06/17/2022
Courtney Tamagini, Clinical Supervisor FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Clinical Outcomes Group, Inc.
570-628-6990
www.coginc.org
Clinical Outcomes Group, Inc. (COGI) receives state grant to provide family prevention Education in four Schuylkill County communities.
Pottsville, Pennsylvania: Clinical Outcomes Group, Inc. (COGI) is pleased to announce that our agency has been funded to bring additional prevention education to four communities in Schuylkill County. COGI submitted a proposal to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) through their Substance Abuse Education and Demand Reduction (SAEDR) Fund. The SAEDR Fund exists to support projects designed to education the public about the dangers of substance abuse and/or reduce demand for these substances. The proposal submitted in February of 2021 was available for nonprofit organizations to serve youth with research-based or evidenced-based approaches to prevention, intervention, training, treatment, and education services to reduce substance use or provide resources to assist families in accessing these services.
COGI’s proposal was favorable reviewed and awarded effective July 2021. Our project, Strengthening Schuylkill County Communities (S2C2) was created to serve families who have children between the ages of 10 and 14 and are residing in the Minersville, Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, and St. Clair Area School Districts. S2C2 implements an evidence-based program called Strengthening Families Program for Parents & Youth 10-14 (SFP 10-14). This program consists of seven two-hour sessions with graduation. It is designed for a group of 7 to 10 families which create a cohort and goes through the seven week program together. Three certified facilitators lead separate sessions for youth and parents / guardians and then families come back together. Families are provided with a free meal prior to the learning sessions and each week are provided with incentives such as a gas card and a family incentive that allows for families to do things together at home. Additionally, our program can make childcare available for children under the age of 10 at no cost so that parents and guardians can all participate in the program with their children age 10-14 without a need for childcare.
Developed by the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth 10-14 has been implemented in all 50 states and more than 18 countries. Described as an evidence-based parent, youth, and family skills-building curriculum that: prevents teen substance abuse and other behavior problems; strengthens parent / youth communication skills; increases academic success in youth, prevents violence and aggressive behavior at home and at school. (www.extension.iastate.edu/sfp10-14/) COGI has been offering SFP 10-14 to families in the Tamaqua Area School District for the past few years under a separate funding stream under PCCD. This program has been successful in this community and has received very positive feedback from the families who have participated. The success of this program inspired us to apply for funding to expand our ability to bring this programming to additional school districts and their communities.
New SFP 10-14 Cohorts are currently forming and we are actively recruiting families for all eligible districts. For the Strengthening Schuylkill County Communities project, we are looking to recruit our first cohort. The program will be offered in the early evenings and include dinner. Ideally, we would like to have families arrive by 5:00PM for the family meal and then participate in the session to be completed by 7:30PM. Our initial cohort will be conducted in our COGI Office located at One South Second Street, 1st Floor, Pottsville, PA 17901.
Interest families in the Minersville, Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, or St. Clair Area School Districts should email Courtney Tamagini at [email protected]. Families within the Tamaqua School District should email Kate Spofford at [email protected]. Please share this information with family and friends and help us get the word out about this amazing opportunity.
Making a difference The Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14 has made a difference in thousands of families in all 50 states and in over 25 countries. Parents want to protect their children, but it’s challenging. Youth need skills to help them resist the peer pressure that l...
