Partners in Community Outreach is a coalition of West Virginia research-based In-Home Family Education programs. The vision of Partners in Community Outreach is that every West Virginia family from pregnancy until children are at least three years of age has the opportunity to participate in a high-quality In-Home Family Education program in their local community.
The mission of Partners in Community Outreach is to build a statewide system of In-Home Family Education that assures program quality and accountability--helping programs to improve child health, increase school readiness, enhance parenting skills, and reduce child maltreatment.
What is In-Home Family Education?
In-Home Family Education is a powerful, proactive strategy to reduce adverse childhood
experiences. These programs build "protective factors" which enable families to deal
more successfully with whatever challenges arise. Protective factors are the safeguards
(health screenings or parent education, for instance) that help families avoid or cope
with negative experiences that could otherwise lead to poor outcomes for their children
(such as medical problems or failing grades).
What do In-Home Family Educators do?
In-Home Family Educators provide voluntary parenting education and support to families
with young children in their homes. They help parents understand their role as their
child's first and most important teacher. They provide information and support in such
areas as prenatal care, child health, early learning and literacy, and child development
and behavior, They help connect families to resources in their community and help families
stay together safely. This is done by emphasizing each family's strengths and helping
them reach their goals.
Community Planning Grants for In-Home Family Education
Due to a supplemental appropriation, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources: Bureau for Children and Families awarded a contract to TEAM for West Virginia Children to conduct activities on behalf of Partners in Community Outreach.
A Request for Proposals (RFP) was released in September of 2009 seeking communities that are interested in undertaking planning activities within their community that would lay the foundation for eventual implementation of an In-Home Family Education program.
Grants were awarded to the following organizations:
Catholic Charities (Webster County)
Children's Home Society (Wood County)
Morgan County Starting Points
Raleigh County Community Action Association
Together in Recovery (Barbour County)
These communities received the In-Home Family Education Program Start-Up Guide to direct their planning efforts. Download here
Benedum Foundation Support of In-Home Family Education Continues
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation has awarded Partners in Community Outreach a $150,000 grant to continue building the components of a state system of In-Home Family Education. Funding will be used to support training, evaluation and quality assurance, technical assistance, and collaboration efforts.
Vital Signs: A Self-Assessment of Early Childhood Collaborative Groups
Partners in Community Outreach developed and pilot tested a survey for early childhood collaborative groups. The survey is designed to help group members identfy what is working well in their collaboration and what they would like to improve. Download here
Strategic Planning Retreat
Partners in Community Outreach held a Strategic Planning Retreat to celebrate the coalition's ten year anniversary and to plan for the future. The event was held September 9 and 10, 2009 at Cedar Lakes Conference Center.
Healthy Lifestyles Campaign
Partners in Community Outreach embarked on a Healthy Lifestyles Campaign to enhance In-Home Family Education program efforts in addressing obesity and the rate of low-birth weight babies in West Virginia. Educational materials were developed and a training event was held on April 24, 2009, for In-Home Family Educators. Fourteen programs are participating in the Campaign. Partners in Community Outreach is conducting an evaluation on program efforts and the impact these interventions are having on family outcomes. For more information, contact Angie Whitley.
