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4.5 4.45 4.4 4.35 4.3 4.25 4.2 4.15 4.44 4.43 Top 5 Survey Preferences 4.32 Improved Parent Literacy ClassesParent Skill Teacher Classes Communication Preference Community Focus Group Themes 4.27 4.26 Summer Pre- Free Classes Kindergarten (Nutrition, Activity) The Commission held six focus groups organized in conjunction with its School Readiness re-application process. From these focus groups, several common themes emerged as people spoke about the issues facing children and families in the county. Parent Education The most common theme expressed in all of the groups was the need to address parent education. There were many variations of <strong>this</strong> one theme but overall, the direction was very clear. The following topics were variations upon that theme. • Nutrition: The need to address poor diet habits, increasing dental problems among young children and childhood obesity all pointed towards the area of nutrition education for parents and care providers. Many were concerned about young children being given soda and sugary juices in baby bottles. Focus Group Theme: Parent Education Nutrition Child Development Skill Development Low Literacy Among Parents Positive Discipline Family Communication • Child Development: There was also significant interest in the area of child development. Parents and service providers thought there should be more information and resources out in the community about normal child development patterns and advice and techniques for parents to know more about their child’s needs at any given period in the development process. • Improved Parenting Skills: There were multiple suggestions for skill development including appropriate discipline, taking instruction from adults, recognizing authority figures, becoming more involved with the child’s school, learning how to involve fathers in raising children and learning how to read to the children and guidance about appropriate decisions around television and video games. There were also suggestions about providing parents more opportunities to network together. In general there was recognition that <strong>this</strong> is a generational problem in that many parents have not been taught the basics of child rearing nor have they had good role models. • Skill development: The need to help children develop more cognitive and language skills was an emphasis in many of the focus groups. Many parents were interested in having their children learn more of these basics prior to attending preschool. • Low Literacy Levels Among Parents: The level of literacy among some of the parents was a concern, particularly for the educators and service providers. A small percentage of the parents are not literate in their native languages. This creates a challenge when it comes to preparing your children for school, reading important information from the school and developing fluency in English. • Positive Discipline: There were concerns expressed both by parents, educators and service providers about the need to provide some instruction on parenting techniques to learn more appropriate and effective ways to discipline their children.
• Family Communications: The participants noted a general decline in the quality of communication in families. Language: As part of the effort to include community members in the data collection process, three focus groups were conducted in alternate languages; Spanish (2) and Punjabi (1). The topics of language and language gaps were universally addressed in all of the focus groups. Focus Group Theme: Language Awareness and Understanding Willingness to Learn Learning Delays • Awareness and Understanding: In particular, there was a general need cited that parents need to know “what is going on”. Some made mention of the fact that many parents who did not read English often had to find a friend to interpret the (daily to weekly) messages from school. Many of the parents expressed their appreciation for the efforts to provide native-language translation for the important documents or the provision of bi-lingual staffing. They also indicated that bi-lingual staff made them feel more comfortable and more welcomed. • Willingness to Learn: Many of the parents expressed their willingness to have their children learn English. Many parents also indicated a willingness to learn as well, especially when it came to the safety and well-being of their children. • Learning Delays: The educators and service providers articulated the need for additional work to offset the limits of parents who may not speak English or may have additional literacy challenges as these factors can slow the development of young children and delay their readiness for school. General Issues for Families: There were several themes that did not rise to the level of a category but stood out as significant topics. • Navigating the System was a common theme in all of the focus groups. There were general concerns about the ability of people to get services and resources and know how to effectively access the resources available for their children. Making connections with the school personnel and other parents were also key strategies that parents use to keep up with current information. Focus Group Theme: General Issues for Families Navigating the System Childcare Issues Behavioral Issues Transportation and Access Safety and Security Media Influence Workplace Issues • Childcare Issues: The data indicates that many parents are now working parents. These individuals and families, now absent from their homes, have to make arrangements for the care of their children to the best of their ability. The quality of that care was the major concern in many of the focus groups. The participants in the childcare group suggested a variety of interventions to provide information and training on child development, particularly addressing “mediocre” providers. As far as family care, there were additional concerns expressed (in all of the groups) that the people providing the care for the young children needed to get the information directly, including grandparents, aunts and siblings. One example given was that many elders use the television to calm the children down. • Behavioral Issues: There were two themes concerning the behaviors of
Page 1 and 2: Strategic Plan DRAFT 2007-2010
Page 3 and 4: The Sutter County Children and Fami
Page 5 and 6: BACKGROUND In November of 1998, Cal
Page 7 and 8: COMMUNITY PROFILE The Sutter County
Page 9: much lower than that of the total p
Page 13 and 14: GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Goal Improved
Page 15 and 16: Healthy Children and Families Goals
Page 17 and 18: CURRENT FUNDED PROGRAMS The Sutter
Page 19 and 20: EVALUATION DESIGN The Sutter County
Page 21: END NOTES i California Dept. of Fin

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