Sussex and Warren County parents recently enjoyed a Parent Expo,
sponsored by the Sussex County Family Success Center at Project
Self-Sufficiency and Project Sussex Kids, the County Council for Young
Children. The event featured interactive
sessions about nutrition, child assault prevention, summer activities for kids,
and resources for families with special needs children. Keynote speaker Diane Lang addressed Positive
Parenting while patrons enjoyed dinner.
Participants were also treated to raffles and goodie bags filled with
parenting resources. 
Montclair State University Adjunct Professor Diane
Lang instructed parents about effectively communicating with their children by
using the Positive Parenting method to avoid power struggles during the keynote
presentation that highlighted the evening’s activities. In addition to the keynote presentation, break-out
sessions were available to patrons about a variety of topics. Sussex County Family Success Center and
Project Sussex Kids staff members offered an overview of ten conversation
topics for parents and children to help prevent child sexual abuse. Vivian Berrio of NJ SNAP-Ed Rutgers Cooperative
Extension discussed the prevalence of sugar in foods and offered nutritional
alternatives for children and parents.
Ria Smith and Charlene O’Brien of the Hardyston Township Special
Education Parent Advisory Group provided advice about resources for children
with special needs, and gave tips to parents about starting advisory groups in
their own school districts. Free
programs for adults and children within the Sussex County library system were
explained by Jenise Sileo and Beverly Rowan.
In addition to Project Self-Sufficiency,
organizations which hosted information tables at the event included American Red Cross; Birth Haven; Care Plus New
Jersey; Caring Partners; Center for Prevention and Counseling; Domestic Abuse
and Sexual Assault Crisis Center; DAWN Center for Independent Living; DL
Counseling; Family Intervention Services; Family Partners of Morris and Sussex;
Family Promise; Ginnie’s House; Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey; Hardyston Special
Education Parent Advisory Group; Legal Services of Northwest New Jersey; NAMI;
New Jersey Comfort Partners; NJ Shares; NJ SNAP-Ed; Parent Interactions with
Schools; Partnership for Maternal and Child Health; Planned Parenthood; Project
Self-Sufficiency Master Gardeners; Statewide Parent Advocacy Network; Sussex
County Community College; Sussex County
Division of Social Services; Sussex County Library; Sussex County Office
of Public Health Nursing/NJ CEED; Sussex County Special Child Health Services;
Sussex County YMCA; Sussex/Warren Chronic Disease Coalition; United Way of Northern
New Jersey Success by 6; and Zufall Health Center.
“The Parent Expo gives parents the opportunity to interact with experts
in a variety of fields, and to ask questions and get information about issues
faced by their families,” commented Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of
Project Self-Sufficiency. “We are
grateful to the community groups, parent volunteers, educators, health
organizations, and social service agencies in our community who came together
to offer this event for local families.”
The Sussex County Family Success Center at Project Self-Sufficiency is
part of a network of Family Success Centers across the state whose purpose is
to strengthen families and neighborhoods; develop networks of family services that
foster healthy families; and to build connections within families, between
families and to the community. The
Family Success Center provides a wide range of services to participating
families, including assistance with healthcare, substance abuse prevention
services, career planning, job training, parenting workshops, and life skills
training.
Project Sussex Kids, the Sussex County Council for Young Children, is an
effort funded by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, which is
designed to address the needs of families who are expecting or who are already
parenting children up to the age of eight.
County Councils for Young Children are being established in all of the
state’s 21 counties to bring together parents, caregivers, and professionals to
enhance communication, coordination and collaboration of services.
For information about the programs and services offered at Project
Self-Sufficiency through the Sussex County Family Success Center or through
Project Sussex Kids, call 973-940-3500 or 844-807-3500, or visit www.projectselfsufficiency.org.
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