The day at Lake Compounce purposefully brought together birth parents and foster parents along with the children, based on the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s model of family engagement. “When children see the adults getting along, it makes it easier for them and helps to promote safety and permanency,” said Allen. The CPI also invited community representatives, who assist families in their case conferences. Many of these community reps and foster parents received certificates of appreciation and recognition of their efforts on behalf of the CPI.
“The trip was an opportunity for children and families to have an experience that they may not otherwise have had,” said Eric Canales, East Harlem CPI liaison. “It brought together the service providers, families and children in a different kind of relationship, where the emphasis was on having fun and promoting the feeling of community. Everyone says ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’ but the trip showed that sometimes it takes a child to bring a village together.”
In a reminder that summer fun ends with school, each child who attended will receive a free backpack, courtesy of their CPI. Those attending included families and representatives from Bedford Stuyvesant, Bushwick and East New York in Brooklyn; Mott Haven in the Bronx; East Harlem and the Lower East Side in Manhattan; Jamaica and Elmhurst in Queens; and Stapleton in Staten Island.
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