Advocate for abused/neglected children in Lamar, Red River and Delta Counties of Texas https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/proposals-2018/advocate-for-abused-neglected-children-in-lamar-red-river-and-delta-counties-of-texas-1 https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/@@site-logo/sitelogo-75x75.png

Advocate for abused/neglected children in Lamar, Red River and Delta Counties of Texas

Additional Information
Used for	North East Texas needs Free Parenting Classes for our at risk parents and for the judges to send needy persons to. Our Court Appointed Special Advocates explore resources for families to become better parents and also need classes for them to attend. The classes are a way for parents to prove they are trying to learn more skills and to "fix" the broken home situations.
Benefits	Our community will benefit by having educated the parents of abused and neglected childen to the correct way of dicipline and parenting. Our children will benefit by having parents who are trying to change the ways they have failed in their parenting and giving parents the confidence of the right way to parent children. Our agaency benefits by having a way to start good conversations with parents who sometimes do not realize what damage a childs ego, body, mind can recieve from neglect and abuse.
Proposal Description	We will set up classes that are six weeks long, one hour a week sessions, and there will be pre and post tests for participating parents. We will track the families, provide books and specilized age approprate classes as needed. We hope to serve 70 to 80 families annually. Our classes use videos, practice in class, handouts, homework and we reward with certificates of success. We employ two teachers, furnish a home like setting and offer schools our curriculum and as needed-- our teachers. There are two follow up visits for families who are successful and who qualify. Our specially trained CASA Advocates are also used for followup and are involved with the classes with the clients. Mentoring families who are at risk for their children being removed by the state and placed in foster care is our main concern. We save hundreds of thousands of tax payer dollars if we are able to keep these children at home and not send them through the "system." Help us train as many parents as possible in the next year and make a difference in our community, our families and in our state.