Family Resource Centers
The Parent Child Home Program (PCHP)
Child Health
Educational Symposia |
Family Resource Centers
A Family Resource Center (FRC) is a place where families can go to: find support, seek information, participate in programs, access services, and get to know other parents and children.
Rockland 21C provides technical assistance as well as financial support to over forty school based Family Resource Centers thanks to grants from the County of Rockland and contributions from corporations, individuals and groups. In addition to Rockland 21C’s support, each Center is funded by its school districts, and a variety of local supporters.
Family Resource Centers, which are based in schools, also encourage families to become actively engaged in their child’s education and develop connections to the school community. Family Resource Centers, like other community school approaches have been shown to increase school readiness, school success, positive youth development, and parent involvement as well as student, parent, and teacher satisfaction with the educational system.
Family Resource Centers develop programming in response to needs identified by parents, children, school and community.
Family Resource Centers are also available in community settings. For information on community based FRCs, Contact Us.
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Parent-Child Home
The Parent Child Home Program (PCHP) is a nationally recognized home-based early literacy and parenting program specifically geared to families who are challenged by poverty, low levels of education and other obstacles to educational success, enabling them to be their child’s first and most important teacher. Families with two year olds volunteer to meet with trained home visitors twice a week for two years. In 30-minute sessions, the home visitor emphasizes verbal interaction, generally in the family’s first language and incorporate learning through play, using carefully chosen books and toys. The book or toy introduced each week becomes a gift to the child and the family. Home visits are scheduled at the convenience of parents, so that mothers and fathers who are working, in school or in training programs can participate. English Language Learner families may choose books in their first language.
More than two decades of rigorous research has demonstrated that PCHP parents’ verbal interaction with their children dramatically increases. This language-rich environment, contributes directly to their children’s success in school. Another benefit of the program is that parents often use it as a stepping-stone to return to school, learn English, and advance economically.
Rockland 21C brought together representatives from school districts and nonprofit and public agencies to learn about the evidence supporting PCHP, to the nuts and bolts of reaching out to participant families, training home visitors, making a home visit, choosing books and toys and holding weekly meeting for home visitors.
The program has been implemented in East Ramapo, Nanuet, North Rockland, Nyack and Ramapo Central school districts, each tailoring it to their needs and resources.The growing partnership between PCHP and Rockland’s AmeriCorps Program is the first in the country. The AmeriCorps members receive a federally subsidized stipend for the year that they remain in the program. AmeriCorps member have the opportunity to perform very meaningful community service and gain valuable skills.
How can you get involved? If you are interested in learning more about Rockland’s PCHP Initiative, Contact Us. 
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Child Health
21C's earliest work with the Rockland County Department of Health was to use FRCs to promote free and low-cost health insurance programs to families. This grew into a complex multi-year, multi-organization partnership in 2004 to support seventy-five percent of Rockland schools as they assessed and improved their health environments, leveraging state Steps to a HealthierNY funds. Rockland's combined efforts have interlocked with federal health initiatives aimed at schools, and today even without funding, a School Health and Wellness Coalition continues to plan joint programs in response to the critical mass of interest and effort that has been built. Also, several FRCs in high need communities have received health department funding for nutrition and exercise programs. The initiative also supported a healthy afterschool program known as the Catch Kids Club. These partnerships provide an example of maximizing county resources, and how 21C can assist in building schools' capacity.
Educational Symposia
Through its annual Educational Symposia, Rockland 21C (in collaboration with the Rockland Teachers' Center, Rockland BOCES, and other county agengies) has brought best practices, professional development opportunities and innovative solutions to the attention of its partners. Speakers of national significance such as Dr. James Comer of Yale University's Child Study Center, Dr. David Katz from Yale University's School of Public Health, Dr. Vincent Ferrandino, Executive Director of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, Ellen Gallinsky, President of Family and Work Institute, and leaders of the natioanl Coalition for Community Schools have enriched the practices of Rockland.
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