2021 Program Update
The Family Conservancy Program Highlights
Child Care Food Program
We distributed $13,360 in support for child care providers serving healthy foods, and served 35 new providers, in a time where support is needed more than ever.
Clinical Services (outpatient)
In October of this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), and the Children’s Hospital Association declared a national emergency in children’s mental health, affirming the incredible need for quality mental health services for our community. TFC was proud to help the Kansas City community, and in 2021, our outpatient clinical team provided mental health therapy for 49 children and 197 adults. Of those clients served, 71% of the children and 85% of the adults were victims of crime.
Dame la Mano Counseling and Case Management
The Dame la Mano team of one therapist and one case manager provided intensive, bilingual, wrap-around services for over 89 clients so far this year, most of whom were Spanish-speaking survivors of domestic violence. In case management, they achieved goals related to gaining independence from their abusers, improving physical safety, and accessing community resources. In therapy, they often worked on goals related to processing trauma, improving self-esteem, and developing coping strategies for symptoms related to PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
Early Care and Education
As of November, the Early Care and Education team had provided over 270 training opportunities during 2021, with more happening throughout the month of December. Those 270 events impacted over 5,677 early educators, who teach and care for over 45,416 children. Additionally, we are completing the pilot phase of our ECE Hub rollout, which will streamline access to meet the needs of early educators across the metro who prepare children for success in kindergarten and beyond.
Early Childhood Mental Health
In 2021, the Early Childhood Mental Health team provided coaching, consultation, training, and support to over 650 teachers to build their capacity to promote strong social emotional development and good mental health for over 4,200 children across the metro area. During the pandemic, things like consistency in daily routines became even more key to fostering a sense of safety and predictability, which aids in children’s learning and development.
Head Start Kansas
The Head Start Kansas team supported 12 child care sites with personal protective equipment, additional cleaning supplies/services, and materials to promote health, wellness, and outdoor play during COVID-19, so they could serve 300 children and their families with holistic support.
Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids
In 2021, Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids served 104 adults and 152 children, providing diapers, baby wipes and laundry detergent to these families on a monthly basis. Families participated via Zoom, text messaging and email exchanges for parenting tips, resources and for developmentally-appropriate learning tools.
Home Based Head Start
We served over 100 Kansas City metro Missouri families with Head Start and Early Head Start services via Zoom. We were able to purchase tablets and provide internet service for our Head Start families who were enrolled in our program so they could continue to have access to the vital support of their home visitors safely.
Moving Beyond Depression
In 2021, MBD served over 191 moms experiencing depression – ensuring access to mental health services that otherwise may not be attainable due to barriers including cost, transportation, and child care. Additionally, MBD now provides services to 24 counties in Kansas and Missouri, including many rural communities with limited mental health resources.
Start Young
In 2021, Start Young provided 160 children in Wyandotte County with supplemental child care tuition scholarships that enabled them to access quality child care and their caregivers to enter into or remain in the workforce. Additionally, more than 110 teachers received salary supplements to recognize their educational achievements in the field of early childhood.