Parent & Family Resources

As a Family Life Commission we are working on curating a list of helpful parent resources.  

Family

FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION

Utah has an ongoing need for foster and adoptive families. If you would like to help educate the families in your school community about Foster Care, or if there are interested families who need more information, contact:

 

Utah Foster Care Foundation

Phone: 801-994-5205

Toll-free: 877-505-KIDS (5437)

Website: utahfostercare.org

 

Utah Adoption Council

P.O. Box 2069 Salt Lake City, UT 84110

 

OUR CHILDREN MAGAZINE

Our Children magazine is the unique voice for parents, published by National PTA, created for the parent who’s always on the go and looking for the best info to help their child excel at school and in life.

Topics in Our Children magazine include: Œ

  • Parenting Œ
  • Wellness Œ
  • Education Œ
  • PTA Community

Sign up to receive the Our Children e-newsletter at: pta.org/home/family-resources/Our-Children-Magazine

 

HELP ME GROW

Help Me Grow Utah (HMGU) is a statewide information and resource line designed to support expectant parents and families with young children, from birth through early childhood. Services are provided at no cost and are available to anyone interested (no eligibility requirements) in English and Spanish. Other languages can be helped through phone translation only.

Help Me Grow Utah services include: Œ

  • Personal Care Coordinator Œ
  • Free Child Development and prenatal screenings Œ
  • Answers to pregnancy, parenting, and child development questions Œ
  • Connection to community resources

To connect with Help Me Grow, dial 2-1-1 and ask for Help Me Grow or visit their website: https://helpmegrowutah.org/

Help Me Grow Utah is an initiative program of United Way of Utah County and acts as a coordinator of resources and information - thus providing no direct services.

Uplift Families- Parenting Tips

5b45 - Birth to 5 is a critical time of brain development, learn the simple but impactful ways to help your child be their best

Everyday Strong - a new approach to prevent depression and anxiety and increase resilience in our children 

Parents Empowered - strengthening families to prevent underage drinking

Foster Care of Utah - Utah Foster Care believes every child deserves a safe home with a loving family 

Our Children Magazine - a newsletter and a unique voice for parents, published by National PTA

Help Me Grow - a free resource for information and resources, pregnancy, child development, and parenting tips

Utah Marriage Commission - a resource from Utah State University Extension office for assessments, classes and resources

Summertime Tips - Summer Reading, Prevent Summer Learning Slide

 

Safety 

CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT PREVENTION

Prevent Child Abuse Utah is a non-profit education agency. Their goal is to educate students, parents, and community members about child abuse in all its forms. Their prevention specialists have a minimum of a bachelorlevel education. Their prevention programs are available to the schools, and all the programs are free of charge. The programs follow the Core Health Curriculum, and the state Office of Education has reviewed and approved all of the programs. Contact PCAU at 1-800-CHILDREN or go to: preventchildabuseutah.org. Child Abuse Hotline: 1-855-323-3237.

 

BULLYING

Parents play a key role in preventing and responding to bullying. If you know or suspect that your child is involved in bullying, there are several resources that may help.

Recognize the warning signs that your child is involved in bullying. They could be being bullied, bullying others, or witnessing bullying. Although these signs could signal other issues, you should talk to your child if they display any sort of behavioral or emotional changes. Many times kids won’t ask for help, so it is important to know what to look for. If your child is at immediate risk of harming himself or others, get help right away.

Learn what bullying is and what it is not. The first step in forming a plan to prevent or respond to bullying with your child is understanding what bullying is. Many behaviors that look like bullying may be just as serious, but may require different response strategies. For resources visit: stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/index.html.

 

CONNECT FOR RESPECT

Connect for Respect (C4R) is National PTA’s initiative to help students, parents, and educators to create school climates full of safe and supportive peer relationships.

For a leaders guide and more information on this program visit:

pta.org/home/programs/Connect-for-RespectBullying

 

Education

HELP YOUR CHILD SUCCEED IN KEY LEARNING AREAS

National PTA, in partnership with the National Education Association, is pleased to offer newly updated Family Guides. These guides can help parents and caretakers find valuable tips for helping their child succeed in key learning areas. PTA leaders, teachers, parents, and families should use these guides to engage families in education throughout a child’s academic career. To access this information you may download them at: pta.org/home/family-resources/Family-Guides

 

PARENTS' GUIDE TO STUDENT SUCCESS 

What PTAs Can Do?

PTAs can play a pivotal role in how the standards are put in place at the state and district levels. PTA leaders are encouraged to meet with their school, district, and/or state administrators to discuss their plans to implement the standards and how their PTA can support that work.

The goal is that PTAs and education administrators will collaborate on how to share the Guides with all of the parents and caregivers in their states or communities, once the Common Core Standards are fully implemented. Ultimately, the aim is that the Guide will be a tool for parents to build relationships with their children’s teachers once the Standards are fully in place.

The Guides include: Œ

  • Key items children should be learning in English language arts and mathematics in each grade, once Common Core Standards are fully implemented. Œ
  • Activities that parents can do at home to support their child’s learning. Œ
  • Methods for helping parents build stronger relationships with their child’s teacher. Œ
  • Tips for planning for college and career (high school only).

To access copies you may download them at: pta.org/home/family-resources/Parents-Guides-to-Student-Success

 

PRESCHOOL

Preschools include children ages 3-5. It is important that a preschool is a quality establishment with a program to address all aspects of the child’s development, including physical, social, emotional, and academic needs. Preschool experiences can provide enrichment activities to promote literacy readiness and social skills.

Preschools offer the opportunity for young children to interact socially with other children their own age and to begin learning and experiencing many different activities which set their pattern for education. Preschools are often a form of child care; however, a quality preschool curriculum consists of the well-rounded components of emotional, social, and academic learning.

 

Suggestions for PTAs:

  • Make information available on what constitutes a quality preschool.
  • List preschools in your area.
  • If a preschool is housed within a local school, involve those parents in PTA programs.
  • Help form a Head Start PTA or partnership with Head Start parents and a neighboring school PTA.

 

HEAD START

Launched in 1965, Head Start has proven to be one of the nation’s most successful social and educational investments. Reaching far beyond the scope of school readiness, Head Start provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and family services to poverty-level children and their families. Local grantees receive federal funding for Head Start (HS), Migrant/Seasonal Head Start (MSHS), and Early Head Start (EHS) programs, the latter serving children from birth to age three and expectant mothers. For more information on Head Start programs please visit: uhsa.org.

 

Suggestions for PTAs:

  • Help form a Head Start PTA or partnership with Head Start parents and a neighboring school PTA.
  • Invite Head Start families to your school activities.
  • Be aware of Head Start activities and attend if appropriate.
  • Consider having a Head Start or preschool liaison on your board.

 

Family Guide to Education - a National PTA resource to help your child succeed in Key Learning Areas

Parent's Guide to Student Success - a National PTA math and reading guide for K-8 and high school

Head Start - kindergarten readiness as well as health, nutrition and family services for poverty-level children and families

Parents as Teachers - a wholistic approach to strengthening families

 

Media Literacy and Digital Wellness

Helping families use screen time wisely has many components: moderating the amount of time children spend watching digital entertainment, setting family standards with the children about what is appropriate to watch, teaching children how to think critically and determine which information online is accurate, teaching children and youth how to stay safe online (from bullying, online predators, pornography, etc.), and brainstorming with the children all the endless ways they can serve and put positive messages online.

 

WHITE RIBBON WEEK

White Ribbon Week is a positive school program presented by PTA volunteers that helps students make safe and healthy choices in media and technology. White Ribbon Week is age appropriate and fun! Every day, kids learn a new principle of online behavior—reinforced through engaging classroom discussions and fun activities. The program is endorsed by national experts and kid tested. Each of the four themes contains a step-by-step guide so that any volunteer can organize a successful white ribbon week in their neighborhood elementary school or middle school.

 

DIGITAL RESPONS-ABILITY

 Digital Respons-Ability is the state of Utah’s sponsored provider for digital citizenship education in Utah. Our program provides digital citizenship   and parenting classes to schools and organizations across the state. The classes are free of charge.

 

DIGITAL WELLNESS

Parenting in the digital age is complex. PTA Connected strives to help children act safely, responsibly and thoughtfully online. National PTA has been a partner to parents on digital parenting topics for over five years, exploring in-depth the issues that are on the minds of today’s families and   connecting parents with tools, research and supports to make the best decisions for their children.

 

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP UTAH

This website is a resource center for whatever needs your school, teachers, and parents have as you teach kids to be smart users of technology. The information found here is focused on facilitating conversation and collaboration around the opportunities and challenges of raising children in a digital world. This website can help you find ways to promote the positive things students can do to use technology in a deliberate way while learning to handle the inherent risks: digcitutah.com/

 

FIGHT THE NEW DRUG

Fight the New Drug exists to provide individuals the opportunity to make an informed decision regarding pornography by raising awareness of its harmful effects using only science, facts, and personal accounts. With an all-inclusive approach, we carry our anti-pornography message across borders of religious beliefs, political agenda, and social backgrounds by presenting it as a public health issue, rather than as a moral, political, or religious argument.

 

Health

UNDERAGE DRINKING

Parents Empowered.org is a Utah program that aims to eliminate underage drinking in Utah. ParentsEmpowered.org is a media and education campaign funded by the Utah Legislature and designed to prevent and reduce underage drinking in Utah by providing parents and guardians with information about the harmful effects of alcohol on the developing teen brain, along with proven skills for preventing underage alcohol use. A wealth of information can be found at: http://parentsempowered.org to help in schools and families.

 

Parenting Tips

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