http://nycbbf2012.eventbrite.com

Thank your childcare provider.

 www.fostercaremonth.org/Pages/default.aspx

During this fully narrated course trainees will learn important information pertaining to transporting children in a child care setting. Learning points of the training are enhanced throughout using video clips and interactive exercises.

As you complete each 10-15 minute section, the application saves your progress and allows you up to 30 days to complete the entire course. The self-directed online course Transportation fulfills the following OCFS training requirements:

• Safety and security procedures, including communication between parents and staff
• Child day care program development
• Statutes and regulations pertaining to child day care

This 2 hour training can be used to fulfill the following CDA Content Areas:

• Planning a safe, healthy learning environment
• Strategies to establish productive relationships with families
• Strategies to manage an effective program operation

http://www.ecetp.pdp.albany.edu/elearn_catalog.shtm

Incidents/Injuries: Target has received six reports of incidents where the plastic ear poked children during routine use of the product. Cuts and bruises were reported in three of these reports.
 
For more information on this recall, including pictures and what steps to take if you've purchased this item, please visit:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12162.html.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UQsHwCRhWk&feature=youtu.be

Click here to Read the card...

Healthy Families NY home visiting programs have a proven track record of deterring child abuse. Through guidance and support for at-risk expectant and new parents in 39 high-risk communities, HFNY begins at the earliest opportunity to improve children’s health, safety and learning. Regular visits by trained home visitors during this time shifts the trajectory of families’ lives and lays a strong foundation for children’s safe future, preventing problems that require expensive intervention and remediation. For more info visit www.healthyfamiliesnewyork.org

Hazard: Young children can disengage the cabinet locks, allowing access to cabinet contents and posing the risk of injury, due to dangerous or unsafe items.

Incidents/Injuries: DJG has received 200 reports of locks that did not adequately secure the cabinet, including reports of damaged locks. Of the reported incidents, the firm is aware of 140 children between the ages of 9 months and 5 years who were able to disengage the locks and gain access to the cabinet's contents. In three of the reported incidents, the children who gained access swallowed or handled dishwashing detergent, window cleaner or oven cleaner, and were treated, observed and released from emergency treatment centers.
 
For more information on this recall, including pictures and what steps to take if you've purchased this item, please visit

Learn more: http://www.preventchildabuseny.org/news_events/nys-child-abuse-prevention-conference/conference-information/

The winning poster was submitted by 2^nd grade, Berne-Knox Westerlo Elementary School student, Saige Thompson who drew a colorful depiction of her family and a roadmap entitled: “My family is like a map because they help me find my way.” OCFS Deputy Commissioner Laura Velez was on hand to present Governor Cuomo’s proclamation and to congratulate the winner.

In observance of Child Abuse Prevention Month, please consider purchasing a pinwheel as part of “Pinwheels for Prevention.” See attached for further details.

To register: http://mothersofbedfordjjc2012.eventbrite.com/ 

Contact Information: Name: Nicole Perrino Phone: 6465574534 Email: nperrino@jjay.cuny.edu

 

Is it possible to become a better mother while serving time in a maximum security prison? 

OCFS continues to work with Osborne Association and the Coordinating Council on Children with Incarcerated Parents, on improving services provided to this invisible population.  This acclaimed documentary enhances the understanding of the importance of the parent-child relationship. Flyer…

Name of product: Push 'N Snap Cabinet Locks

Units: About 900,000

Importer: Dorel Juvenile Group (DJG) Inc., of Columbus, Ind.

Hazard: Young children can disengage the cabinet locks, allowing access to cabinet contents and posing the risk of injury, due to dangerous or unsafe items.

Incidents/Injuries: DJG has received 200 reports of locks that did not adequately secure the cabinet, including reports of damaged locks. Of the reported incidents, the firm is aware of 140 children between the ages of 9 months and 5 years who were able to disengage the locks and gain access to the cabinet's contents. In three of the reported incidents, the children who gained access swallowed or handled dishwashing detergent, window cleaner or oven cleaner, and were treated, observed and released from emergency treatment centers.

For more information on this recall, including pictures and what steps to take if you've purchased this item, please visit:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12136.html

Read press release...

Throughout the month, we will be highlighting the many ways OCFS partners with communities to provide safe and healthy lives for children of New York.

http://www.earlycareandlearning.org/programs/management-training/QSNYReadinessProject1.cfm

FULTON, NY – Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act, which took effect in 1990, some employers remain apprehensive about hiring a person with a disability. Betty Maute, Fulton Public Library director, is not one of them.

Mark McClave of Fulton replaces some books on the library shelf.

Still busy with the details of adjusting to a new job, she did not hesitate when the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH) approached her last year about providing a work experience training (WET) opportunity for Mark McClave of Fulton, a blind client.

Work experience training lasts one to three months, with CBVH paying the client’s salary and the work site providing training and supervision. “When John Scott of CBVH approached me with this idea, I thought, ‘A blind person in a library?’ But, I believe in keeping an open mind,” Maute said. She learned about technology such as ZoomText, which enlarges text on a screen, and Pebble, a portable electronic magnifying device.

With these accommodations, McClave can check books in and out, shelve books, collect fines, make copies, send faxes, work at the library’s book sale, make signs and flyers, and keep up with paperwork. Maute said that McClave has a wonderful rapport with the library’s customers, getting to know them and recommending books.  “I get pleasure from hearing people get fired up about books,” he said. McClave is working on renovating the young adult collection, studying which books are popular. “It blows my mind, what Mark can do.” Maute said.

The original plan called for McClave’s WET to end, and for the library to hire him, in March. However, city budget cuts derailed the hiring part of the plan, and CBVH extended his WET until May with the hope that the budget issues will be resolved by then. “This is heartbreaking, because everyone loves Mark. He is one of the best employees a director could ask for,” Maute said.

If McClave is hired, he would work as a part-time library aide and study for a Master of Library Science degree. He already has a bachelors degree in sociology from SUNY Oswego. Maute said that she has been encouraging McClave to get his masters since their first meeting. Her advice for other potential employers of people with disabilities?  “Keep an open mind. You might see a skill you can utilize. Also, meet face-to-face before you make a decision. If I had just seen a resume, I probably wouldn’t have gone further,” she said.

Maute has special praise for CBVH’s WET program: “It’s a way to give a start to someone. It’s low risk for the employer; we don’t have to pay while we assess the person’s strengths and skills.”

Lise Mayo is placement coordinator for Blind Employment Services at AURORA of CNY, Inc. a nonprofit that administers the WET program for CBVH and often makes the initial match between client and employer. “Our goal is to find a good fit between the capabilities of the person and what the employer wants. We have access to exciting technology that enables people to do things that were impossible before,” she said.

Mayo said she sees employers becoming more receptive to learning about ways to make people with disabilities part of their workforce. “Co-workers benefit too when there is true diversity in the workplace,” she said.

As for her own part in the process, Mayo, who has a masters degree in rehabilitation counseling from Syracuse University, said, “It is such a rewarding career, to have the opportunity to see people experience success. I don’t know how many people see that in their lifetimes. It’s kind of a high when it all comes together and we open doors that might have been closed.”

This entry was posted in Fulton by Contributor. Bookmark the permalink.

To assist in the development of the State Plan, teleconferences will be held to gather recommendations from people who are blind, their families, advocates and service providers on how CBVH can improve vocational rehabilitation and supported employment services.

To be a mentor, you don't need special skills, just an ability to listen and to offer friendship, guidance and encouragement to a young person. And you'll be amazed by how much you'll get out of the experience.

Mentoring happens in a number of settings:

• The community.
• Schools.
• The faith-based community.
• Business.
• Through the Internet.

More links:
Click Here for Pres. Proclamation
http://www.nationalmentoringmonth.org
http://www.serve.gov/mentor.asp
http://www.mentoring.org

Read article:
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/high-schools/scholastic-spotlight/article615381.ece

Since the start of public policies aimed at sending more lawbreakers to prison through "three strikes" measures in 1991, the number of children with an incarcerated parent has risen by 80 percent, and the number of children with a mother in prison has more than doubled in that time. The rise in maternal incarceration has important implications for child welfare agencies because female inmates often are mothers of minor children, and many are single parents. Research has shown that when women with children are incarcerated, their arrests and imprisonment substantially increase the chances that their children will be placed in foster care. The goal of "When a Parent is Incarcerated: A Primer for Social Workers" is to provide relevant and practical information for public child welfare agencies and social workers when working with incarcerated parents.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today launched "Help Your Neighbor," a statewide initiative to urge businesses and New Yorkers to give directly to regional food banks this holiday season. The Governor also announced $1 million in grants will be given to eight food banks across the state and an additional $620,000 in grants for emergency food relief organizations in communities hit hard by the recent flooding and storms. Read more...

With just 55 days before opening ceremonies of the first ever Youth Olympic Games, the U.S. team is eager to prove they will be a force to be reckoned with for gold. The U.S. youth team claimed two gold, two silver and three bronze medals in the final series of Youth ...more

What are Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders?

¿Qué son los Trastornos del Espectro Alcohólico Fetal?

什麼是胎兒酒精譜系障礙(FASD)？

ما ھي اضطرابات متلازمة الجنين الكحولي

Что представляет собой эмбриональ-ный алкогольный синдром (FASD)?

November is National Adoption Month! Adoption Month is a time to celebrate all adoptive families and to increase public awareness of the need for permanent, caring and loving families for children who are still awaiting adoption across the nation. As part of OCFS’ ongoing efforts to  encourage interested families to learn more about New York State ‘s waiting children, we are pleased to invite you to view The Adoption Album using a new feature called Silverlight Adoption Album. Learn more...

 The NYS Parenting Education Partnership has awarded 16 mini-grants to increase parents’ access to parenting education programs.

Friday, October 14, 2011

9:30 AM – 11:30 AM 

Independent Living Inc. 

5 Washington Terrace, Newburgh, NY 12550  

• Assistive Technology Demonstrations
• Vision Awareness Facts & Myths
• Personal Stories of Achievement by Support Group Members with Visual Impairments
• Visual Impairment Simulations

Sponsored by Independent Living, Inc., NYS Commission for the Blind, Association for the Visually Impaired, and the Cornwall Lions Club

http://www.ddpcmonthlyupdate.us/stories/august_2011/LDANYS_FASD_Professional_Training.html

• Disaster Plan Amendment
• District Fact Sheet

A new checklist has been created for Re-entry into Foster Care by Former Foster Care Youth between the Ages of 18 and 21.  To view this checklist, please click on Eligibility Manual and Requirement Checklist.

·       Assistive Technology Services

·       Supported/Competitive Placement Services

·       Reaching/Serving Underserved Populations

Read More...

LP-NFB town meeting notice

LP-ACB town meeting notice

National Child Passenger Safety Week.   

Please use the following links and information to help ensure that week happens every week at your home.  

What’s New in Child Passenger Safety

With today’s busy lifestyles, many times parents and guardians forget the simplest things, like ensuring a child is properly secured in a car or booster seat.  This can, and has had life altering consequences.  Although September 18 – 24, 2011 is officially National Child Passenger Safety Week, please use the following links and information to help ensure that week happens every week at your home.

Six ways to keep children safe

http://www.nhtsa.gov/Driving+Safety/Child+Safety/Keeping+Kids+Safe:+Inside+&+Out

NYS Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee

http://safeny.com/op-ndx.htm

Resources for Returning Home after a Flood or Hurricane:

• Returning Home after a Hurricane or Flood (English)/ Cómo ayudar a los niños a confrontar una catástrofe (Spanish)
• Recovering from Disaster, Guidance from FEMA (English only)
• Repairing your Flooded Home (English Only)

Resources for Helping Children Cope with a Disaster:

• Helping Children Cope with Disasters (English)/ Regreso al hogar después de un huracán o una inundación (Spanish)

Anthony Herringshaw, a resident at Northeast Parent and Child Society in Schenectady, is training for the 2012 youth Olympic games in Innsbruck, Austria. Thanks to OCFS employees who have been holding fundraisers on their own time, he’ll be able to train on a new skeleton sled. Here Commissioner Carrión and employees present Anthony with a check for $4140. 

To learn more about Anthony, click here.

For more coverage, click links below...

• http://www.leaderherald.com/page/content.detail/id/539545/Chasing-a-Dream.html
• http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2011/aug/09/gold/
• http://www.cbs6albany.com/video/c/1143371293/local-news/1099660811001/wrgb-localnews
• http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S2232679.shtml?cat=0

Download Publication (PDF)...

Greg Owens, OCFS Director of Special Projects, was recently given the Education Award by the NYS Minorities in Criminal Justice at its annual training symposium. He is shown here at the event with State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson.

Located at Bronx Residential entryway; created by Artistic Noise in partnership with OCFS and The Children's Aid Society's LINC program. See the mural in progress and read about it.
 

Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Plan FFY 2012-2013

• Attachments

CLICK HERE to sign up to provide testimony at one of the three public hearings.

CLICK HERE to send your comments via e-mail.

New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) Executive Deputy Commissioner Bill Gettman noted that adoptions from foster care were up 3% across the state in 2010. He reported that in the four counties of the Capital District, there were 89 adoptions in 2010.

Since CPSC approved a new crib rule, your questions have been flowing into us. While most questions have revolved around the drop side, it’s important for you to know that the new standard affects far more than the drop side. A crib’s mattress support, slats, and hardware are now required to be more durable and manufacturers will have to test to new more stringent requirements to prove compliance.

Here are some of your questions along with answers: Q & A document.

For more information or to RSVP, contact us at mwade@cpsc.gov.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Summer Infant Inc. have announced a voluntary recall of the Summer Infant video baby monitors with electrical cords.  The cords present a strangulation hazard to infants and toddlers when placed too close to a crib.

The Web site, http://governor.ny.gov/mandaterelief, includes electronic forms for Mandate Relief stakeholders and the public to suggest reforms to the system. The Web site will be an integral component to the reform process, which includes the Mandate Relief Redesign Team, created through an Executive Order by Governor Cuomo. The Web site will also include listings of the Team's public meetings and prepared reports.

ALBANY – In conjunction with National Adoption Month, the public is invited to a Capital Region Heart Gallery reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, at the Empire State Plaza South Concourse (Madison Avenue entrance). Portraits will remain on display through Friday, then the gallery will travel to other locations.

Thursday’s reception will be an opportunity to celebrate with some of the children, families, agency staff, photographers and friends who have made the Capital Region Heart Gallery a reality for the past five years.

Webinar Only: Register here

Nov 18, 2010, 5:30-7:00pm:
Please join us for the Capital Region Heart Gallery Celebration Reception. Learn more...

Option #1: DIRECT DEPOSIT:
Already have a bank account?

• Have benefits deposited into your existing checking account for immediate access.
• Enrollment information for Direct Deposit coming this November! 

Option #2: DEBIT CARD:
No enrollment necessary! Individuals not enrolled in traditional Direct Deposit will automatically receive a card!

• Your monthly subsidy is automatically deposited to your card, making your money available sooner!
• Use your card everywhere VISA® debit cards are accepted – in stores, online, to pay bills.
• Withdraw your subsidy in increments at ATMs, banks, or at retail stores.
• You can check your card balance at any time for free by calling the number on the back of your card or visiting the Chase account website:
  www.myaccount.chase.com
• The Chase Debit Card is free, but fees and surcharges may apply to certain transactions and services. Make sure you read the information that comes with your card and keep the information in a safe place. 

The OBL has a new website address (URL).  Please update your bookmarks and/or favorites accordingly with the following URL: https://apps.ocfs.ny.gov/obl