GREENE: North Greene Family Program serving both parents and children

By Editor | May 10, 2023 |

By Carmen Ensinger

Parents with small children in the North Greene School District have no doubt already heard of the Bright Futures Family Program.
The program is an affiliate of the nationally acclaimed Parents as Teachers program. All Parent Educators are certified through Parents as Teachers to support families with children ages 0-5 through in-home visits based on child development principals.
The program is offered free of charge to families residing in the North Greene School District with funding provided by the Illinois State Board of Education through the Early Childhood Block Grant.
Program Coordinator Kellie Heberling explains a little bit about the program.
“We recognize that parents provide children’s first and most important learning environment and are their first and most significant teachers,” she said. “Therefore, the goal of the Bright Futures program is to strengthen and support the ability of all parents to provide the best possible environment for the healthy growth and development of their children.”
There are several facets to the program including personalized home visits, screenings, group family events and parenting resources.
“Personal visits are at the heart of the Bright Futures program,” Heberling said. “All of our staff are certified Parent Educators who will provide information and offer practical suggestions to help you meet your child’s needs during each stage of their growth.”
The screenings they offer assess your child’s overall development at various visits throughout the year. These screenings include vision, hearing and health screenings.
Each year several family events are planned in conjunction with the pre-k program at various locations throughout the North Greene area. These opportunities provide time for parents and children to learn, play and have fun together.
They also offer resources for the parents themselves.
“An important goal of Bright Futures is to provide helpful information to parents of young children,” Heberling said. “Books, videos and learning driven toys are available for both children and adults to check out from our resource library. We also sponsor meetings covering various parenting issues and can help to provide parents with resources to meet the families’ needs.”
A large foundational portion of the Bright Futures program is geared towards promoting literacy among both the children and parents, so with each home visit, the Parent Educator will bring the family a book to keep.
Heberling provided statistics for this year’s program which covers July 1, 2022 to May 4, 2023. During this time period, the program served 96 families and 121 children.
There are a total of 16 nationally recognized high-needs stressors to families. Heberling included the top six in the North Greene Community per the parent interviews and eligibility points. They are:
1. Low income – families are eligible for free and reduced lunches, public housing, child care subsidy, WIC, food stamps/SNAP, TANF, Head Start/Early Head Start, and/or Medicaid.
2. Parents with Mental Health Issues – A parent has a thought, mood or behavioral disorder (or some combination) associated with distress and/or impaired functioning, as determined by parent report, positive screening or a diagnosis.
3. Housing instability – Individuals who are homeless lack fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residences, including those who share others’ homes due to loss of housing or economic hardship.
4. Young Parents – Youth who are pregnant or parenting under the age of 21.
5. No High School Diploma or GED – Parent did not complete high school or passed an equivalency exam and is not currently enrolled.
6. Substance Use Disorder – Parent persistently has used or is currently using substances despite negative social, interpersonal, legal, medical or other consequences.
Of the families served by Bright Futures, 34 families have four or more stressors; 16 have three stressors; 25 have two stressors; 15 have one stressors and five families have zero stressors.
There were a total of 95 developmental screenings performed. Of these, 52 resulted in a delay or referral for further assessment