November 8, 2023 The Need for Extended Family in Every Community
“One in every 28 children in the U.S. has a parent behind bars, up from one in 125 just 25 years ago.” Collateral Costs [Pew Charitable Trust report]. Numerous studies have been conducted to measure the impact incarceration has on children and the results are bleak. “School-age children of incarcerated parents exhibit school-related problems with […]
November 1, 2023 Extended Leadership Academy Motto “Lead Yourself”
Extended Family staff and volunteers work hard every week to inspire our Extended Leadership Academy (ELA) students, but so often our amazing students inspire us! ELA is unique in that we begin each series by asking Our Kids about the qualities of their dream jobs. Of course, money is a popular answer, but we also […]
October 25, 2023 Become Involved with an Extended Family Group Near You!
Extended Family is currently seeking adult volunteers to work with Our Kids in Extended Family for Kids (EFK) and Extended Leadership Academy (ELA) groups! Volunteers assist in two important ways: EFK volunteers work with staff Program Leaders to lead groups in schools and juvenile diversion programs for students who have a loved one who is […]
October 18, 2023 Extended Family Partners with Etowah County School Counselors/Staff to Bring Extended Family for Kids to Students
Training to become an Extended Family for Kids (EFK) Program Leader is fast and simple. It only takes one day to become fully trained to lead EFK groups in your community! Training provides participants with the EFK Curriculum Guide, which includes a complete set of handouts and step-by-step instructions on how to lead the Lessons. […]
October 11, 2023 Extended Family Helps Make “Going Home” a Smooth Transition for Returning Citizens
Extended Family Founder and Executive Director Laure Clemons and her husband Jerry have led the Going Home Workshop for more than 1,700 incarcerated individuals who were ready to be released from prison. This workshop is designed to help families and returning citizens through the transition of reentry, so that the process of “going home” runs […]
October 4, 2023 Extended Family Completes Annual School Safety Training
Extended Family recently updated our School Safety Training and learned the latest techniques for keeping Our Kids safe during any type of violent critical incident. The training is based on the ALICE approach to responding to any event where a person attempts to harm innocent people by any means, regardless of the motive. ALICE is […]
September 27, 2023 Extended Family Works with Exchange Club CAP Center to Bring Extended Family for Kids Programs to Children in Birmingham
For Extended Family to be able to fulfil our mission, “To offer help and inspire hope,” in every community for every child who needs it, we provide Extended Family for Kids (EFK) Program Leader Training across the nation. By doing this, we establish partnerships with adults who work with children including school counselors, teachers, school […]
September 20, 2023 2022-23 Impact Surveys Measure the Success of Extended Family Programs
Extended Family staff led Extended Family for Kids (EFK) and Extended Leadership Academy (ELA) in four counties for more than 400 students in kindergarten through 12th grades during the 2022-2023 school year. We have several tools for measuring the impact of our programs on the children we serve, including collecting feedback forms from Our Kids at […]
September 13, 2023 Extended Family has Three Goals for our Programs
Extended Family offers two programs for children in Kindergarten through 12th grades. Extended Family for Kids (EFK) and Extended Leadership Academy (ELA). EFK is an evidence-based, 9-lesson Curriculum for students of all ages and teaches them how to cope with the daily stresses of having a family member incarcerated, make plans for their future, and make […]
September 6, 2023 The Need for Extended Family Programs in Every Community in the Nation
People who work with school-aged children quickly discover that very young people are dealing with some very grown-up problems. The statistics are staggering – close to six million US children have experienced losing a parent to incarceration at some point in their lives, as reported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a figure which […]