Georgia Family Connection Collaborative Supports Families in Valdosta from “Birth2Work”

July 12, 2024 Print This Post

By Diana St. Lifer

Dearlene McQueen and Marion, her husband of 47 years, are raising their three grandchildren (ages 17, 9, and 5) in Valdosta. When their youngest grandson, Sean, was born prematurely, the family depended on programs like Children 1st and Babies Can’t Wait to ensure Sean received the services he needed to thrive.

When Lowndes/Valdosta Commission for Children & Youth, a Georgia Family Connection Collaborative, opened the Family Resource Center in 2022, it became the first stop for the McQueens to continue accessing essential resources and services.

“Whatever we need, I know the Family Resource Center is there to support us, from receiving car seats for our grandkids to learning how to use WIC vouchers to getting tutoring for my granddaughter,” said Dearlene.

“Our Collaborative is designed to improve outcomes for children and families,” said Lowndes/Valdosta Commission for Children & Youth Executive Director Seth Brown. “The pandemic brought sharply into focus the need to centralize information and coordinate access to programs and activities in Lowndes.”

Lowndes/Valdosta Commission for Children & Youth—one of 12 Georgia Family Connection Collaboratives participating in Georgia Family Connection Partnership’s (GaFCP) Family Support Cohort and one of nine participating in GaFCP’s WIC Matters Cohort—determines which programs to offer at the Center based on data, surveys of Collaborative partners and community members, and needs assessments.

According to the latest Georgia KIDS COUNT data, nearly 40% of children in Lowndes County were living in a single-parent household from 2017 – 2021, compared to 33.5% statewide. The rate of children with a substantiated incident of abuse and/or neglect (per 1,000) in Lowndes is 16.3. Georgia’s rate is 4.5.

Rickita Williams, who serves as WIC and Community Services Navigator for the county, said families like the McQueens rely on Lowndes/Valdosta Commission for Children & Youth for support. “Our kinship care percentage in Lowndes is high,” said Williams. “We have an influx of guardians like Dearlene raising their grandchildren who utilize the Family Resource Center.”

Lowndes/Valdosta Commission for Children & Youth’s “Birth2Work” strategy is designed to increase access to services for families with children to improve school readiness and success, family self-sufficiency, and workforce preparedness.

Valdosta City Schools provides spaces to accommodate the Collaborative’s offices and programs as well as the Family Resource Center, which is located on the campus of the former Valdosta High School. Families can access a food pantry, diaper bank, tutoring and career counseling services, family focused programs, and other resources and services.

“We initially received $300,000 in Title V grant funding from the Department of Public Health (DPH) for our First Steps and Parents as Teachers program, and we opened a parent store to benefit families in that program,” Brown explained. “However, we recognized a need for more resources and services housed in one central site.”

When that grant funding expired, the Collaborative received $30,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding from the city of Valdosta. “This funding was crucial and allowed us to operate the Family Resource Center during a period with limited funding,” said Brown.

Lowndes/Valdosta Commission for Children & Youth then received grant funding of $150,000 per year over a three-year cycle from the Georgia Division of Family and Children’s Services Prevention and Community Support Section to implement the Family Resource Center, which has three staff members and is continuing to look for additional grant funding to sustain its operation and services.

The Center houses the Georgia Home Visiting Program, which utilizes First Steps—a screening and referral service for all expectant parents, primary caregivers, and children from birth to 5 and their families—and Parents as Teachers, an early childhood program that offers research-based curricula to help families prepare their children for school.

The facility also features:

• the Parent Store, where caregivers can get essential items;
• the Group Connections parent education program;
• onsite and virtual tutoring;
• job readiness and employment assistance;
• car seat safety instruction; and
• Food Talk education focused on healthy eating and food preparation.

The Collaborative also hosts farmers markets at Head Start sites and sponsors activities to promote healthy eating and lifestyle choices. Partners also engage the community by hosting events, distributing information, and helping families get signed up for WIC.

Families can also receive help applying for WIC onsite at the Family Resource Center, as well as gain a better awareness and understanding of WIC offerings. In 2023, 2,610 children ages birth to 4 in Lowndes were enrolled in the WIC program.

“Our goal is to provide well-rounded support and care so that individuals, families, and the community can be successful and thrive,” said Brown, who noted that the Family Resource Center would not be possible without dedicated partners.

“We’ve found that a system-of-care network is effective within the Family Resource Center,” Brown said. “You can link old and new programs as an engagement vehicle to provide services while also implementing an effective approach to assist families with needed resources.”

Lowndes/Valdosta Commission for Children & Youth collaborates with 37 partners that provide referrals, donations, or programming assistance. For example, Lowndes County Fire Rescue and the Division of Family & Child Services distribute car seats and provide car seat safety education.

“One of the biggest challenges our families face is access to transportation,” Brown said. “Families that reside in outer areas of the county are 15 to 20 miles away from the Center. Transportation vouchers provided by Greater Valdosta United Way help those families.”

It’s making a difference. Nearly 80 families participated in the First Steps program last quarter, 10 participated in the Parents as Teachers program, 43 participated in the WIC program, and 21 completed the car seat safety program.

Lowndes/Valdosta Commission for Children & Youth is focused on:

• ongoing outreach to mental and behavioral health providers to support families;
• parenting classes and engagement opportunities at the Family Resource Center and at other community sites to improve self-sufficiency; and
• assisting with providing resources to the homeless population in collaboration with the South Central Georgia Homeless Task Force.

The Collaborative is also working toward offering counseling, therapeutic services, and life coaching at the Family Resource Center.

“Even though we connect our families to these services, some don’t feel comfortable visiting those settings,” Brown said. “They’ve told us they would be more comfortable addressing those needs within the Family Resource Center, so we’re exploring options to bring those services in.”

According to Dearlene, the level of care the McQueens have experienced from the Georgia Family Connection Collaborative through the years has made the biggest impact on her family.

“I remember when wipes and diapers were left on our doorstep during the pandemic,” said Dearlene. “At Sean’s graduation from preschool, Rikita Williams surprised us by showing up with a bouquet of balloons. That melted my heart.”

Williams said she was proud of Sean’s growth in using curriculum-based activities during his home visits. “I knew Sean’s struggles, so seeing his accomplishments when graduating from pre-K was amazing,” said Williams. “Families need support from their families and resource programs within their community, and Family Connection helps make that happen by bringing everyone together.”

Contact:
Bill Valladares
GaFCP Communications Director
404-739-0043
william@gafcp.org

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Georgia Family Connection Partnership (GaFCP) is a public-private partnership created by the State of Georgia and investors from the private sector to assist communities in addressing the serious challenges facing children and families. GaFCP also serves as a resource to state agencies across Georgia that work to improve the conditions of children and families. Georgia KIDS COUNT provides policymakers and citizens with current data they need to make informed decisions regarding priorities, services, and resources that impact Georgia’s children, youth, families, and communities.