Do you want to earn $150? Are you a parent or guardian of a child 5 years or younger and live in Oakland County? Do you want to learn about resources available to you and your family?

Sign up today to learn about a new program called G.O.A.L.S. (Gain Opportunity to Achieve Lasting Success) and receive a free diaper bag! Oakland Family Services is working with United Way on the program, which provides community resources, developmental screenings and health and nutrition education opportunities.

All you have to do is meet with staff at your home or at our office to complete assessments and receive feedback. The assessments will cover questions about your family in areas such as parenting skills, child development and overall family well-being. The feedback you receive will give you an idea of your family strengths and areas for growth and offer connections to community resources. Each time a set of assessments have been completed you will get $50 cash. Assessments will be completed every six months for the duration of the study.

“This new, home-visiting initiative has put tools and resources in the hands of parents who may not have had access prior to their involvement with G.O.A.L.S.,” said Kim Grefka, SIF project manager at Oakland Family Services.

G.O.A.L.S. also provides eligible participants a free Baby Bundle – a diaper bag filled with diapers, trial-size wipes, a bib, two books and a planner, a changing pad, a developmental wheel, onesie, and other essentials. Also included are resources from Before 3 to Succeed, an Oakland Family Services early childhood initiative that offers tips that parents can use to help their babies grow and thrive.

To qualify for a Baby Bundle, a person must have a child younger than 3 months old or be pregnant and live in Oakland County.

“We’re committed to supporting adults caring for young children, and we would like to get resources in to the hands of Oakland County parents,” Grefka said. “The baby bundles include a developmental wheel that helps new parents understand their child’s growth and social-emotional development.”

Oakland Family Services has given away more than 200 baby bundles since it began the G.O.A.L.S. program in October 2017.

To learn how you can get involved in G.O.A.L.S., contact Grefka at (248) 858-7766 ext. 1237 or kgrefka@ofsfamily.org.