Family and Child Health and Well Being
McDonald County Project CARE Program – Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect:
Our approach to correcting poverty and under served populations is not one of temporary relief, but rather long-term restoration. Project CARE Home Visitors walk alongside the children and families we serve, providing them with the tools and knowledge that will lead to self-sufficiency. With these resources come life coaching, skill building, and parenting classes. In addition, we host a Provider Network comprised of area service providers. The Provider Network ensures that local providers can work collaboratively to provide comprehensive wraparound services and eliminate service duplication. We believe that when parents take the right steps to improving quality of life at home, children will benefit greatly in the long term, ultimately leading to the prevention of negative behaviors and harmful lifestyles.
McDonald County contact Lacey Matney at lmatney@theallianceofswmo.org or 417-439-0578
Educare Program – Providing Support for Home Based Child Care Providers:
Educare is a program providing support to area child care providers. Educare eligible providers are: faith-based, home-based with 4 or fewer children, or licensed family child care accepting DSS subsidy. Educare supports these providers though technical assistance, coaching and training. The program’s goal is to provide services to improve the quality of child care and early learning programs. Each center receives personalized visits. During these visits we help you identify what your stress points are or gaps where a little extra assistance is needed. Some ways the program can help are: Incentives, Support Group Trainings (most with MO Workshop Calendar credits), Learning bags and Prop Boxes lending program, our monthly Newsletter.
For more information about Educare, contact Kim Burnett at 417-782-9899 or kburnett@theallianceofswmo.org.
Safe Kids Program – Preventing Childhood Accidents and Injuries:
Many childhood accidents and injuries are unnecessary and easily avoidable. By partnering with local schools and organizations, Safe Kids works to educate children and parents in a variety of safety-related areas by offering informational assemblies and presentations related to fire safety, bicycle safety, pedestrian safety, seat belt safety. Safe Kids also conducts monthly car seat checks in which certified technicians verify that seats are properly installed; car seats and booster seats are also distributed during monthly car seat checks (suggested donation is $20).
For more information about Safe Kids, contact Mark Box at 417-782-9899 or mbox@theallianceofswmo.org.
Youth Mentoring – Engaging At-Risk Youth:
By partnering with the Division of Youth Services, the youth mentoring program matches at-risk teens with qualified mentors who can assist them in making good decisions that lead to positive outcomes. Our mentors engage their mentees in a variety of structured activities designed to provide safe and healthy alternatives to unsafe and risky behaviors.
For more information about our Youth Mentoring Program, contact Marlissa Diggs at 417-782-9899 or mdiggs@theallianceofswmo.org.