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A New Approach to Early Intervention: Virtual Home Visits Some bicoastal residents call it “flyover country.” Earlier generations called the huge expanses of America’s West “the Great American Desert.” But for the families of infants and toddlers with disabilities who reside there, often in remote and sometimes harsh circumstances far from the care their children require, it is home. Reaching those families for regular required home visits is often a monumental or downright impossible task for administrators of early intervention programs and their service providers who must drive for hours each way in weather conditions that are often severe and dangerous in an era in which fuel prices promise to remain prohibitively high. Until now, hard choices had to be made. Home visits to families in remote areas had to be postponed or canceled due to weather or cost. For families, their children’s needs went unmet. For federally funded statewide programs charged with seeking out and serving all infants and toddlers needing early intervention services, charters went unfulfilled. Today, however, technology provides the hope that virtual home visits can effectively and efficiently supplement, but not replace, traditional in-person visits.

To register please send an email to shattuck@u.washington.edu. What: New scientific discoveries about the lifelong impacts of adverse childhood experiences shed light on the intergenerational benefits of home visiting. Laura Porter will share information about the ACE Study, including data from Washington State. Kathy Carson will discuss some of the evidence of outcomes for home visiting and how understanding the impacts of childhood trauma can impact home visiting practice. This presentation is intended for people working with young children and families and anyone interested in parenting and child development. When: Thursday, June 16, 1 - 2 PM

For parents of children with multiple medical problems, keeping up with countless doctor's appointments, ongoing tests and a variety of medications can be overwhelming, especially for those in challenging socioeconomic situations. 

As a result, families often wind up using the emergency room, the country's most expensive form of care delivery, to get help for their kids.

But a growing concept in health care reform called the "medical home" offers parents a way to simplify, organize and coordinate the complexities of their medically fragile child's health care needs. The medical home is not a location but an approach to care coordination designed to provide a constant trusted source of care, typically by a general pediatrician.

Monthly home visits to teach parents how to best work with their children with autism can go a long way toward improving kids’ interactions, researchers say. Over the course of a year, children whose families received monthly three-hour visits from a specialist showed greater gains in attention and initiation skills as compared to other kids on the spectrum, according to findings published this month in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.

Teachers at one of Denver's poorest schools have discovered a key to improving student achievement that's as easy as stepping out the door. High-performing schools in affluent neighborhoods are usually buzzing with parents — moms and dads volunteering, chauffeuring or helping out in classrooms. But at schools in high-poverty neighborhoods, the opposite tends to occur — many of them have little to no parental engagement. Indeed, teachers rarely see a parent in the building unless a kid is in trouble. That's why Fairview Elementary teachers are going to the families. Every year, educators try to visit the homes of every child in the school — getting to know the families and discovering more about their students.

Miss Montana Alexis Wineman of Cut Bank has been extremely busy the last few days - namely, appearing in the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas on Saturday and being seen by millions of people across the world. Although she didn't walk away with the crown, Alexis did win big by earning the "People's Choice" award via online voting. Alexis visited MTN affiliate KRTV in Great Falls on her way back home to Cut Bank from Las Vegas on Tuesday, sharing some of the highlights of her journey and even providing a small sample of her pageant talent: stand-up comedy.

Click here for Registration and more information! What and When: Adolescent and Young Adult Health Institutue Saturday, Feb. 11, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Interested in learning more about how your maternal and child health program can better serve adolescents? How well do you understand adolescent development? We know that adolescence is a time of biological, psychological and social changes – but we often view adolescence as a monolithic stage of development and design adolescent health programs accordingly. However, the reality is that there are several stages of development within adolescence – each with its own unique biological, psychological and social changes. If you’re interested in learning more about the different stages, needs and risk factors of adolescence and considering how these differences can impact your program design and implementation, join us for a two-part, day-long Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Institute. Special Events Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant Training-Current Initiatives and Updates Saturday, Feb. 11, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. This session will provide an update on Title V MCH Block Grant activities. Participants will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and hear about the latest enhancements to the Title V Information System (TVIS); changes to the FY 2013 Title V MCH Block Grant Application/FY 2011 Annual Report submission process; revisions to the MCH Block Grant Application/Annual Report Guidance; new Women’s Health Profiles available on TVIS; State Priorities from 2000 to 2010, as reported in the 5-year Needs Assessments; and an update on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. Sunday, February 12, 2012 1:00-3:30 p.m. Networking Reception and John C. MacQueen Memorial Lecture (TBD) Be an Influencer: How You Can Create Change for Healthy Tomorrows Monday, February 13, 2012 Do you experience resistant and persistent personal, team, or organizational problems? Do you feel that you have the skills you need to motivate those you work with and exert your influence in your personal and professional lives? How can we improve MCH outcomes if we are not agents of change and influence in our organizations? Join us for a discussion of proven strategies you can use to uproot entrenched habits and create change initiatives for your team and your entire organization in this real-life, solution focused session. Want more after the session? Our presenter, Candace Bertotti, will convene a workshop for interested participants who want to know more about the Influencer model immediately following the general session. Where: Washington, D.C. Contact: AMCHP Help Desk Phone: (202) 775-0436

What: A seven-chapter, video intensive, parent training program designed by the Love and Logic® Institute, Inc. This parenting program is designed to give you practical skills that can be used immediately! Answers to: “How do I get them out of bed in time to catch the school bus?” “How can I stop my children from bickering and fighting?” “How do I get my children to help with the chores without an argument?” “Is there a way to discipline my toddler in public without creating a scene?” “How can I get my teenage daughter to come home at the agreed-upon time?” And many other day-to-day parenting challenges… This parenting program is designed to give you practical skills that can be used immediately! Dates: January & February Wednesdays (12th-23rd) Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (or as agreed by class) Local Phone: 939-5591 Location: Glendive - To Be Announced (Visit the MCYF Facebook group for updated information) Cost: $20 for book – scholarships available E-mail: mcyf@midrivers.com

Resources in Spanish to Support Early Literacy Skills at Home! Get Ready to Read! now has new resources to assist Spanish-speaking parents in helping their children build skills before kindergarten. Our Spanish Resources (Recursos en Español) are designed to help parents and families talk with teachers and day care providers about questions they have about their child’s development. Visit the new Get Ready to Read! Recursos en Español today!

Get Ready to Read! is designed to support educators, parents, and young children in the development of early literacy skills in the years before kindergarten. Intended for use with all children, the resources and information provided on this site promote skill-building, communication between adults, and ways to address concerns.

Visit the Mason's Mountain Run websiteThis race is being started to celebrate the life of a very special boy, Mason Bailey Shuck. Mason died in August 2009 after living with mitochondrial disease for 11 years. His spirit and sense of humor lives on with us today. He enjoyed many days in the mountains, hiking and camping. This race/walk is to enjoy a day in the beautiful mountains and to encourage anyone who is capable to run for those who can’t.

Visit the Mason's Mountain Run Website What: This race is being started to celebrate the life of a very special boy, Mason Bailey Shuck. Mason died in August 2009 after living with mitochondrial disease for 11 years. His spirit and sense of humor lives on with us today. He enjoyed many days in the mountains, hiking and camping. This race/walk is to enjoy a day in the beautiful mountains and to encourage anyone who is capable to run for those who can’t. June 11th will be a day to celebrate and have fun. You can sign up for a challenging 10K trail run or participate in a family fun trail walk. For those individuals, especially special needs children, who are unable to participate in the 10K trail run or moutain walk, a treasure hunt will be set up around the Lion's Camp. This will be a fun time to find prizes while following a trail of knock knock jokes. After both events there will be a BBQ lunch to just enjoy and appreciate nature and our lives together. Event day activities include a treasure hunt, inflatables, music, games, prizes for kids, face painting, lunch for all registrants and entertainment for all! Sign up to participate in the fun today! When: Saturday, June 11, 2011 Registration begins 9:00am Mountain  Race starts at 10:30am Mountain Where: Lions Camp,  Red Lodge, Mt.