Kids and Families Together

Memorial Day
2023-05-29
Kids & Families Together will be closed on Monday, May 29th in observance of Memorial Day.

Shavuot
2023-05-25 - 2023-05-27

Harvey Milk Day
2023-05-22

Malcolm X Day
2023-05-19

Mother's Day
2023-05-14

Nurturing Connections: Support and Training in Becoming a Therapeutic Parent
2023-05-10 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Nurturing Connections: Support and Training in Becoming a Therapeutic Parent
Who Should Attend: Foster/kinship resource parents, adoptive parents, legal guardians
Description: Support and training, led by a therapist, in a safe and supportive environment where participants can share their experiences as a foster or adoptive caregiver. Participants have a chance to explore their own attachment histories and strengthen their therapeutic parenting skills. Learn about attachment, trauma, development, self-care, and more. Resource parents can earn training hours!
2023 Training Dates/Topics:

Jan. 11th: Staying Connected with
Birth Families
Feb. 8th: Making Sense of Your
Attachment History
March 8th: Ambiguous Loss
April 12th: Transracial Adoptive
Families
May 10th: Vicarious Trauma and
Self-Care
June 14th: Building Resilience in

When & Where: Every 2nd Wednesday of the month from 5-6:30pm, Currently offered via Zoom.
English/Spanish: Group is in English with live Spanish interpretation!
Cost: Free for foster/kinship resource, adoptive, and legal guardian caregivers within the Ventura County Child Welfare System.
Register: Click Here to Register
Contact: Please contact us at 805-643-1446 Ext. 180 or referrals@kidsandfamilies.org with questions.

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National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day
2023-05-05

Cinco de Mayo- Victory Battle of Puebla
2023-05-05
To learn more, please click here to check out our JEDI page!

Mental Health Awareness Month
2023-05-01 - 2023-05-31

Older Americans Month
2023-05-01 - 2023-05-31
Older Americans Month
(From the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services)
Each year in May, we commemorate Older Americans Month (OAM) to encourage and recognize the countless contributions that older adults make to our communities. Their time, experience, and talents enrich the lives of those around them. The theme for this year is Aging Unbound, which offers an opportunity to explore diverse aging experiences and discuss how communities can combat stereotypes. This year, there is a focus on promoting flexible thinking about aging and how we all benefit when older adults remain engaged, independent, and included.
We are recognizing the 60th anniversary of Older Americans Month and we challenge people to change the narrative on aging. Here are some ways we can all participate in Aging Unbound.

Embrace the opportunity to change. Find a new passion, go on an adventure, and push boundaries by not letting age define your limits. Invite creativity and purpose into your life by trying new activities in your community to bring in more growth, joy, and energy.
Explore the rewards of growing older. With age comes knowledge, which provides insight and confidence to understand and experience the world more deeply. Continue to grow that knowledge through reading, listening, classes, and creative activities.
Stay engaged in your community. Volunteer. Everyone benefits when everyone is connected and involved. Stay active by volunteering, working, mentoring, participating in social clubs, and taking part in activities at your local senior center or elsewhere in the community. For more information, contact your local Area Agency on Aging.
Form relationships. As an essential ingredient of well-being, relationships can enhance your quality of life by introducing new ideas and unique perspectives. Invest time with people to discover deeper connections with family, friends, and community members.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Here at K&FT, we support several grandparents who are raising and caring for their grandchildren and wanted to highlight the important role grandparents play in the lives of their grandchildren. While contending with their own issues, many grandparents are raising grandchildren because their children are facing their own difficulties. Despite the hurdles and challenges, the grandchildren appear by and large to do well, new research has found.
Over 2.6 million children in the United States are being raised by grandparents, other relatives, or close family friends. While it can be extremely rewarding for an older adult to take on the responsibility of raising a child, there are also many challenges that arise. There is a wide variety of reasons kinship families form. However, regardless of how they come together, many of them face similar difficulties such as navigating the welfare system, establishing legal guardianship, and moving past trauma.

A Proclamation on Older Americans Month, 2023
The following are excerpts from this year’s Proclamation on Older Americans Month by President Biden:
“On this 60th anniversary of Older Americans Month, we honor our Nation’s senior citizens, whose lifetimes of hard work, devotion to family, and commitment to community have laid the foundation for the country we are today.  We have a rock-solid responsibility to ensure our Nation’s seniors can age with dignity and financial security.
When President John F. Kennedy issued the first proclamation recognizing older Americans, approximately a third of seniors lived in poverty, and close to half were without health insurance.  Our Nation rallied together to confront this crisis, passing Medicare to deliver affordable, quality health care to our seniors; strengthening Social Security, the bedrock of American retirement; and ultimately raising so many seniors out of poverty.  We extended lifespans and provided critical breathing room to Americans who had worked hard their whole lives.  But there is still more work to do to ensure that no senior lies in bed at night wondering how they are going to pay for lifesaving drugs, put food on the table, or support their children and grandchildren.”
“Older Americans are the pillars of our community, and we owe it to them to value their wisdom, celebrate their contributions, and champion their well-being.  To older Americans across this Nation, we will always support you.”
Action Items

How are we going to care for the baby boomers?
As the baby boomer generation continues to age, the need for properly established care services becomes increasingly important. Baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are the second-largest generation in United States history, with an estimated 76 million individuals. As they continue to grow older, it has become more urgent than ever to begin considering how we will provide care for this generation.
Many older adults are unable to afford care services due to high healthcare costs and inadequate retirement savings. Addressing these issues may require policy changes at the state and federal levels, such as expanding Medicare coverage and increasing funding for retirement savings programs.
Caring for the baby boomer generation is a daunting and inevitable challenge that requires a comprehensive and collaborative approach. By continuing to educate ourselves, we can ensure that baby boomers receive the care they both deserve and need to live healthy and comfortable lives.
Resources

Older Americans Month | Senior & Disability Services | Health & Senior Services
Caregiver Services – VCAAA
Microsoft Word – Caregiver Resources v2.docx (pcdn.co)
Microsoft Word – Caregiver Resources_SPANISH.docx (pcdn.co)
Resources for grandparents raising grandchildren » NCRC
Grandparents Living with Grandchildren (census.gov)
A Proclamation on Older Americans Month, 2023 | The White House
How are we going to care for the baby boomers? (mcknightshomecare.com)

Jewish American Heritage Month
2023-05-01 - 2023-05-31

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
2023-05-01 - 2023-05-31

National Foster Care Month
2023-05-01 - 2023-05-31

Arbor Day
2023-04-28

Yom Ha’atzmaut
2023-04-25 - 2023-04-26

Mother Father Deaf Day
2023-04-25

National Day of Silence (in honor of LGBTQ Youth)
2023-04-23

Earth Day
2023-04-22

Yom HaShoah
2023-04-17 - 2023-04-18

Nurturing Connections: Support and Training in Becoming a Therapeutic Parent
2023-04-12 17:00 - 18:30
Nurturing Connections: Support and Training in Becoming a Therapeutic Parent
Who Should Attend: Foster/kinship resource parents, adoptive parents, legal guardians
Description: Support and training, led by a therapist, in a safe and supportive environment where participants can share their experiences as a foster or adoptive caregiver. Participants have a chance to explore their own attachment histories and strengthen their therapeutic parenting skills. Learn about attachment, trauma, development, self-care, and more. Resource parents can earn training hours!
2023 Training Dates/Topics:

Jan. 11th: Staying Connected with
Birth Families
Feb. 8th: Making Sense of Your
Attachment History
March 8th: Ambiguous Loss
April 12th: Transracial Adoptive
Families
May 10th: Vicarious Trauma and
Self-Care
June 14th: Building Resilience in

When & Where: Every 2nd Wednesday of the month from 5-6:30pm, Currently offered via Zoom.
English/Spanish: Group is in English with live Spanish interpretation!
Cost: Free for foster/kinship resource, adoptive, and legal guardian caregivers within the Ventura County Child Welfare System.
Register: Click Here to Register
Contact: Please contact us at 805-643-1446 Ext. 180 or referrals@kidsandfamilies.org with questions.

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Easter
2023-04-09

International Asexuality Day
2023-04-06

Passover
2023-04-05 - 2023-04-13

Good Friday
2023-04-02

Child Abuse Prevention Month
2023-04-01 - 2023-04-30

Autism Acceptance Month
2023-04-01 - 2023-04-30

Cesar Chavez Day
2023-03-31
To learn more about Cesar Chavez, please visit our JEDI page!

Transgender Day of Visibility
2023-03-31
To learn more, please visit our JEDI page!

National Vietnam War Veterans Day
2023-03-29

James Storehouse- "Beautiful You"
2023-03-25 10:00 - 14:00
James Storehouse Invites you to- Beautiful You
Saturday, March 25th from 10 AM – 2 PM
Join us for a day of beauty, relaxation, & inspiration. Attendees (ages 14-23) will have a chance to shop for prom gowns, spring dresses, & shoes! Full makeovers, art stations and professional preparation will also be provided!

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