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:
- Parenting
- Wellness
- Education
- 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:
- Personal Care Coordinator
- Free Child Development and prenatal screenings
- Answers to pregnancy, parenting, and child development questions
- 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:
- Key items children should be learning in English language arts and mathematics in each grade, once Common Core Standards are fully implemented.
- Activities that parents can do at home to support their child’s learning.
- Methods for helping parents build stronger relationships with their child’s teacher.
- 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.
- White Ribbon Week, Salt Lake City, Utah: whiteribbonweek.org
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.
- Please go the website: respons-ability.net
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 safety resources, including possible grant opportunities, for families and PTA’s can be found online: pta.org/home/programs/connected
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.