Meridian Friends of Children and Families Pulls Double Duty at Live for 175
On Monday at Live for 175, intern Lauren and I jumped on bikes for almost an hour while we waited for these superstars to arrive! Just as we hit six miles, Meridian based Friends of Children and Families showed up to rock their ride at Live for 175!
FOCAF is non-profit cooperation committed to providing high quality services by education, serving and partnering with families to create a community of lifelong learners. They're administer Head Start and Early Head Start programs in the Treasure Valley to work toward eliminating the causes and conditions of poverty. With a staff of about 130, FOCAF serves over 438 3-5 year olds in Head Start and 76 families, pregnant mommas and kids 0-36 months in Early Head Start. This year was the second year they participated in Live for 175 and road during two different shifts on Monday!
Jennifer from FOCAF says our child abuse prevention campaign is important to them because of their work with kids and families. They want the community to know that they are here to support and advocate for kids who may feel that they don't have a voice to speak up against what they're going through. They grabbed some of the blue "pinwheels for prevention: and put them up at their schools to help spread the word about Child Abuse Prevention Month.
They tell us that this in addition to Live for 175, this week is also the "Week of the Young Child." To celebrate, they're centers have a huge list of activities for show off the benefits of early learning and young kids. Those activities include a parade, art show, olympics and dress up days.
They'll continue to spread the message "it shouldn't hurt to be a child" throughout the year by sending home resources with their kids and families, meeting with them one on one and what to do in specific situations.
Thanks for rocking your ride, TWICE, Friends of Children and Families!