Family Development

 The Family Development Team at the Economic Opportunity Program operates several programs that present opportunities for volunteers to work with a diverse population including: teen and adult learners, families with a developmentally disabled member, pregnant and parenting teens, and peer mentors in an educational, research or informational setting. A description of each program within the Family Development Component of the Economic Opportunity Program, Inc. follows below. 

 Next Step/TASA

Next Step began in March, 1986 as one of the first outreach intensive case management programs dedicated to working with pregnant and parenting teens in Chemung and Schuyler Counties.  As a result of the Teenage Services Act (TASA) passed in 1984, every county in New York State should have a case management program to work with the pregnant and parenting teen population.

As a result of Next Step's dedicated effort, the program has grown to include community partnerships focusing on primary prevention and intensive strategies for enhancing self-sufficiency with young families served. 

This program works with pregnant and parenting teens that are Medicaid eligible and under 21. The participants in this program are served by Case Managers who assist them in:

¨         Daily living skills

¨         Educational and career opportunities

¨         Medical and legal issues concerned with pregnancy

¨         Coordination of services with other agencies

¨         Provide on-going support

Next Step Participant Bill of Rights

At Next Step, each participant has the right to:

¨         Be approached in a caring and non-judgmental manner.

¨         Be treated with dignity and respect and regarded as worthy and valued.

¨         Feel understood and listened to.

¨         Expect an appreciation of differences without judgment.

¨         Be assured of absolute confidentiality.

¨         Decline enrollment with the Next Step program.

¨         Be assured that declining enrollment will not affect eligibility for public assistance or any other available service.

¨         Be informed of all other services available.

¨         Request services be ended at any time during program enrollment.

¨         Expect regular monthly contact from NEXT Step staff, or more often as needed.

¨         Have choices and make decisions with information and support.

The major goal of this Program is to work with and support teen parent families to become independent, economically self-sufficient and to achieve family life stability.

This case management service is available to male and female teens, under 21 years of age who are expecting or have a child.  In addition, in Schuyler County the Program also serves youth at-risk under 21 years of age.  In both Counties, teens must be either Medicaid eligible directly or have a child who is Medicaid eligible. This Program serves all program participants up to age 21 years of age.

Highlights of this service include:

·         Voluntary enrollment into the program on an outreach basis.

·         Comprehensive needs assessment.

·         Information and referrals provided for needed services.

·         Frequent contacts with other services involved to coordinate service plans and delivery efforts.

·         Short and long-range goal planning with an emphasis on career oriented education and training, employment, family planning, primary health care and child care. Revisions made as necessary.

·         Continuous counseling,  on-going follow-up and support.

·         Facilitate transportation to and from services on an as needed basis and in conjunction with meeting planned goals.

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Chemung County Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program  (CAP)

Next Step is a participating member of CAP – a community partnership dedicated to reducing the incidence of teen pregnancy in Chemung County.  The coalition members work together to develop projects and activities aimed at giving youth positive messages about their own value and providing experiences to develop self-confidence in their abilities to make healthy choices in their lives. 

Other partnership members include: AOMC Health Center for Women, Chemung County Health Department, Elmira City School District, SCT BOCES, Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes, YMCA, and the Southern Tier Interfaith Coalition.

There are several service components to this comprehensive service effort.  At Next Step, the Program Coordinator facilitates partnership planning and program monitoring.  In addition, Next Step sponsors two prevention education programs as described below.

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Teen Parent Panel

The Teen Parent Panel is made up of Next Step Program participants who volunteer to share their experiences as young parents.  They provide presentations to middle and high school students as well as participants in community based organizations.

The Panelists portray an honest and realistic picture of what it is like to parent at such a young age.  They talk about financial issues, single parenthood, lack of privacy and loss of freedom as well as the effects that parenthood has had on their education and plans for the future.

The panel members encourage young people to delay sexual activity until they are much older and ready to accept the responsibility that parenthood brings.  They also dispel myths about sex and birth control.

Members of the Teen Parent Panel also benefit from participating in the group.  They gain skills in public speaking, build self-confidence and take pride in the positive contribution that they are making in the community.

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Pro Literacy/Literacy Volunteers 

Literacy Volunteers provides one-to-one, confidential tutoring, free of charge, to adults who want to improve their Basic Literacy or English as a Second Language skills.  Volunteers are carefully selected, trained in proven adult tutoring techniques in a 21- hour tutor- training workshop, and then matched with adult learners.  No special background, other than a high school diploma, is needed to tutor, and volunteers are asked to make a commitment to complete training and then tutor at least 2 hours each week for the year.

Volunteers with Literacy Volunteers might find themselves:

·        Interacting and tutoring one-on-one with adult learners in reading and other literacy activities.

·        Attending literacy trainings

·        Assisting with clerical and office activities at the LVA office site under the direction of the Literacy Coordinator.

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OMRDD/Family Support

 OMRDD Family Support Program works with families with developmentally disabled children or family members.  This program has 3 components:  Services Access which helps families who are not service connected find an appropriate case management program; Recreation which helps developmentally disabled children and their families find stimulating and fun recreational activities; and Family Reimbursement, a program to help families with the cost of adaptive equipment and other needs required by families.

Volunteers in Family Support might find themselves:

·        Assisting families with small errands outside the home

·        Interacting with other agencies in facilitating needs of the family in recreation or family reimbursement programs.

·        Creating calendars, document templates, schedules and newsletters to be distributed to families.

·        Implementing and mentoring recreational activities @ the Ernie Davis Community Center

·        Developing a WEBSITE for the OMRDD program at E.O.P.

·        Implementing diversity in art integrations with developmentally disabled children and adult

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Family Development/Family Literacy

The Family Development Program offers information, referral and support for parents without a GED or high school diploma and who have children under the age of 16 and who are income eligible to set and reach goals in education, employment and increased parenting skills.

Volunteers with The Family Development Program might find themselves:

·        Researching age appropriate activities for Family Educators to present to parents to use with their children

·        Gathering educational materials for distribution to families to be used in teaching their children basic education skills

·        Creating games and learning tools to assist Home-based educator in teaching GED subjects

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