1. Wendy’s contact info.
• whamner@utah.gov 801 281 5013

2. Procedures for case assignment.
• Wendy will be receiving requests.
• She will match peer parent when a match exists.
• She will send out cases for assignment lists
• Cases are assigned according to match to family, relative age of parent and lastly who volunteers first.

3. Procedures for billing
• Original copies of 520s and mileage need to be to Wendy by the 10th of the month (remember she is doing at least two people’s job so the sooner you turn in the paper work the better).
• Email her the billing cover sheet and monthly summaries before the 10th as well.

4. Procedures for checking out Resources
• There are now two Roledexes .
• One for resources
• One with a card for each Peer parent.
• For check out items move the items card to behind your name.
• On that card put your name, families names, and date.
• Move it back when you check it in.
• For consumable items, fill out blank card as above including items took.
• And put it behind your name
• E mail Wendy Resources checked or taken out.

What a great time I had at the appreciation clebration!
Notice that there has been a change in when the inservice will be this month. I really wanted to have one more inservice before I go on the long leave. Most of you have already met Wendy and this will be another chance to. In the next week, I will be posting and e mailing about any changes that will result.
If you have specific concerns let me know so that I can attempt to address it before I go out.

So much news!

I'm sure I'll forget something. ....
Notice that our inservice in September will be an Appreciation of YOU.
I'm planning fun things (I hope) so please come and be appreciated! I will need a count so be sure and RSVP!
As I often many many reports everyday I get concerned that any one email may be a READ NOW sort of deal....so.... if your email has important immediate information you need me to see;
In the subject line please put READ and the case involved. That way I will have some idea of priority. Thanks . For other emails continue to put case name and type of report( session, billing, initial, etc)

There are many new things in the resource room but let me introduce two important ones here;

• We have a new DVD and hand out on "Purple Crying" - it is about that unconsoluable crying that most babies do at some point between birth and 9 months. It is a must see for all new parents in our program!
• We have new information about emergency planning inregards to disasters. They are nice booklets and some supplementary info. Besure and pick one up for the families you are working with. I can get more when we run out.

I am including these in the pockets of the Step Book Notebooks.

For all new (or semi new) peer parents. I have available some lesson plans that were put together by Linda Cannon. Come by and pick up a copy.

Welcome the New Peer Parents

Join me in welcoming

the newest additions to

our peer parenting group.
Ann Foulger
Sean and Lizzie Guy
Eldie Howick
Manual Carver
Heather May
Kathy Murnin
Gretchen Ryan
Nina Tigner.
I hope you will get to

know each new peer parent

in fall inservices and

during shadowing opportunities.

Take to the Water

Any where on earth

there is water there is life.

and in the summer

there is nothing better

than doing a canon ball

into a big pool of it.

But even of you can't get to a pool, please find every opportunity

to make it part of your children's day. I will be posting a list of pools

in the side bar.But pools are just a part of it.

First make sure all children get plenty of plain ole water to drink. It is free (really in this country you don't need to buy drinking water. It is safe out of the tap.) Start early giving your baby water so they don't grow up thinking that something has to taste sweet to be a good drink. Drinking lots of just plain water is one of the simplest things one can do to ensure good health.

Water experiences every child should have;

Playing in the sprinkler,

Playing in a warm summer rain

Playing a fountain (Is the one at Liberty park open?)

Painting with water on the sidewalk or the a fence.

Making lakes and dams in a big mud puddle. (Getting mud-dirty is a great thing. It is a good things kids are washable huh.)

Playing with big blocks of ice outside until it is just a puddle. (Fill clean gallon milk jugs and big balloons with water and put them in the freezer. The more the better.)

Water balloons and water guns.

Growing beans in two cups. Water one and not the other.

Water calms down over excited children. Playing in water increases the appetite. Try giving the picky kid dread vegetables after he has been swimming and he is more likely to gobble them up.

It is a wonderful opportunity to introduce science to young children.

Where did that water we painted on the sidewalk go...

Water gets hard when it is cold, Ice.

It becomes a puddle when it neither hot or cold.

It disappears into the air as a gas becomes hot.

Then it becomes a cloud as it get cooler in the air, clouds. "hey that one looks like a bunny".

When it gets cool enough to turn back into water it falls back into the puddles as rain.

What a wondrous thing is water.

There is plenty more and if you e-mail me ideas I will post them here.

I especially would love to know if there are any free swimming pools in the valley.

Because of the number of people going on vacation In-Services will be suspended for the rest of the summer. They will begin again on September with a Peer Parent Appreciation.

So it has been decided.

We will be discussing

Discipline

at our In-Service

tomorrow night

June 23 6:30 to 8:30

Pot Luck as usual.

Can't wait to see you there!

If you haven't sent in your 520 (and you know who you are) send it in as soon as possible. It is crucial here at the end of the year to have a good accounting of what is left in our budget.
Note I have added the new Peer Parent Handbook to the available forms on this blog. It has beginning and ending case paperwork.
However do use the Monthly Billing Revised with Summary that is next on the list rather than the forms in the hand book.
There are hard copies of the handbook available at my office.

Farmers Markets are opening

all around the valley this weekend.

The People's Market opens Sunday 10 to 3.

It is located at the International Peace Gardens

off 9th West between 9th and 10th south.

This is a smaller farmer market

so easier to find parking and much less expensive produce.

Plus they not only take food stamps but match them dollar for dollar

so that can really stretch those food budgets in a very healthy way!

(In full disclosure, you might even see me there as I have a booth for my art sometimes.)

First I want to express how proud i am to be working with such a talented group as I do.
I just waded through a stack of evaluations and Case
Workers are very happy!
They do like the newest session report form so if you arn't using it yet it is just to the right on this blog.

Now for a new challenge;

For the next month see

if you can ban the words

'good', 'great', and 'nice'

from your reports.

Of course these are fine words and encouraging but they don't tell the case worker much. Describe what it is you see that make you feel like she is a good, great or nice mother.
"Madonna gets down on the floor and speaks to Lourdes in a gentle voice. "
" Cher attended to Charity's need for a new diaper without being reminded"
" Tom was playing ball with Suri when I arrived."

You guys mostly do this anyway but sometimes squeshy words, like 'good' and such, that mean different things to different people, sneak in.

Don't forget to make an appointment with me for a 'review' this month. I can come to you or we can do lunch. I promise it will be painless.

Thank you to Wendy Cole for the interesting discussion and clarifications concerning reporting abuse.

The fiscal year ends June 30

So there are a few housekeeping chores;

1. All billing must be in by July 10th. Late billing requires a handwritten check and more paperwork than either you or I want to deal with. I can not guarantee timely payment (this decade) for billing turned in after July 10th.

2. I will be renewing everyone's certification every June rather than through out the year on your aniversary. (Only on your first year will you have to do this twice) Please be prepared to make an appointment with me in June to sign the paperwork.

2. This will also give us the oportunity to touch base, review skills and training needs, evaluations, and discuss goals for the coming year.

3. If there is a game, books or project supplies you would like to see in the resource center, this would be the time to request them.

4. Please let me know if you are taking extended vacations or would like to change the number of cases you can take during the summer.

Important In-service

This Thursday

Reporting Child Abuse

Speaker - Wendy Cole

What to look for.

Your legal obligations.

Best Practices

6:30 to 8:30

Pot luck as usual.

Fun New Stuff in the Resource Room!!

Talking Stick kits

Heart boxes

full of questions

so you have something

to talk about.

Sand Box with

different colors of sand.

New Games

Lots of books

both for check out

and to give to children!

Free Mothers day activities. Please add your own in the comments!

Mother's Day Garden Fair
May 08 - May 08
West Jordan
Join us for our annual Mother's Day Garden Fair. There will be plant and garden-ware vendors, experts, workshops and mini-classes throughout the day. This is also an excellent opportunity to get that last-minute gift for mom! Admission and parking are free.Contact: Clifton SmithPhone: 801-565-4300Event Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.Location: Conservation Garden ParkAddress: 8215 S. 1300 W., West JordanWeb Site: www.conservationgardenpark.org

Mother's Day Jewelry Show
May 09 - May 09
Salt Lake City
Looking for a special gift idea for Mom this Mother's Day? Bring her to Red Butte Garden to spend some quality time strolling through the Garden during one of the most beautiful months of the year. After your walk, surprise her by letting her pick out her own gift at our Mother's Day Jewelry Show.Phone: 801-585-6491Event Hours: Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.Admission: Free AdmissionLocation: Red Butte Garden and ArboretumAddress: 300 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City

Temple Square features world-renowned gardens that include 250 flowerbeds, more than 165,000 bedding plants, and over 700 varieties of plants from all over the world.
Free Temple Square garden tours start second week of April and go through the end of September.
Lakeshore Learning Store
5480 South 900 East
Salt Lake City, UT
801.268.2224
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com
Ages: 2-10
Time: 11am-3pm
Cost: Free


Kids can stop by Lakeshore Learning Store to craft a Mother's Day flower bouquet, cards, and jewelry for their moms. If you think you'll be doing some shopping while your kid is crafting away, be sure to visit the website to print out a coupon for up to $15 off store purchases.


Salt Lake Art Center
20 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT
801.328.4201
http://www.slartcenter.org
Ages: 3-14
Time: 2pm-4pm
Cost: Free
description:
Families can drop-in at the Salt Lake Art Center on the second Saturday of each month for free art activities designed to engage families with artists and current exhibitions. This month, kids can check out the paintings of gulls in the Jamie Wyeth: Seven Deadly Sins exhibit, and then use combined media to make 3-D seagull sculptures of their own. Space is limited; participation is on a first come, first served basis. The center also offers kids' tours of the museum upon request.

It Is May!
Spring is here despite the occasional snow flurry.
A few things to note.
I have combined the billing sheet and monthly summary into one form that is alittle more abreviated than the others.
Of course I accept old form but hope you find the new one more manageable.
Do remember to turn in your billing before the tenth of the month. This is especially important at the end of the fiscal year June).

April 30th is Zap day at Red Butte Gardens.

Trees are Terrific… and Energy Wise!

There’s no better place than Red Butte Garden to celebrate Arbor Day!

As Utah’s very own Arboretum, we can't wait to share with you

the wonderful world of trees.

Join us for a fun day of activities and

interactive Exploration Stations throughout the Garden.

All participants leave with a tree to take home!

FREE DAY

Arbor Day is a free admission day

thanks to Salt Lake County Voters & Zoo, Arts, and Parks.

"Talking like the rain"

That's an african expression for poetry.

"How do you like to go up in a swing,

Up in the air so blue.

Oh I do think it is the pleasantest thing,

Ever a child can do!"

Available right now in the resource room

are a limited number of children's poem books

to provide as gifts for children

who otherwise would not be exposed to these gems.

I have fond memories of listening to my mother read from

'A Child's Garden of Verse"

by Robert Louis Stevenson.

And my sister and I can still recite together

all the words to "Jabborwocky" and the " Raggedy Man".

We have four copies each of "A Child's Garden of Verse", "Favorite Poems of Childhood" and two copies of " How to Eat a Poem".

.

Doesn't time seem to move faster in the spring.

It is already time for the

April in-service this Wednesday.

We will be sharing info on "Daily Responsibilities."

As always it will be 6:30 to 8

Pot luck

Thank you to Mary, Janette and Mary Ellen for joining me at the March in-service. It was a small group but we had fun and learned some new activities even though the electricity was out for the first 30 minutes or so.

Our next in-service will be on April 21 and we will be sharing extra info, activities, and hand outs on Daily Responsibilities.

As I watch the snow falling and laying a thick white blanket on the buds on the tree out my window, I am reminded of how 'bi-polar' weather can be this time of year.

I always appreciated what Kurt Vonnegut said about weather " Either revel in it or ignore it because you can't change it."

A prefect attitude to teach children about accepting what we can't change.

Also paradoxically a lesson for April's Earth Day about understanding global effects on private actions.

My goal for next week is to master adding things to this site so that you will have access to the newsletter and brochures from here. Until I will continue to email.

Now let me see if I can remove last weeks polls. LOL

Happy Saint Patty's Day

Hope you are all having fun wearing green and that the only thing caught in your leperchaun traps are rainbows and candy bars.
Sorry I haven't been able to get everything on this site I have wanted. It continues to be a work in progress
I have been experiencing 'technical difficulties". In other words my computer and I are barely speaking. (I would get a divorce from it but I'm afraid, I would lose everything!)

Inservice will be next week, Thursday March 25, .

We will continue to share about

communication and language development.

I think we should not try to do more

than one skill per Inservice

so that we can cover more.

Would love your feed back!

Pot Luck as usual!

So here goes with my first blog...

Spring is in the air. the tree outside my office window is covered with slightly open buds and the mountains are covered with snow. I look forwrd to watching the daffidils popping up anyday now.

This space will take the place of the peer parent page.

We will have anouncements and I will make avaiable forms and documents.

Some are already here.

You will be able to access the brochures.

I hope to also include extra handouts from our training.

Let me know your ideas and this space will really ROCK!

Welcome to Our Page!

Welcome to the Salt Lake Region Peer Parenting Program's very own website!! This site is meant to be used as a reference for all of the peer parents in our region. This site will always contain links to all of the peer parenting forms and documents (found in the right margin), as well as program updates and announcements. Make sure to bookmark this site and check it often for new information.

This site will also contain resources that you can use to supplement teaching from the STEPS books. If you have any resources or information you would like posted, please email it to me.