A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Ohio Parent Information Center
Lighthouse Youth Services, Inc.

The Ohio Parent Information Center (OPIRC) is a collaborative project between Lighthouse Youth Services, Inc. and The Children's Home of Cincinnati, both long-established organizations that offer a continuum of care to troubled youth. Based in Cincinnati, the OPIRC is connecting organizations across the state to cooperate to increase parents' knowledge of and confidence in child-rearing activities such as teaching and nurturing their young children. The Center is also conducting a local demonstration project offering educationally focused activities where new strategies can be field tested for eventual statewide application. The Center is creating the following services:

1. Statewide Parent Assistance Network and Training Institute
   The OPIRC serves the entire state of Ohio through its information and training activities. Its Parent Assistance Network serves professionals who work with parents of children ages 0-18. The network provides information and support through twice yearly seminars, one focused on early childhood issues and the other on issues of school-aged children. Training, information, and support is also provided to parents who reside in communities that are developing or implementing comprehensive education reform plans in which family involvement is an integral strategy.

2. Parents as Teachers
   The Children's Home currently provides a Parents as Teachers (PAT) program in Madisonville. Through this grant it is expanding the age range of children served from 0-3 to ages 0-5. PAT is also being expanded to serve Clement and Brown Counties and the areas of Hamilton County not already served. Through the program, parents receive home visits from specially trained parent educators who strengthen the importance of the parent's role in child rearing and guidance.

3. Neighborhood Respite Care Network
   Informal support networks for parents are being created in areas with a concentration of six or more family program participants. These Neighborhood Respite Care Networks help parents who have children ages 0-12 by providing short-term (up to 12 hours) respite care within the child's neighborhood environment.

4. Parent & Child Support and Counseling
   Parents can find support in a variety of ways through the OPIRC. A range of Parent Support Groups, beginning with the parents of newborns, provide opportunities for parents and professionals to gain information about child rearing, resources and services, and to get support about parenting. Counseling services to children and their families is provided when children experience social, emotional, and/or behavioral problems. Counseling is also aimed at improving the educational performance and attainment for children and their parents who may have educational deficits.

5. Educational Services
   Educational services are provided to children in grades K-12 who are being served in regular or special education classes. An Educational Specialist works with families to provide an educational assessment, develop an individual educational plan (IEP), provide tutoring, help develop social skills, and assess progress. Parents can also increase their knowledge through a monthly Parent Lecture Series on child development and education topics.

Collaborators:

• Lighthouse Youth Services, Inc.
• The Children's Home of Cincinnati, Ohio, Inc.

Director:
Elizabeth Yaryan
Ohio Parent Information & Resource Center
Lighthouse Youth Services, Inc.
4837 Ward Street
Cincinnati, OH 45227
Telephone: (513) 272-0273
Fax: (513) 272-0284
Award: $388,621
Affiliation: PAT

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