Volume 1, Number 1 | October 4,
2010
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Step
by Step/Paso a Paso: A Close-Up Look
Matthew, a five-month-old baby, looked up at his mother, Joy, and
smiled. She laughed and gave him two big kisses, one on each cheek. Their
Family Support Worker, Jessica, was sitting on the couch next to their chair.
Jessica smiled and commented on how fast he was growing. Both adults were at
ease, focusing their attention on the baby.
Joy, 18, is a mother involved in Step by Step/Paso a Paso, a home
visiting program under the Yolo County Children’s Alliance. She and Matthew receive home
visits once a week from their Family Support Worker. The program’s intensive
home visits provide emotional and practical support to expectant families and
families with newborn babies. The objectives of these visits are to improve
infant-parent relationships and bonding by enhancing parenting skills, and to
promote healthy child development in a safe home environment. This program
utilizes the Healthy Families America’s (HFA) evidence-based, nationally
recognized home visiting model. Read
More…
Alyce Norman:
Reaching Out to West Sacramento
_files/image018.gif) The chatter of voices speaking in various
languages fills the warm morning air at Alyce Norman. People of differing backgrounds
and lifestyles wait in line; all of them are carrying an empty plastic bag or
two. As the line begins to move, each person picks some fruits and vegetables
out of the box in front of them, then moves on to the next. Many have brought
their children along; the kids run, laugh and play around the busy adults. A
volunteer sets up her weekly healthy food dish (this week a mouth-watering salsa)
on a table filled with delicious, health-conscious recipes, educational
flyers informing about diet-related chronic illnesses, childhood obesity and
the importance of exercise.
Eventually, almost everybody has come and left, except for a few
latecomers trickling in here and there. The volunteers clean up, recycle the
pile of empty boxes that were filled with fresh food just an hour ago, and
take down the tables. It was a
successful morning.
The Alyce
Norman Educational
Center in West
Sacramento, where the previous scene took place, is more than
just an elementary school. It is also used by the Yolo County Children’s
Alliance (YCCA) as a site for its programs assortment of activities. Read
more…
What’s New at YCCA?
_files/image020.gif) Kids’ Plates Awards
Infant
Safe
Cribs
The Yolo
County Children’s Alliance
was awarded 17 infant safe cribs from California Kids’ Plates, a program
funded by the sales of California DMV license plates. The cribs will compliment Yolo County
Children’s Alliance’s (YCCA’s) Step by Step and Shaken Baby syndrome/Infant
Safe Sleeping program efforts to reduce unnecessary infant deaths. In addition to providing education to new
parents regarding infant safe sleeping and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
(SIDS), YCCA can now provide infant safe cribs to 17 families. Parents will learn about safe sleeping methods,
such as “Back to Sleep”, using a firm surface, free of soft objects, a
separate sleeping location and not smoking around the baby.
To learn more
about our programs or to learn more about Kids’ Plates, visit our website.
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Treasure Box: Feeding
the Community During a Rough Economy
Starting in October,
the Yolo County Children’s Alliance (YCCA) will be partnering with the
Treasure Box program. The program distributes boxes of food to participating
families. A “Treasure Box” contains enough food to feed a family of four
lunch and dinner for a week, or one person for a month. On the last Saturday
of every month, these boxes will be available for pick-up at the Holy Cross
Parish at 800 Todhunter Ave.
in West Sacramento. Normally a $70-100
value, these boxes are offered at only $30. For more information, call (866)
607-4030 or (530) 757-5558, or to order your own Treasure Box go online to www.thetreasurebox.org.
Holiday
Happenings!
November 20, 2010:
West Sacramento Community Giveaway Day
The Yolo County
Children’s Alliance
uses this opportunity, with sponsors and donations, to provide lower-income
families with free food, clothing, toys and other household items. Volunteers
can host a can food and/or jacket drive on the Wednesday or Thursday the week
of the event.
December: CSBA Holiday
Toy Drive
and Sutter Holiday Adopt a Family Giveaway
California School
Board Association (CSBA) will host a toy drive on December 20, 2010 in the
cafeteria of the Alyce
Norman Educational
Center. 150 toys will
be distributed. A few volunteers needed to run the event.
Sutter Health
provides gifts for about 40 families that need a little holiday help this season.
Volunteers needed December 6-8 for the unloading, sorting and delivery of
gifts to families adopted throughout Yolo County.
December 3, 2010: Holiday
Luncheon/Open House
The Yolo County
Children’s Alliance
invites its partners and collaborators to celebrate another successful
year. Come see our offices, meet our
staff and learn about YCCA’s many accomplishments. The Holiday Luncheon/Open House will be held
on Friday, December 3rd.
Yolo County Children’s Alliance
600 A Street,
Suite Y • Davis
• CA •95616
(530)757-5558 • (530)753-7662 (fax)
www.yolokids.org
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