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 [...]
The Importance of Reunifying Families Throughout this summer, Mason, Lewis and Thurston Counties join with other counties in celebrating Family Reunification, which honor the many families who have successfully reunified after having a child removed due to a child dependency (or child welfare) action. Local attorney and Family Education & Support Services' Board President, Christopher Desmond has worked within the child dependency [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Through QPR training, you can help save a life. An interview with Scott Hanauer, Clinical director Scott Hanauer, clinical director for FESS, tells a personal story when he is training on the suicide prevention model known as QPR (“Question, Persuade, Refer”). He received a message one night from a friend who feared one of his friends was close to taking his own [...]
Voices of Children and Voices of Relative Caregivers Contest The Voices of Children contest is open to children and youth ages 5-19. Winners will be judged in three age categories through their artwork (such as the one pictured) or a short essay or poem. Poems must be no longer than 21 lines.Winners will receive $100 from Twin Star Credit Union, a longtime partner [...]
