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 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 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 […]