The Carson Center will collaboration with the Ware Adult Education Center to support 10 area teen parents who are high school dropouts. Participants will complete a GED program, develop effective parenting skills, set long term educational and employment goals through home visits and support groups: childcare will be provided. A caseworker/mentor will model and teach parenting skills, and insure that these young parents access important medical and other appointments in this isolated community. Proposal was submitted for two additional years of funding. 

Pregnant and parenting young mothers attend educational programs at the CARE Center while their children attend daycare at the same site. About 80% of those who pass their GED go on to attend college, however many do not complete their college education. This project will hire a second transition counselor to work specifically with CARE Center alumnae enrolled at Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical Community College. They will offer mentoring, tutoring, childcare, transportation, and other support services. The counselor will integrate these students into support programs offered by the colleges.  Proposal was submitted for two additional years of funding. 

This comprehensive program will include GED instruction, pre-employment and higher education training, and childcare when necessary for 50-60 adults with young children. Parenting education and support services will be a part of the program. The organizations collaborating on this program include: Northampton Public Schools - Even Start Family Literacy program, Northampton Housing Authority, and the Franklin /Hampshire Regional Employment Board. Proposal was submitted for two additional years of funding. 

This project provides job skills to parents of children in poverty age 5 and under. Three training cycles will be offered to 15 families at a time for a period of 12 weeks to learn data entry, food service, and customer service/cashier skills. Workshops on life skills and employment readiness will be offered. A part-time child coordinator will assist parents with a variety of issues and to provide special programs for the children while their parents are in training. The job-training program will be followed by a year of case management to assist parents in their transition to the workforce. Proposal was submitted for one additional year of funding. 

This school-based project will build adult and family literacy for families of preschool children that have limited English proficiency. 60 adult learners will participate in three levels of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and a Spanish-language GED class. Parents and preschoolers will be involved in interactive literacy activities.  Early childhood staff will provide instruction for preschool children.  Volunteers will be on hand to read to the children, provide activities, and homework help for their siblings, while parents are attending classes. Proposal was submitted for two additional years of funding. 

This intensive program targets 18 pregnant and parenting teens, who have dropped out of high school. The teens will attend educational and vocational programs for up to 30 hours per week at  Massachusetts Career Development Institute (MCDI) while their children are being cared for at the YMCA.  In the afternoon, the teens will be engaged in life skills courses and activities at the YMCA. A specially trained program coordinator will greet the teens as they drop off their children in the morning, maintain contact with their MCDI advisor, visit their homes to assist with modeling parenting behavior, and provide one to one support and guidance. Proposal was submitted for one additional year of funding.

Last year over 400 of the 1200 children enrolled in this Head Start preschool program experienced "behavioral episodes" which resulted in referral to staff mental health clinicians for services; 20% of these children were referred to outside clinicians for intensive services. These behavioral episodes impact the learning environment for all students. This project will employ a three-pronged approach to address issues of preschoolers' classroom behavior. A clinician will be hired to provide training using a national curriculum to teachers in 20 classrooms per year, at the end of three years, every teacher will have received the training. The clinician will also provide mentoring and coaching to teachers and parents on specific behavioral issues. Proposal was submitted for two additional years of funding. 

The 175 low-income preschool age children who attend the agency's five childcare centers and their parents will benefit from this project in two ways. The preschool curriculum for math and science will be substantially upgraded through the purchase of new educational tools, equipment, and by providing specialized training for teaching staff in these areas. Additionally, life skills programs will be offered for the parents to assist with goals of self-sufficiency, parenting skills, and to involve them in their child's education. 

This collaboration with Montague Catholic Social Ministries will provide intensive outreach through home visiting to 50 low-income families where parents lack a high school diploma or the skills expected of a high school graduate. During home visits, staff and parents will assess and improve family literacy skills to aid the parents and the children. Home visitors will screen for developmental progress in the children and make appropriate referrals. Home visitors will assist parents to identify resources to help them on their road to self-sufficiency and encourage them to enroll in agency support programs. Proposal was submitted for two additional years of funding. 

This project will serve 48-58 families with children living at or below the poverty level to achieve self-sufficiency; acquire better parenting skills, and become more involved in their child's education. A Social Worker will supervise Springfield College School of Social Work interns offer intensive case management including: child and family assessments, home visiting to teach and model parenting skills, parent education classes and support groups, and creation of a parent advisory council. Proposal was submitted for two additional years of funding.