Sacramento Children's Home

The Sacramento Children's Home operates three (3) Family Resource Centers (FRCs) that are community based and have a "no wrong door policy", which means that we will never turn away a family in need. Our programs provide:

Crisis Intervention
Parenting Education
Home Visitation
CPS joint visitation

We operate FRCs in the diverse communities of Meadowview, North Sacramento and Valley Hi. Activities vary by location, and include:

Transportation
Socialization & Recreational Activities
Support groups
Other services to support healthy and effective families.
Play & Learn Classes

Baby Bonding Classes
Relax & Refresh
Stress Management & Coping
Nutrition Classes
Arts & Crafts
Holiday Events

Birth & Beyond in-home visitation is a program that assists at-risk families in improving their parenting skills, and reduces instances of abuse and neglect in the community. As a participant in in-home visitation services, parents learn nurturing parenting skills while having fun and growing closer as a family.

No cost to pregnant women or families with children age 0-5
Follows the Nurturing Parenting Program
Program designed to enhance confidence, develop empathy, gain new insight in how to discipline, and become empowered as a parent
In-home visitation specialists provide community resources and referrals to support the family outside of this service

In-home visitation services are also provided when a referral is made from Child Protective Services. The goal of the Birth & Beyond in-home visitation is to provide support to at-risk families and prevent child abuse and neglect, and involvement with CPS.

Kelly was referred by Child Protective Services to a Family Resource Center for in-home visitation services because she struggled with living independently with her 7 young children. As a family they bounced from house to house, often staying with friends and family when they had nowhere else to go. Kelly has never had her own, stable housing and has not worked for the past 10 years. With a lot of support from her in-home visitor, Kelly and her children moved into her own apartment and she is found a job as a caretaker for two elderly women. Kelly has not required CPS involvement for over 1year, and is engaged with the North Sacramento's Nurturing Parenting Program. Kelly is not only demonstrating effective parenting with her children, but she has learned how to have fun and enjoy being a parent.

Over 96% of families who have utilized in-home visits from the Birth & Beyond Home Visitation program do not need further CPS involvement.

The Family Resource Centers offer a variety of free parenting workshops and classes.

Nurturing Parenting Program- Parents will learn parenting skills, discipline techniques, and will leave feeling empowered and nurtured, ready to support and care for their children.
Make Parenting a Pleasure- Group-based, positive parenting courses which encourages positive and effective parenting and coping alternatives.
Dare To Be You- Combines the parents/caregivers and their children. Parents learn skills and activities to make parenting as effective and rewarding as possible.

The Nurturing Parenting Program and Make Parenting a Pleasure Program are both court approved parenting workshops.

Alyssa, a mother of 2 small children, came to us as a court mandated participant in the Make Parenting A Pleasure classes. Her children had been removed from her home by CPS and she was required to attend in order to get them back. She was so excited and engaged with the classes that upon graduation she pursued an opportunity to become a parent leader. Alyssa is now an active parent leader, working with other parents in similar situations and is in the process of getting her children returned.

Over 85% of parents show an increase in their ability to handle the day to day challenges of raising their children after they have completed a parenting workshop.

When families are in crisis, parenting can be a stressful and difficult job. The Intervention Specialist at the Family Resource Center helps families in crisis resolve their problems so they can refocus on their parenting. The Intervention Specialist will:

Provide short-term counseling and case management for families who are in need of support.
Help a family work through difficult problems like domestic violence, homelessness, addiction, financial difficulties, family counseling and Medi-Cal concerns
Connect families to community resources that may reduce their crisis situation.
Facilitates stress relief classes at the FRC and provides a parent "time out" where parents can spend time alone while their child is cared for.

A pregnant mother of 2 children who was homeless was referred to the FRC for crisis services. The intervention specialist helped her access homeless assistance from the Department of Human Assistance where she received a hotel voucher for emergency shelter. The Intervention specialist provided her information on low income housing and supported her in caring for her children. Mom was able to secure housing for herself and her children and subsequently gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Mom is now working and is able to support herself and her children. She utilized the resources provided by the FRC helped keep her children safe and off the streets. She comes to the women's support group at the FRC when she has days off because she enjoys the support she gets from other women. The IS continued to provide support for this mom to plan for future stresses. She helped her open her first checking and savings account. She didn't think she could because she was undocumented. Mob is very thankful to the IS, Birth & Beyond and to the Crisis Nursery South for all the help they gave her and the ongoing support she receives.

Parents receiving crisis intervention services demonstrate significant reductions in their stress and the negative impact on their children and significant increases in their social supports and knowledge of the community.

Funding for Sacramento Children’s Home Birth & Beyond Family Resource Centers is provided by the First 5 Sacramento Commission which uses Proposition 10 (tobacco tax) funds to support the healthy development of children ages zero to five. Additional information about the First 5 Sacramento Commission is online at www.first5sacramento.net or by calling 916-876-5865.