Tioga County programs support families 

Tioga County programs support families Pictured, is Jackie Spencer, Family Development Program Education Leader at Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE-Tioga), standing inside a room at the Family Resource Center of Owego. Tioga County offers multiple programs that aid in supporting and strengthening the family unit. Community members interested in the well being of children and families in Tioga County are invited to attend the next Tioga Strong Families Coalition meeting on Wednesday, July 24, starting at 6 p.m. in the CCE Conference Room at 56 Main St. in Owego. For information, contact Jackie Spencer at (607) 687-4020 or email jds77@cornell.edu. (Photo by JoAnn R. Walter)

Parenting is hard work. The challenges can be complex and exhausting. Tioga County, New York offers multiple programs that aid in supporting and strengthening the family unit. For ongoing, one-on-one support in the county, resources are available close to home, and just a phone call away.   

Whether it be learning about child development, breastfeeding, balancing work and family, or coping with children’s stages and behaviors, just to name a few, families in Tioga County can reach out to professionals for support.

Lizz Lynch, Lourdes HFNY Tioga PACT supervisor (Healthy Families New York/Parents and Children Together), remarked, “Everybody wants to be a great parent, but there are just a lot of barriers today.”

Jackie Spencer, Family Development Program Education leader at Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Tioga County, commented, “Our program empowers parents, and in turn that supports the children.”

Tioga County programs support families 
Pictured, is Jackie Spencer, Family Development Program Education Leader at Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE-Tioga), standing inside a room at the Family Resource Center of Owego. Tioga County offers multiple programs that aid in supporting and strengthening the family unit. Community members interested in the well being of children and families in Tioga County are invited to attend the next Tioga Strong Families Coalition meeting on Wednesday, July 24, starting at 6 p.m. in the CCE Conference Room at 56 Main St. in Owego. For information, contact Jackie Spencer at (607) 687-4020 or email jds77@cornell.edu. (Photo by JoAnn R. Walter)

Spencer explained that CCE, along with several other organizations in Tioga County, have partnered to help build a stronger community. One of those partnerships is the Tioga Strong Families Coalition, a group of parents, professionals and community members who meet to foster the vision that all Tioga County children are raised in nurturing families, and within supportive communities. Steering Committee participants include members from CASA-Trinity, Tioga County DSS, the Tioga County Health Department, Hillside Regional Permanency Resource Center, A New Hope Center, and Lourdes PACT.

Both Lynch and Spencer agreed that Tioga County’s existing community bond was evident at a June vigil held in remembrance of Ruby Franciscovich, an eight-month-old girl who tragically lost her life.   

It is that type of genuine outpouring of support that Lynch and Spencer hope will continue to evolve. Lynch and Spencer explained that if the general public better understands and is made aware of the resources available in Tioga County, it will encourage friends, family, parents, grandparents, and others to share it with someone they know who may need extra support.     

Lynch and Spencer explained that most resources are available to any family free of charge. By building a stronger community, it is also hoped that the stigma or fear associated with asking for help will lessen.

Spencer commented that as many as 150 families have taken advantage of services that CCE offers so far in 2019. Working via CCE’s Family Resource Center, parents can attend parenting skills workshops or scheduled family-centered activities, as well as stop by for drop-in playtime in both Owego and Waverly.  

The ultimate goal is to ensure that children are raised in nurturing and resilient families within a safe and supportive community. Programs are designed to help prevent child abuse, such as parental resilience, making social connections, increasing knowledge about child development, learning where to seek support in times of need, and social and emotional competence of children, among others. 

As a supervisor for the PACT program, Lynch explained that her program is currently working with 96 families in Tioga County. Stopping by the home to discuss concerns about finances, parenting, depression, drug or alcohol use, or relationship issues, and providing educational activities for children, just to name a few, is all part of the program. PACT helps families set goals, offers referrals as needed, and is an advocate and educator for child development during the critical years of birth to age five. Often, PACT refers families to WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) and various other public assistance programs.

To learn more about CCE-Tioga, find the Family Resource Center on Facebook, call (607) 687-4020, or visit http://tioga.cce.cornell.edu/family.

To learn more about PACT, call (607) 687-6145, or visit www.lourdes.com/centers-and-services/youth-services/pact.

An additional resource available, and a phone number easy to remember is 211 or call 2-1-1. 211 calls are routed to a local or regional call center, and then referral specialists direct the caller to an agency or organization that can help with family support.

Parenting resources can also be found by visiting www.preventchildabuseny.org or call 1-800-CHILDREN.

Lynch and Spencer noted that an updated Tioga County Health Department Directory of Services for families would also be made available soon.

Community members interested in the well being of children and families in Tioga County are invited to attend the next Tioga Strong Families Coalition meeting on Wednesday, July 24, starting at 6 p.m. in the CCE Conference Room at 56 Main St. in Owego. The coalition meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month. 

For more information, contact Jackie Spencer at (607) 687-4020 or email jds77@cornell.edu.

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