Children's Trust of South Carolina

Home visiting in the Lowcountry 💙 Our marketing manager, Tina Applebee, recently joined MUSC Health home visitors Hope Singleton and Marta Stewart during their workday serving families. Tina shared: "It was really eye-opening to see the care and trust that Hope and Marta have developed with the families they serve. They provided care, patience and time to make sure the moms were getting the help they needed—whether that was for their children's health, financial assistance or having someone to talk to about the struggles and joys of raising a young child. It was really inspiring to be a part of. Healthy Families America has great people implementing their program in the Lowcountry." Local home visiting programs assist families by pairing them with health, social service, and child development professionals. Through regular home visits, parents get support to improve their family’s health and provide better opportunities for their children. We are proud to be South Carolina’s lead agency for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) federal grant. #ChampionsForChildren

Join us to learn about home visiting in South Carolina this Thursday, July 11 at 10 a.m. on Zoom! 💙 Our home visiting team will highlight the basics of the evidence-based program. We'll dive into how it benefits children and families, the different delivery models, and Children’s Trust's role in the state. 🏠 Home visiting is a service delivery strategy that improves the health and well-being of children and their families. This training is ideal for case managers, social workers, early childcare providers, parents, foster parents and anyone interested in learning more about home visiting in South Carolina. Register at bit.ly/3WeNDUf! #ChampionsForChildren

We are thrilled that the fiscal year 2024-2025 state budget includes $500,000 to Children’s Trust for home visiting services! Evidence shows that voluntary home visiting programs prevent child abuse and neglect, lower maternal and infant mortality and improve overall health outcomes. We look forward to helping more families across the state with these dollars. Thank you to the General Assembly and Governor Henry McMaster for including these needed funds in the budget.

Job seekers: Here's an exciting part-time opportunity from one of our partners in Newberry! #ChampionsForChildren

We’re thrilled Charles W. Calhoun has joined our team! 🎉 As grants development coordinator, Charles develops and promotes processes that support the organization and execution of grants, identifies new funding sources and stewards relationships with existing funders. Please join us in welcoming him! bit.ly/3xqQYpE | #ChampionsForChildren

This month we joined the South Carolina Department of Social Services in honoring June as Family Reunification Month to raise awareness and celebrate the work put into strengthening families. During the month, DSS recognized families that have successfully reunited by overcoming challenges that required agency involvement. In calendar year 2023, 1,503 children and youth were reunited with their families in South Carolina. As of this week, 661 children and youth have been safely returned to their families so far in 2024. Read more in our latest Policy Forum by SCDSS! 📄 https://lnkd.in/eF7YemHF

This one is for parents and caregivers! 👪 The TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health at the University of Chicago is leading the development of a new survey tool, SPEAK-CAT, to understand parents' knowledge and beliefs about early childhood development. The Center is seeking participants for a paid online study to help us refine and validate the SPEAK-CAT tool. Your insights will help researchers and professionals better support parents and caregivers. If you qualify, you'll receive a $15 gift card as a thank-you. If you participate in all three rounds, you'll also receive $80. Click here to see if you qualify: redcap.link/e2qppv4e. And spread the word!

Join us for the Building Hope for Children Conference 2024, our premier training event for child-serving professionals in South Carolina, scheduled for August 28-29, in Greenville. Early bird tickets are available until June 30! Pricing increases from $200 to $250 on July 1. You can now see the full conference schedule, including our workshop sessions. Continuing education units (CEUs) are available. For anyone interested in presenting products or services to conference attendees, in-person and virtual exhibitor space is also available for a nominal fee. Limited booths are available for reservation until June 28. Children's Trust also offers multiple sponsorship levels for the conference. Find all the details at scChildren.org/conference!

We want to shout out our wonderful partner, Middle Tyger Community Center, whom we recently visited! ⭐️ Middle Tyger Community Center is a Family Resource Center (FRC) serving Spartanburg County. It provides holistic resources and integrated support services for those in all stages of need. The center offers children and family services and support programs, including Triple P (Positive Parenting Program), child care, counseling, adult education, senior opportunities and kinship care. Middle Tyger Community Center is a member of the S.C. Family Support Network, convened by Children’s Trust. We're honored to support the center as they do the critical work of serving and strengthening families every day! ❤️ #ChampionsForChildren - Back row from left to right: Julie Henderson, Middle Tyger assistant director for program support; McKenzie Hudson, Children’s Trust grants accounting manager; Haley Grau, Middle Tyger executive director; Alek Reaves, Children’s Trust family engagement and resource manager; Amy Faulkner, Middle Tyger assistant director; Natalie Patterson, Middle Tyger LPCA. Front row from left to right: Monica Rogers, Middle Tyger financial administrator; Tina Gaudiano, Middle Tyger director of counseling; Merissa Ramantanin, Middle Tyger director of children and family services; Virginia Bikas, Children’s Trust community capacity coach; and Abby Wilson.