January - Supporting Children and Parents: Family Services at CRIS
Family Services is just one of eight core programs CRIS conducts, but it’s distinctiveness shines through. The office actually houses two separate operations: one that provides assistance to LEP (Limited English Proficiency) parents in the community, and one that works with Ohio’s ‘Help Me Grow Early Intervention’ program. And the Early Intervention program is available to everyone -- immigrant and American-born families alike.
The main purpose of the Parenting for LEP Families Program is to prevent child abuse and neglect through parenting instruction, and to assist families to successfully raise children in United States. Services are provided home and center based. We use a evidence-based curriculum called Nurturing Parenting. Clients receive an average of 24 hours of services through the entire program, though it can be more depending on needs.Services are currently available in English, Spanish, and Somali languages. Please contact Diana Sierra at dsierra@cris-ohio.org for more details.
Ohio’s ‘Help Me Grow Early Intervention’ program works with local agencies like CRIS, to establish a line of communication for any child under the age of three that may be experiencing any delays in their development. Both immigrants and American-born children can work with CRIS if they believe their child is facing a developmental delay. The process is simple: if you have a child who is not meeting the developmental milestones that they should be at their age, you may call the area’s intake number at 614-656-3322 and be referred to a local agency based on your location of residence (CRIS works mainly with those in the Hilliard, Powell, and Dublin areas). Delayed milestones include a child not yet crawling, not yet speaking, or not yet walking when they should be, as well as many other possibilities. Once a family is referred to their local agency, the child is evaluated to determine their development, and a plan is made based on the case. CRIS will often refer to outside assistance like speech therapists on the path to aiding the family.
La’Tonya Castro, manager of CRIS’s Early Intervention program, would like any parent in the area to reach out if they have a concern about their child’s development. Even if the child is not deemed developmentally delayed, CRIS can provide options to assist with the indicated problem.
More information about the Early Intervention program may be found here.