Editor’s note: This is Part 2 in a multi-part series on Kaua‘i’s Child & Family Services organization, which aims to help parents foster healthy child development. Part 1 discussed the common problems of funding a recruitment. Part 2 explores some
Editor’s note: This is Part 2 in a multi-part series on Kaua‘i’s Child & Family Services organization, which aims to help parents foster healthy child development. Part 1 discussed the common problems of funding a recruitment. Part 2 explores some of the individual programs.
Novelyn Hinazumi is the program director for several Child & Family Service community centers — Nana’s House for families living between Koloa and Kekaha and Hale Ho‘omalu for families in Wailua, Kapa‘a or Anahola.
“(The centers) are not a clinical environment; (they) are warm and cozy,” Hinazumi said. It is a place for children and families to gather and have fun, not just a place for counseling.
Nana’s House, for example, offers enrichment classes in ‘ukulele and quilting, and collaborates with other community service providers like the Boys and Girls Club.
Hinazumi described the centers as “one-stop shops” for services, offering a core group of services that include parenting classes, food pantry, clothes closet, community outreach, service coordination, information and referral and counseling services.
At Nana’s House, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, additional services include a Family Club and Parents and Children Together, or PACT.
Designed to provide family bonding, Family Club activities include camping trips to Camp Sloggett and fishing at Koke‘e.
PACT, which focuses on children’s education, operates with four objectives in mind: empowering families; helping with school transitions; informing about No Child Left Behind policies; and encouraging literacy.
Hinazumi also directs the Family Strengthening Services, Independent Living and General Counseling programs. FSS families are referred by the Department of Human Services’ Child Protective Services to help families provide a safe home for their children, promote positive parenting and prevent child abuse and neglect.
ILP youths who are or have been in foster care are referred by DHS caseworkers to receive assistance in developing the skills they need to be successful adults.
CFS has home-visiting programs for families with pre-natal to 3-year-old children — para-professional home-visiting programs.
“We like that model,” said Margaret Smith, director of the Healthy Start, Parent Line and HomeReach programs.
With no income qualifications, the programs are open to everyone.
Healthy Start staff members do hospital visitations, collect statistics for the county and the state, disseminate informational packets on child development from zero to 36 months and offer services that match the families’ needs.
If a family wants a home visit program, it can select either the Healthy Start or the HomeReach program.
In Healthy Start, “someone comes and talks story with you about things that impact your life — financing, housing, nursing, feeding, expectations,” Smith said.
The idea is for parent expectations to match the developmental level of the child, which keeps the parents from getting frustrated.
A counselor and a child development specialist are available.
Developmental screening is done at specific age levels starting at four months. If the screenings show concerns, parents are taught specific tasks to help strengthen the baby’s skills. If there are still concerns, a Healthy Start staff member will go with the parents to speak to a physician. If a referral to Easter Seals is deemed necessary, parents will receive support with that as well.
With medically fragile babies, Healthy Start will coordinate with Easter Seals and Public Health Nursing services.
HomeReach services are in six-month increments and helps parents understand what behaviors to expect and how to guide and teach children effectively at each stage of development.
With HomeReach, referrals can come through The Parent Line, a free, statewide confidential hotline that offers parenting support and information for children pre-natal to 5 years. Staff gives information on child and adolescent behavior and development and helps callers problem-solve parenting situations.
The Parent Line also gives information on community resources such as parenting classes, support groups, play groups and social services agencies.
“People who have been in the programs tend to really sell it to friends, neighbors and relatives,” Smith said. “A lot of older staff members who have had children comment that they wish they would have had (the services).”
“It’s really a wonderful program,” Smith said.
Stay tuned for Part 3 tomorrow, which will address the rest of the 15 Child & Family Services programs.
• Cynthia Matsuoka is a freelance writer for The Garden Island and former principal of Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School. She can be reached by e-mail at aharju@kauaipubco.com.
