Children's Foundation grant helps at-risk families in Parents as Teachers program

Reshma and her son, Nikhil, participated in the Parents as Teachers program.

A $25,000 grant from The Children's Foundation will allow Oakland Family Services to continue serving at-risk, vulnerable families at a time when children may be at a higher risk of abuse and neglect because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding, which was announced late November, will help pay for a parent educator for Parents as Teachers, a home-visiting program that strives to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect by increasing parental knowledge and skills of early childhood development; providing early detection of developmental delays; and ensuring children enter kindergarten prepared to learn.

“Oakland Family Services has been a community partner of ours for many years and we are proud to continue our relationship by funding this important program that seeks to reduce the risk of abuse and neglect in the home,” stated Lawrence J. Burns, President and CEO of The Children’s Foundation. “The need for funding like this is more relevant than ever given the current pandemic environment.”

As families experience more financial stress, disrupted routines, and lack of access to community supports during the pandemic, there is growing concern that abuse and neglect are going underreported. Calls to the state’s child abuse hotline dropped by 50% within days of the governor’s stay-at-home order in March, according to an article published in Bridge Michigan. Many of those calls are made by protective adults, such as teachers, who now have limited contact with children.

"Oakland Family Services has been working in partnership with The Children's Foundation for many years to address the needs of children and families in our community,” said Oakland Family Services President and CEO Jaimie Clayton. “We value the commitment and vision of The Children's Foundation in funding critical programs, such as Parents as Teachers, that maintain the safety net for the families we serve."

Programs like Parents as Teachers are more important now than ever to help ensure children are safe from abuse and neglect. When Oakland Family Services had to close its buildings in March as part of the shutdown, the agency continued to provide the program virtually, maintaining an 80% engagement rate through video conferencing while the remaining 20% of families were engaged through phone calls. The program is for parents with children 0-6 years.

“In addition to being able to continue offering services virtually, The Children’s Foundation grant also helps us provide families and children with learning materials delivered or mailed to them to support their learning and development while in-person services are on hold,” said Teri Dorta, early childhood services manager at Oakland Family Services.

As part of Parents as Teachers, parent educators work closely with families who have some risk factors for abuse and neglect, such as domestic violence in the home, low income, teen parents, incarcerated parents, or substance use. They observe parent-child interactions, highlight parental strengths, define issues of concern, and provide education to support the child's growth and development.

Oakland Family Services’ Parents as Teachers program has been recognized as a Blue Ribbon Affiliate, making it one of the top-performing home visiting affiliates within the organization’s international network. Learn more about Parents as Teachers.

The Children’s Foundation, an independent community foundation for children, is the largest funder dedicated solely to advancing the health and wellness of children in the state of Michigan and beyond. Through fundraising, grant-making and advocacy The Children’s Foundation enables researchers and community organizations to identify and implement innovations capable of advancing children’s health and wellness.