Parents, Kids Can Enjoy Family Expo

Northern New Jersey parents and children are invited to Project Self-Sufficiency’s annual Family Expo, Thursday, May 23^rd, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.  Workshops for parents will be supplemented by children’s activities, dinner, gift card raffles and other events.  The Family Expo is sponsored by the Sussex County Family Success Center at Project Self-Sufficiency and Project Sussex Kids, the County Council for Young Children.  Attendance is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.

 

Kris Imbrie will discuss appropriate responses to temper tantrums at the Family Expo.

Break-out sessions for parents will include a presentation by Kris Imbrie, LCSW, DVS, regarding methods for dealing with children’s emotional outbursts or temper tantrums.  Additional workshops will include a presentation about nutritious meal and snack preparation by Shop Rite of Newton, as well as information on overall health with a special focus on oral health by Zufall Health Center.  Hearing screenings and exhibits from local health care and social service organizations will round out the event.  Spanish-speaking interpreters will be on hand to assist families with language barriers.  Participants will be treated to dinner; attendees can enter raffles to win a Shop Rite gift card, a three-month membership to the Sussex County YMCA, and two tickets to a Sussex County Miners baseball game.

In addition to Project Self-Sufficiency, organizations which will host information tables at the event include Atlantic Health System, Pediatric Psychiatry Collaborative; Caring Partners of Morris & Sussex, CMO; Care Plus New Jersey; Center for Prevention & Counseling; CLEAResult, New Jersey Comfort Partners Program; DASI; DAWN Center for Independent Living; Family Intervention Services; Family Partners of Morris and Sussex; Hearing Life; Morristown Medical Center Safe Kids Northern, NJ; NAMI, Sussex; New Jersey Department of Children & Families, Division of Child Protection & Permanency; Newton Medical Center; NORWESCAP Child and Family Resource Services; Regional Family Support Planning Council; Sussex County Division of Social Services; Sussex County Library; Sussex County YMCA; Sussex Education Services Commission: Project SEARCH; Sussex Macaroni Kid; United Way of Northern New Jersey; Zufall Health Center; and others.

“The Family Expo encourages parents and children to explore new and interesting activities, and get up-to-date information about local resources,” 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 are coming 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 have been established in each of the state’s 21 counties to bring together parents, caregivers, and professionals to enhance communication, coordination and collaboration of services.

Attendance at Project Self-Sufficiency’s Family Expo is free and open to the public; advance registration is available online at www.projectselfsufficiency.org or by calling 973-940-3500 or 844-807-3500.