Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Child Passenger Safety Week

 


Buckle Up - Every Age, Every Stage

It's Child Passenger Safety Week and the CDC has new state-based fact sheets on restraint use, which provide an overview of proven strategies to increase the use of car seats, booster seats, and seat belts. You can find Colorado's fact sheet here.

Motor vehicle and other transportation deaths are the third leading cause of violence and injury-related deaths among Colorado infants, children, and youth. In our state, youth ages 15-17, males, youth living in frontier and rural communities, and Latinx children and youth are disproportionately impacted by motor vehicle injuries. In addition, discrimination and stigma faced by LGBTQ+ youth impacts their health in many ways, including increasing risky driving behaviors. 

The CFPS 2020 Legislative Report includes the following recommendation:

Expand data collection, analysis, & community engagement to:

  1. Better understand disparities in motor vehicle deaths.
  2. Identify specific strategies to reduce high-risk driving and passenger behaviors.
  3. Support a comprehensive statewide young driver safety campaign.

For more Colorado-specific information, please see our fact sheet on the topic and our equity learning series email.


Tuesday, September 22, 2020

SURVEY: Family, Friend, and Neighbor Childcare During COVID-19

 


We're happy to share this announcement from our colleagues at CO4Kids. If your organization works with people who provide or use Family, Friend and Neighbor child care, please help distribute this survey across Colorado. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting child care and early learning for families across Colorado. Statewide partners want to understand the impact so they can better support you.

Mile High United Way, in partnership with Early Milestones Colorado and The University of Denver’s Butler Institute for Families, is conducting this survey to better understand a specific type of child care called Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) care. FFN care is home-based care – in the caregiver’s or child’s home – provided by caregivers who are relatives (e.g., grandparents, aunts and uncles, elders or older siblings), friends, neighbors, babysitters or nannies. This type of child are takes place outside of a licensed center, program or family child care home.

If you are a relative, neighbor, family friend, nanny or babysitter that provides regular childcare, this survey is for you. 

Fill out the survey here!  

The survey has been translated into multiple languages and takes about 20 minutes to complete.  All responses are anonymous and anyone who completes the survey can choose to be entered into a raffle for one of 75 $100 gift cards.



Monday, September 21, 2020

Suicide Prevention Funding


The Office of Suicide Prevention at CDPHE has additional funding to support suicide prevention and crisis response training for school staff.  Schools or districts can receive up to $5,000 and priority will be given to schools or districts that have not previously received funding.

Please pass this information along to your school contacts.  The application deadline is October 15, 2020.

Apply here today!  

Friday, September 18, 2020

Job Announcements

 Please share the following job announcements with any people or partners who may be interested!



Data and Quality Assurance Specialist

About Families Forward Resource Center:

Our mission is to enrich entire families through partnerships and services that create a safe,

healthy, and connected community. Families Forward Resource Center (FFRC) is a full service

community service center providing supportive services and programs to northeast Denver and

north Aurora metro areas. 

General Position Description:

The Data and Quality Assurance Specialist position supports FFRC’s leadership team, program

staff, and evaluator in maintaining and managing the data systems at FFRC, and is responsible

for identifying efficient ways to organize, store, and analyze data with attention to quality

improvement efforts, meeting program performance goals, and addressing program staff

concerns. Also, the Data and Quality Assurance Specialist is responsible for supporting the

success of programs within FFRC to measure and evaluate success of program deliverables, and

make recommendations about the methods and ways in which data is obtained from various

sources, and interpret patterns and trends for quality improvement and efficiency of data

systems. 


Essentials for Childhood Initiative Coordinator

The Position

The primary purpose of this position is to participate in the development, implementation, coordination, and evaluation of the Essentials for Childhood (EfC) programmatic goals, objectives, and activities to support local and state partners engaged in child abuse and neglect prevention work. This position will actively participate in statewide work groups and task forces and/or coalitions related to food insecurity, housing, transportation, early childhood, and violence prevention. In addition, the position will lead meetings and subcommittees and give presentations to diverse partners to ensure coordination and the best use of resources.



Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Protecting Children & Families from Eviction


Spread the word about the CDC eviction moratorium & help keep people in their homes!

We know that quality, affordable, and stable housing is essential for the health and well-being of children, youth, and families. When children have stable housing, it can protect them from injury and violence, including child abuse and neglect. Additionally, housing stability is known to be protective against suicide. (For more information about the importance of housing to child health and death prevention, see the CFPS 2020 Legislative Report).

The importance of housing cannot be underestimated. However, economic stress exacerbated by the COVID pandemic has put many children and families at risk for losing their housing due to eviction and foreclosure. 

To address this crisis the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a moratorium on evictions for nonpayment of rent. Many renters, however, may not be aware of the CDC moratorium or may not know that, in order to prevent being evicted, they must submit a signed declaration to their landlords. Corporate landlords may be taking advantage of this lack of awareness to rush evictions before tenants learn their rights. 

The National Low Income Housing Coalition has an eviction moratorium page with more information and resources, including sample declaration letters in multiple languages. If you or the folks you work with are facing eviction, CDC's moratorium may offer some relief. Please spread the word! 

Friday, September 11, 2020

Oversight Entity Members Needed - Comprehensive Sex Ed Program


The Comprehensive Human Sexuality Education (CHSE) Program at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is looking for new Oversight Entity Members!

The purpose of the CHSE program is to provide funding and guidance to public schools to implement comprehensive human sexuality education that is medically accurate, culturally sensitive, and represents positive youth development principles. The Oversight Entity plays an important role in partnering with and advising the program in this effort.  You can read more about specific Membership Responsibilities and Roles here.   

The Oversight Entity includes diverse membership across the following roles: State Agencies (CDE, HCPF, CDHS, CDPHE); Parents; Youth; K-12 educator; School-Based Health Center Staff or School Nurse; Statewide Coalition for Survivors of Sexual Assault; Organization Serving the Needs of Youth of Color; Organization Serving the Needs of Immigrants; Organization Serving the Needs of LGBT Youth; Interfaith Organization; and Organization Serving the Needs of Intersex Individuals; Organization Serving the Needs of Disabled Youth; Foundation.

Currently, the following roles are open for new applicants:

             School-Based Health Centers or a School Nurse Representative

             K-12 Educator Representative

             Organization Serving the Needs of Disabled Youth

             Youth Representative

             Parent Representative

Applications are due September 18th, 2020 by 5pm. The link to apply is HERE.

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Webinar Series: Preventing ACEs and Child Maltreatment

 

2020 Research-In-Progress Webinar Series


Each month this fall, the Child Maltreatment National Peer Learning Team will be hosting a webinar highlighting current research on preventing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and child maltreatment. All webinars are one hour, free and open to prevention professionals and researchers in child maltreatment prevention. Presenters will describe research in progress and take questions from attendees. 

September 15, 11 am MT

Gun violence as an adverse childhood experience: Reflections from research and practice perspectives 

Sonali Rajan, EdD, Virginia Rauh, ScD, and Danielle Kassow, PhD, Columbia University and Trauma-Free NYC

 
October 15, 11 am MT


Jared Parrish, PhD, Alaska Division of Public Health


November 23, 11 am MT


Ali Rowhani Rahbar, MD, PhD and Nicole Kovski, MS, University of Washington

 
December 8, 11 am MT

Community-level interventions to address ACEs: Successes and lessons learned

Jenn Leiferman, PhD, Colorado School of Public Health and Don Hanna, PALS, La Puente

 


Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Maternal Mortality in Colorado: New Report & Webinar

 


Our colleagues at CDPHE's Maternal Mortality Review Committee have worked tirelessly over the past few years to review all 94 cases of maternal deaths from 2014-2016 and to determine prioritized recommendations to prevent maternal deaths and improve maternal health in Colorado.

Read the Maternal Mortality in Colorado 2014-2016 report here.

Join the webinar presenting the report on Monday, September 14, from 4-5:30 pm MT. Register here.

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Webinar: Youth Safety and Graduated Driver Licensing

 

 

“FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO DELAY IN DRIVING LICENSURE AMONG TEENS AND A CASE FOR BOLSTERING GDL POLICIES”

WEBINAR
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2020 | 1-2 PM MT / 3-4 PM ET

REGISTRATION LINK:

https://ucdenver.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Dh_sjqYNRZ2A2nfr1N1DtA

 

What are the effects of teens delaying learning how to drive – or the phenomenon of “delay in driving licensure” (DDL)? How does it relate to Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) approaches for teen safety? In this webinar, two national experts will discuss factors that contribute to DDL in teens (Dr. Vaca) and the benefits, status, and needed refinements in GDL (Dr. Weast), followed by audience questions.

 

Federico Vaca, MD, MPH

Professor, Emergency Medicine and in the Child Study Center

Director, Yale Developmental Neurocognitive Driving Simulation Research Center

Dr. Vaca is a practicing and board-certified emergency medicine physician. He previously served as a Medical Fellow for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in Washington, D.C. Over the last 20 years, his research has focused on occupant safety, adolescent development and behaviors that influence the risk of motor vehicle crash morbidity and mortality as well as health disparities in injury and alcohol use disorders. His research has been funded federally by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH’s Office of Behavioral and Social Science (OBSSR), and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Dr. Vaca serves on two standing committees of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Transportation Research Board; one focused on road user measurement and evaluation and the other on vehicle user education, training, and licensing.


 

Rebecca Weast, PhD

Research Scientist, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Dr. Weast received a master’s degree and a doctorate in psychology from the University of Virginia and a bachelor's degree from Franklin and Marshall College. She joined the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in 2016 and conducts research primarily on issues related to teen drivers and drowsy driving. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to reducing the losses — deaths, injuries and property damage — from motor vehicle crashes.

Friday, September 4, 2020

Webinar: Plan for SIDS Awareness Month


October is SIDS Awareness Month. To support your infant safe sleep education and outreach efforts, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) will be hosting a 1-hour webinar to share detailed guidance on how to use the 2020 SIDS Awareness Month #SafeSleepSnap digital toolkit.

When: Tuesday, September 8 at 11am - 12pm MT

During this webinar, you’ll also get updates about the upcoming Safe Infant Sleep Social Media Block Party, which will feature a series of four 8- to 15-minute Facebook Live events that will address different safe infant sleep topics during the week of October 26. Tune in to learn about safe infant sleep from Charlie’s Kids Foundation, Cribs for Kids®, First Candle, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)-led Safe to Sleep® campaign.

Register here https://bit.ly/2PZTxWf.

Positive Youth Development 101 2-Part Training


If you're interested in learning the basics of Positive Youth Development (PYD) approaches, CDPHE is offering a two-part PYD 101 Training on September 30 and October 2 from 10:30-12:45.

PYD is an intentional, pro-social approach that engages youth, focuses on strengths, and promotes positive outcomes by providing opportunities, supporting positive relationships, and fostering leadership. For an overview, check out Kristin Anderson Moore's article in Child Trends

Register here for the upcoming PYD 101 training!

This training is open to youth serving professionals or anyone interested in youth well being.  

Thursday, September 3, 2020

Youth Awareness Week: Sept 6-12

We're happy to share this announcement from our friends at the CO4Kids campaign:


Colorado Youth Leadership Network is sponsoring Youth Awareness Week, September 6-12, to emphasize positive youth voice and to celebrate the influence youth have in our state and local communities. The week also recognizes the various organizations and advocates that involve Colorado's youth and help guide them toward positive life choices and stability.

Download the calendar for youth engagement opportunities.

Download the calendar for professional development opportunities.


Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Scholarship Opportunity: Certified Lactation Educator Training


The Center for African American Health and Families Forward Resource Center is pleased to provide scholarships for staff or community members to attend a 4-day Certified Lactation Educator (CLE) training Wednesday, September 16, 5 pm to 8 pm, Thursday, September 17 through Saturday, September 19 from 9 am to 3 pm via Zoom

The CLE training will improve your skill base, knowledge, and perspective on breastfeeding. As a lactation educator, you will fill an important role in educating, counseling, and supporting families in your community by providing evidence-based information about lactation and breastfeeding. For more information visit www.CAPPA.net/lactation-educator.

This scholarship is prioritized for people of color. Individuals may apply for scholarship funds as long as they identify as an individual of color and are affiliated with a group or organization through which their expertise will be used to serve communities of color in Colorado. This scholarship opportunity is for Colorado residents only.

The scholarship will cover the cost of the training registration, the textbook for selected applicants, membership fee for one year, the test, and a booklet.

The deadline to submit an application is Wednesday, September 9, 2020. Applicants will be notified by Saturday, September 12, 2020.

Apply here for this opportunity!