I have a sign on my door that outlines what I call The Mason Rule. It features a picture of my grandson Mason who is MY HEART. The sign states that if whatever you are putting in my inbox isn’t what you would do for Mason, or your own child or relative, then please come back to me with a better solution. These past few weeks have been full of conversations about what we as a country must do better. Those talks have been filled with tears, pain, lamenting, anger, and sorrow; and that is just in my own home. I know your homes are filled with the same emotions and conversations. Our streets and communities are filled with more pain than I can express, but I know we can, and must do better. We will collectively do it on behalf of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and every martyr who has struggled and died for equality, and every child in our community.
However, I want to focus on your well-being. That includes your psychological and physical safety. We are grappling with the tragedies of seeing African-Americans face horrific acts of injustice; dealing with the emotions of family members in law enforcement; the economy crashing; mass unemployment; the fear of Coronavirus; and the loss of loved ones. This may have you grieving, feeling hopeless, angry, or unsafe or everything all at once. Please take time to talk through your feelings with someone you trust and remember your own mental health during these crises. Then, make sure to check on your loved ones. Knowing someone cares about how all of this is impacting them could offer them the hope many of us are seeking ourselves.
We know that there may be tough conversations ahead with your children over the images/videos they are seeing on TV and social media, and we want to support you. We’ve added a parenting resource to this month’s courier that offers guidelines for talking about these complex issues of racism and equity in age appropriate ways. These are difficult conversations that may be uncomfortable and require you to adapt, but nonetheless they are important and will make a difference for generations ahead.
At the end of the day we are all from different places, all represent different races, ethnicities, and creeds, and yet we have all found our way to help make a difference by keeping kids safe and helping families get stronger. Thank you immensely for the resilience and the bravery you continue to show every day by caring for our children. Stay safe and well.
Get "Back to Basics" at the 9th Annual Back to School event hosted by Square Salon and the CASA Foundation on Sunday, Aug. 9 at Peggy's Attic. This year's event will be drive-thru only, and donations will be limited to backpacks filled with school supplies. Please register for a 30 minute interval for pick up. Donations will be limited to DFS children. Click HERE to sign up.
CCSD has provided the community with its proposed Reopening Plan. It is located HERE. The plan will be voted on July 9th. Parents who would like to share feedback on the plan and how it affects their children/family can email the Board of Trustees at boardmtgcomments@nv.ccsd.net or email the all the Trustees or the Trustee over their neighborhood at ccsd.net/trustees/contact/all.
CONGRATS TO THE DFS GRADUATES!
With graduation season coming to a close, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate our graduates one more time. This year we had 75 foster kids graduate from high schools across the valley. We gifted the kids with graduation gift bags and donations of essential goods. You can read the full story from the Review Journal HERE. Congrats to our grads!
Jaden Hines
Joselyn Smith
Summer Camp Scholarships
This summer, Economic Opportunity Board of Clark County (EOB) will offer a limited number of scholarships for summer camp to eligible households. Recipients must have a registration on file with your Summer Camp Program and will be enrolled into the Economic Opportunity Boards Family Supportive Services program. For details, click HERE.
Please feel free to contact Tamara Collins should you have any questions via email at tcollinsgolden@eobcapsnv.org or by phone at 702.445.7105.
Clark County Water Parks Open
Clark County Parks & Recreation will begin opening a limited number of pools on Monday, June 29, for open swim starting with the outdoor water parks at Desert Breeze and Hollywood recreation centers.
Due to health and safety guidelines to limit the spread of COVID-19, visitor capacity will be 50 people at each pool and reservations will be required for each session. Face coverings and social distancing measures also will be required. For more information or to make a reservation, click HERE.
Emotional Support Groups
Are you struggling during this COVID-19 quarantine with isolation or anxiety? Canyon Ridge Church is hosting emotional support groups for those struggling. Join their team of care professionals for a couple of hours a week to connect and get resources to deal with anxiety, depression, anger or stress. Click HERE for more information.
DFS Participant Drive-Thru
Last month, Family Services hosted a participant guide drive thru event! Thank you to all the future foster caregivers who drove through to pick up their training guides.
A Guide for Caregivers to Prevent Child Trafficking
Summer Educational Information and Resources for Families Summer is here and it offers plenty of time and opportunities for students to keep learning in fun and engaging ways. Also there are important happenings occurring to plan for the upcoming school year. Click HERE for some resources and important information on educational happenings to help you get ready for school.
The Nevada Department of Education (NDOE), Nevada State Library, Archives and Public Records (NSLA), along with Renaissance are partnering to support reading for all students by providing access to myON digital literacy resources for grades PK-12 at no cost to students.Students will have unlimited, 24/7 access to thousands of enhanced digital titles (fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, and more) at a wide range of reading levels. The myON library and login can be found at myon.com. Student accounts were set up prior to the start of the summer for students who are not already on the platform. If you have questions about your child’s myON account or would like login information for your child, please call 702-799-5119.
Foster One, Recruit One will return next month, virtually! Stay tuned to next month's caregiver courier to learn how to host a virtual foster parent event to earn a gift card!
Foster Care
Information Sessions
Tuesday virtual foster care information sessions have moved to 6 p.m. If you know anyone interested in learning more about foster care, visit countmein.vegas
Various trainings are offered in the community to help enhance caregivers' capacity to parent. Please click on the links below to learn more about exciting training opportunities from which you can benefit.
