Our goals:

• Connecting Child Care/Head Start to Preventive Services

In order to better inform the public about services that are available to them, the Child Care Subcommittee identifies all providers in East New York, conducts informational workshops on child care practices, hosts information-exchange meetings between local providers and agency staff, and distributes user-friendly brochures to parents and community support services.

• Foster Care Recruitment

CCENY realizes the importance of recruiting and maintaining a solid foundation of caring families for children, and hosts many fun, informational recruiting events, trainings and support systems for families.

• Family Conferences

In order to maximize family participation in the community, CCENY recruits potential “Parent Advocates” from the pool of specially trained clients to support families during the conferences. This helps the agency and family better understand each other while also producing the best results for children.

• Visitation

CCENY has also compiled a list of recreational activities and resources/facility locations which will make family visits more intimate, fun, and family-friendly. These include: the Police Athletic League, St. Luke’s Community Church, and The Brooklyn Children’s Museum.

• Decreasing Mental Health Stigma and Promoting Public Awareness

Mental health and wellness is an essential part of children’s emotional development and the Mental Health Subcommittee of CCENY plans to increase collaboration among neighborhood-based mental health providers. It will identify resources for families with mental health issues by collaborating with the NY State Office of Mental Health and Applied Behavioral Sciences. In addition, we will be launching a public awareness
campaign to inform East New York residents of existing trends and possible solutions, aiming to promote public awareness of children’s mental health issues and reduce stigma associated with mental illness.