and family issues.”
Since she works one-on-one with children, Christie sees on a regular basis the toll that family stress can take on students. “When parents are stressed, their kids are stressed.” Problems at home can strain a child’s emotions and contribute to loss of focus or acting out at school. Supporting a child means supporting their family. “School social workers help students, but we also identify other support that their family needs and connect them with available services.”
Positive Parenting Awareness Month
January was Positive Parenting Awareness Month! This month highlights the importance for parents and caregivers to develop warm, nurturing relationships with their children and teens and become more confident as parents.
Following a presentation on January 10th by Cope to the Napa County Board of Supervisors, the Board proclaimed January 2023 as Positive Parenting Awareness. The California Assembly passed ACR4 shortly after, proclaiming January as Positive Parenting Awareness Month for the fourth year in a row.
Every parent experiences parenting challenges from time to time, and Positive Parenting Month highlights positive ways of managing these everyday challenges and stressors. Developing strategies to better communicate with your child, build healthy routines, and manage difficult behaviors are the types of tools you can expect to learn in a positive parenting program like Triple P, which is offered through Cope’s parenting classes.
Cope's Client Holiday Party
With the help of our supporters, Cope was able to host a festive and intimate holiday party for our families in December, making the month extra special for the parents and kids in our programs!
Families joined our home visitors and parent educators at Cope to enjoy hot chocolate, cookies, and other treats around the brightly lit trees. Each child was able to pick out a book and a goody bag to bring home, adding to the feeling of warmth and abundance of the season. Parents also had the opportunity to share a positive parenting achievement by creating an ornament to hang on the communal tree.
Family gatherings like this give parents an additional opportunity to bond with their children through creativity, fun activities, and special treats. The positive parenting ornaments allowed parents to reflect on their achievements during their program and express well-deserved pride in their hard work.
The photos above are a couple of snapshots of the fun!
Other Happenings
Volunteer at Kids Day 2023! This beloved community-wide, free, family fun event will be on Saturday, April 1st from 11am-3pm. We will need volunteers to help the event run smoothly, which includes everything from set up, tear down, greeting, booth management, green team, and more! Sign up now.