Invest in Coös County, Invest in Kids!
History of the Coös Family Support Project :
In March 2007, the Louise and Neil Tillotson Foundation awarded the Family Resource Center @ Gorham, and its partners, $100,000 a year for the next three years to develop a comprehensive system for family support services in Coos County. This effort was designed to look at what is currently available for families in Coos County, what the needs were, what systems were working and what was needed to measurably improve outcomes for children 0-6 and their families.
The goal was to strengthen and improve the current system in order to support optimal child development, strengthen families and reduce the incidence of child maltreatment. The Project hired the Carsey Institute to look at indicators, best practice and evaluation for this project.
Project Milestones: 2007-2010
2007:
Project partners begin to meet monthly to identify shared goals and outcomes:
- Blend medical and family support delivery models
- Build collaboration among organizations
- Avoid duplication
- Use best practice models
- Identify measurable indicators and set goals
Project creates coordinated quarterly training for all homevisitors in Coos County
Partners identify domains and indicators for improved family outcomes
- Economic
- Education
- Health
- Family Functioning
- Safety
2008
Coos Family Support Project and Carsey publish Coos County Community indicators: A Profile by Town
Survey of all families in Coos with children under the age of 6
- 1889 families in Coos with a child under 6-325 returned surveys
- Data summary and analysis report by Carsey
- Developed Fact Sheets for the community based on survey data
Stakeholders meeting with state and community leaders to present survey findings and engage a wider group of leaders in Coos prevention work.
Coos Family Support Project selected as one of 3 projects to pilot "Watch Me Grow" a state initiative to create coordinated developmental screening using the ASQ/E
Coos Family Support project presented to over 100 key leaders at Coos Symposium in Whitefield
2009
Coos Family Support Leadership Team selects Triple P - Postive Parenting Program,
an evidence based, public health model parenting curriculum-to be the core curriculum for all homevisitors in Coos County-training scheduled for spring 2010.
Coos Family Support Project submits collaborative application for ARRA funds to support coordinated developmental screening throughout Coos County
Coos Family Support Project and Carsey submit letter of intent for the Quality Improvement Center for Early Childhood research demonstration project
2010
Web site www.InvestinCoosKids.com launched
23 practitioners from 6 different organizations trained and certified in Triple P
100 staff from 16 organizations trained in using the Ages and Stages questionnaire for early developmental screening of children 0-6
Weeks Medical Center adopts Reach out and Read-17 staff from 3 different sites trained in implementation
