Extended Family has a goal to take our two programs for children – Extended Family for Kids (EFK) and Extended Leadership Academy (ELA) – to every child who needs it – in our community and in every community across the nation. We are doing this by training Program Leaders to help make a difference in the lives of children dealing with the struggles of having a loved one incarcerated.
We recently completed a Program Leader training for 12 DeKalb County School Resource Officers who are now prepared to lead EFK groups in the DeKalb County school system. This project was supported by Subgrant #2023-DJ-02-254 awarded by the Law Enforcement/Traffic Safety Division of ADECA and the U.S. Department of Justice, and the remaining training fees were paid by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office. We are grateful to ADECA and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office for recognizing that EFK Program Leader Training is an important tool for SROs!
Ater each training, EFK Program Leader participants complete a survey and answer the question, “What was one thing that stood out for you in this workshop?” These newest Program Leaders are excited about taking EFK back into the schools in their communities, and, as one new Program Leader answered in their survey, “Developing a program that allows students to identify, acknowledge and improve coping skills for this time in their lives.” That response epitomizes what Extended Family programs are designed to do for Our Kids!
Every community shares this common problem – the effects of having an incarcerated loved one, oftentimes a parent, on Our Kids. Extended Family offers a solution. If your organization is interested in learning more about EFK Program Leader Training in your community, contact us today at 256-927-3038 or 256-927-7997. Together, we are changing lives, one child at a time.
