Baby Think It Over offers the most realistic parenting simulation available. Youth are able to experience the emotional, social, and financial demands of parenting. This program requires students to care for Baby in the same manner they would a real baby, feeding, burping, rocking, changing diapers, and scheduling child care.
Baby’s head falls back when not supported, just like a real infant’s. When any type of rough handling (including head support failure) occurs, Baby cries and must be comforted (rocked) until the crying stops. This helps students see that infants are fragile and must be handled with care.
Computerized monitoring reports how well the student cared for Baby during the parenting simulation. Classroom teachers may view this data at any time. The teacher will know how many times Baby was neglected, handled roughly, and shaken, as well as total minutes Baby cried.
The student is responsible for constant care, whether at home, out shopping, or at extracurricular activities, ensuring teens understand the demands of parenting.
Baby Think It Over is perfect for:
Teen Pregnancy Education
Teen Pregnancy Deterrence
Parenting Education
Child Abuse Prevention
Shaken Baby Syndrome Education
Schools currently taking advantage of the Baby Think It Over program in Pettis County are:
Green Ridge High School
LaMonte High School
Northwest High School
Smithton High School
Other schools in the area include:
Concordia St Paul’s High School
Otterville High School
For more information contact Cheri Heeren at 660-827-0560
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Caring Communities
Community Partnerships are decision-making entities, broadly representative of a county or multi-county area, that partner with state agencies to plan, develop, finance and monitor strategies to achieve specific Core Results. Caring Communities is Missouri’s system reform initiative to achieve the Core Results through Community Partnerships.
Caring Communities is Missouri's ambitious cross-system reforms initiative. This work grew from several community and state initiatives. Two initiatives launched in the late 1980s gave a cohesive shape and direction to the state's approach. St. Louis Walbridge Caring Communities Program demonstrated the importance of neighborhood-based efforts linked to schools. The family preservation initiative showed the value of cross-agency planning and program implementation.
In November 1993, Governor Carnahan established the Family Investment Trust as a state-level entity. The name of the organization was changed to Family and Community Trust by executive order of Governor Bob Holden on April 2, 2001. The Family and Community Trust's charge is to provide leadership in collaboration with Caring Communities Community Partnerships to measurably improve the condition of Missouri's families, children, individuals, and communities; and to encourage collaboration among public and private community entities to build and strengthen comprehensive community-based support systems.
By developing community-based supports and services, the aim is to enhance the well-being of children, which is inseparable from the well-being of their families and the stability and economic viability of the communities where they live.
Core Results for Children and Families
Missouri's vision is for children to have strong families and communities where parents are working, children are succeeding in school and growing up healthy, safe, and prepared to enter productive adulthood. Achieving this vision is measured by six core results:
1. Parents working
2. Children safe in their families and families safe in their communities
3. Children and families healthy
4. Children ready to enter school
5. Children and youth succeeding in school
6. Youth ready to enter the work force and become productive citizens
Policy Directions to Achieve the Core Results
Improving results for children and families requires a dramatic change in the way services are organized and delivered. Four policy directions shape and guide Missouri's system reform initiative to improving results.
1. Being accountable for achieving results
2. Bringing services closer to where families live and children attend school
3. Active community involvement in decisions that affect their well-being
4. Using dollars more flexibly and effectively to meet community needs
Core Results:
Children & Families Safe|Children Succeeding in School|Children Ready to enter School
Caring Communites Power Point 12-12-2005
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Educare
“Not Just the Babysitter . . . I’m Your Child’s First Teacher"
Educare works together with family child care providers in Pettis County to improve the quality of care and education for young children who are living in poverty ages birth to kindergarten. Special emphasis is given to providers caring for children growing up in low income families.
Educare services include:
· Monthly Support Group and Training Opportunities
· In-Home Consultation and Technical Assistance for unlicensed-registered providers
· Resource Library with toys, books, and equipment available for checkout
· Special Events including activities for the children and support for care providers
· Information on Licensing, CDA, and Accreditation
· Week of the Young Child activities
· Awards Banquet
· Parents as Teachers Incentive Certificate Program
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MRCC Food Co-Op
Partnering with the Missouri Rural Crisis Center once each month, the Pettis County Community Partnership is able to offer approximately $50.00 worth of groceries for $20.00. Co-op members pay an annual fee of $10.00 and the monthly fee of $20.00 for which they receive a supply of food which includes bread, produce, paper products, and canned goods, as well as MRCC's own Patchwork Farms products. Additional meat may be ordered at very reasonable rates. All participants of the food cooperative must be current MRCC members. Anyone may participate, regardless of income.
For more information about the MRCC Food Co-op contact Lee Chronister or Kelly Mangel at the Pettis County Community Partnership at 660-827-0560.
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PROP (Putting Roofs Over People)
Putting Roofs Over People or PROP is an organization whose purpose is to provide assistance to the homeless. PROP provides a program to assess needs, develop a plan of action, provide case management, and refer/coordinate existing community resources and services.
Issues to be addressed:
—Housing / Shelter
—Education
—Employment
—Physical & Mental Health
—Substance Abuse Issues
—Money Management
—Personal Care
—Nutrition
The Pettis County Community Partnership, the Sedalia Housing Authority, Missouri Valley CAA, Open Door Ministries, Habitat for Humanity, the Family Support and Childrens Division, Rural Missouri, Inc., churches, businesses and individuals are working together to combat homelessness and provide transitional housing assistance. The program includes case management for families utilizing PROP's assistance.
PROP Cookbooks $6.00 each (Fundraising for PROP)
Contact Robert Vickers at 827-0560 or pccp2@iland.net
For more information click here.
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RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program)
RSVP
is part of Senior Corps, a network of national service programs that provides older Americans the opportunity to apply their life experience to meeting community needs. RSVP volunteers serve in a diverse range of nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and faith-based groups. Among other activities, they mentor at-risk youth, organize neighborhood watch programs, test drinking water for contaminants, teach English to immigrants, and lend their business skills to community groups that provide critical social services. In fiscal year 2004, approximately 480,000 volunteers served an average of four hours a week at an estimated 65,000 local organizations.
RSVP currently has 189 volunteers on the rolls in Pettis
County serving 38 volunteer stations. In 2007, RSVP
volunteers gave over 24,000 hours of service to the community.
Great Job!
They are certainly living the RSVP motto:
"Lead with Experience"
Eligibility
RSVP is open to people age 55 and over. Local partner organizations, both public and private, receive grants to sponsor and operate RSVP projects in their community. These projects recruit seniors to serve from a few hours a month to almost full time, though the average commitment is four hours a week. Most volunteers are paired with local community and faith-based organizations that are already helping to meet community needs.
On the Local Level
In Pettis County, RSVP has 189 volunteers who work with 38 volunteer stations to provide much needed volunteer services to the community. RSVP volunteers work as Red Cross Volunteers, Food Distribution volunteers, Bothwell Auxiliary volunteers, Transportation volunteers, Pen Pals, Birthright volunteers, Bothwell Lodge volunteers, Amtrak Greeters, CASA volunteers, Child Safe volunteers, Senior Center volunteers, Public Agency office staff, Chamber of Commerce volunteers, Great MO Garage Sale organizers, Community Santa Campaign staff, Smith-Cotton DECA volunteers, Community Blood Center volunteers Salvation Army volunteers, Liberty Center volunteers, Tax Assistance volunteers, Missouri State Fair Foundation volunteers, Children's Therapy Center volunteers, Habitat for Humanity builders, Emergency Management volunteers and Sedalia Police Department volunteers.
Fund Raising
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Teen Pregnancy Coalition
Bringing down the teen pregnancy rate in Pettis County is the priority of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition. Research the group conducted reveals a multi-step approach is needed to lower the rate.
Pettis County Community Partnership sponsors the Baby Think It Over program but realizes this program only reaches a small portion of the students and efforts to reach more students must ensue. Computerized babies are an effective teaching tool when presented to the students in the right context.
July 2001, a group of concerned Pettis County residents, including youth, dared to dream what our schools would look like without teen mothers and fathers and students without sexually transmitted diseases. The coalition has taken on a huge challenge to get abstinence-based education curriculum into the schools in Pettis County. In the beginning the task seemed insurmountable, but as talks with the school districts continued we found the doors opening to new ideas. Bringing down the teen pregnancy rate can positively affect the drop out rate, the graduation rate, and produce better outcomes for students.
Smithton Schools totally embraced the abstinence based curriculum, Choosing The Best and wrote a grant to the Department of Health to fund their program for the 2002-2003 school year.
Smith Cotton High School freshman health students are all introduced to the abstinence-based Choosing The Best curriculum in 2003. Pre and Post tests have shown the program does change attitudes.
Currently, Choosing The Best is presented to all 8th grade students at the Sedalia Middle School, Sacred Heart and Green Ridge and to 7th grade students at the Northwest Middle School.
In a national survey by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, nearly all teens (93%) said they should be given a “strong message” about abstinence. Teens want to learn how to resist negative pressure from peers and the media to be involved in risk behaviors such as smoking, drinking, drugs, and sexual activity. Teens appreciate the encouragement and support that is provided through abstinence education.
The curriculum Choosing The Best is available at Pettis County Community Partnership for any parents who would like to review the materials.
TPC calls meetings as needed.
For more information you may contact Robert Vickers at 660-827-0560.
www.choosingthebest.org www.realityworks.com www.teenpregnancy.org
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Get On The Bus!
That's the motto of the fixed route bus system sponsored
by the Community Transportation Partnership. On April 30, 2007,
the CTP completed its seventh year of service with the operation of
“The Bus”. Our mission of improving the quality of life for citizens
in our community by providing available, affordable and accessible
transportation continues to be met, thanks to many people who
provide their monetary support.
The route of “The Bus” winds around Sedalia from South New York
on the east to Westwood Drive on the west, providing hourly pick-ups
at 39 Bus Stops along the route. Our newest stops are at Katy Trail
Katy Trail Community Health located at 821 Westwood Drive and Winchester
Meadows on West 10th Street.
“The Bus” leaves stop No. 1 at 30 minutes past the hour starting at
6:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. The last pick-up is at 5:30 p.m.
The Saturday schedule is 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Cost is $1.25 per
person per ride, children 5 yrs or younger are $.50.
Get on the Bus Map in English or Spanish click to download
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ABC (Activity Builders for Children)
“I’m bored”. “There is nothing to do”. We have all heard this before but what if it was true and no one cared!
We can all remember the trials and tribulations of growing up as kids. The self doubts, the peer pressure. Now, try to imagine that time in your life, but as a foster child; removed from your parents, your home, possibly from your brothers and sisters, and maybe even your school.
There are dozens of state licensed foster parents right here in Pettis County, willing to take children into their homes, offering them safe, stable, and loving care. But, that isn’t always enough. All children need things to do, constructive productive things. Children need exposure to a wide range of activities so they can learn, grow, and expand their horizons. Unfortunately, foster parents often cannot afford the costs associated with such activities.
Activity Builders for Children formed by a cross-section of interested individuals and organizations a few years ago provides funding for foster children’s extra curricular activities.
You can sponsor a child’s activities for as little as $25 per month.
Contact Teresa Kelly at 660-530-5900
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