My New Job... an Overview

The majority of my work right now is preparing for my role as a Parent-Child Educator. I am working for an organization called Metropolitan Family Services, an agency with a 157 year history. Jane Addams sat on their board at one point... it's a fairly amazing place to be :)

The project that I am currently working on is the opening of a new site for MFS. Here is a summary:

Serving the communities of Englewood and New City/Back of the Yards, Metropolitan Family Services is establishing a lEarning and Wellness Center. The Center will create an optimal learning environment by integrating early learning for children and their families with a spectrum of family supports. This Center will provide high quality full-day pre-K for 94 children ages 3-5 years and high quality full day early learning and care for 28 children ages 0-2 years. The Center will also provide home visiting services for 36 new families to empower parents as they become their child's first educator. (MY JOB!!!)

Metropolitan Family Services has identified a scope of service that will build on family assets and strengths, as well as community resources. Comprehensive resources out of this site include:

• A Family Wellness Center will be available for all area families to come together for health education, access to physical activity, and peer support. Included will be the provision of integrated health and mental health education, referrals and supports for access to pediatric health care, pediatric mental health services and emotional wellness groups. 
• Nutrition education, cooking classes, and access to a mobile food market will be provided by established partners in the areas of urban gardening and healthy foods distribution. 
• Parent engagement and family focused wrap-around supports will meet the social service, economic, legal, and educational needs of the family. Services will include parent education, job readiness training, income support services, financial literacy workshops, and foreclosure prevention assistance. 
• Services provided out of this site will be trauma-informed to meet the needs of children and families who are living with the effects of trauma in their past or present. Metropolitan Family Services will bring together new information on trauma, brain development, and the causes/solutions to emotional challenges and weave this information into learning theory and academic strategies. 
• A Family Lending Library will be available and will provide home-based literacy kits, books and materials for young children, and parent-focused materials on career development, GED tutorials, computer training, and parent development. 

RIGHT? Agh... so flipping cool.