The Jubilee Giving Tree Area Seniors Support Children in Kinship Care For 12 years, Christmas has been a brighter for local children because of the work of Mary Jo Rice and a service group of about 10 core members she leads at Jubilee Retirement Community in Lacey. She has been part of the group for 15 years, leading it for the [...]
We can all save lives! Suicide prevention training September marks National Suicide Prevention Month, with specific emphasis on the week of September 5-12 built around Suicide Prevention Day, Sept. 10. Read about Family Education & Support Services’ suicide prevention training and the tools you can learn to help save a life. Since 2020, Family Education & Support Services has offered suicide prevention [...]
Interview with Kim Moore With months of our children being separated and sometimes isolated, and with the pandemic once again heating up, this school year will be different than others. One longtime area teacher says it may not be for the reasons we might expect, though. Read how she plans to approach being back at school. Ask 25-year elementary teacher Kim Moore [...]
Teaching teachers in the time of COVID and other major pressures Interview with Tanya Murray “Teachers are struggling daily with really scary things,” says Tanya Murray, a longtime FESS Board member and an early childhood educator at South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC). She teaches teachers who will have students under 8 years old. “These things are happening in their lives [...]
Early Childhood Mental Health During the Pandemic: Good News / Bad News The pandemic has affected all areas of society, with early childhood education and childcare hit especially hard. But good news is coming out of the pandemic, as well, says FESS Clinical Director Scott Hanauer. Even before the Covid pandemic hit, FESS Clinical Director Scott Hanauer was working with an organization [...]
Best advice for dads? Share your values, your attention and your love Being an involved and active dad is all about your attitude, says Keoki Kauaone, who for five years has been leading classes for fathers in his role as the fatherhood engagement director for FESS. Keoki estimates he has taught about 500 dads, with ripple effects to 1,500 children, since [...]
Foster parenting through the pandemic "I can't fix the follower coaster while I ride it. I just have to hang on as we ride it together. We open our homes and families to inspection, we surrender control of our schedules to accommodate the demands of the system, we give up some freedom to abide by the rules set in place for the [...]
Asking questions to prevent suicide by Denise Whitaker | KOMO News | Monday, April 12th 2021 The number of suicides is, unfortunately climbing. And now, Thurston Youth Alive is working to prevent suicide in young people, with specialized training for anyone. “It teaches people how to listen for the warning signs and the risk factors," explained trainer Scott Hanauer with Family [...]
Molina Healthcare of Washington Collaborates with Family Education & Support Services to Help Improve the Health of At-Risk Moms News Release Molina Healthcare of Washington (“Molina”) is collaborating with Family Education & Support Services (FESS) to support at-risk moms and their families who are supported by the Evidence-Based Home Visitation program called Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP). PCAP is an intensive case [...]
National Child Abuse Prevention Month If you see pinwheels twirling in the breeze on the State Capitol Campus in Olympia or around Thurston, Mason and Lewis counties this April, it is because the pinwheels are a visible symbol of Child Abuse Prevention Month, observed each April. “They are a positive symbol of a serious problem,” said Shelly Willis, executive director of [...]
