BFA-PTSA’s Fairfax Success By Six Seeks Community Support on March 1st

I am posting the following at the request of Paula Dearborn & Patricia Hendee

BFA-PTSA’s Fairfax Success By Six Seeks Community Support on March 1st

by Paula Dearborn and Patricia Hendee, BFA-PTSA’s Fairfax Success By Six Co-Liaisons

I’m sure there are many members of the Fairfax community that are familiar with our Success By Six program. As for those that are not, please let this be your introduction.

BFA-PTSA’s Fairfax Success By Six is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides resources to families in our community with children through age six. Our primary goal is to promote and support healthy development while improving school readiness. We organize and facilitate various free parent workshops, educational opportunities, and parent/child activities; including playgroups, story hours, and kindergarten transition services.

We are very fortunate and grateful to have such a supporting community. Community members volunteer their time and talents to facilitate our activities and services. Our local librarians and school personnel donate their time, space, and resources. Local businesses also generously make contributions of products and services. All of which comes together to promote healthy development and school readiness for the children of Fairfax.

Now for those of you wondering what BFA-PTSA’s Fairfax Success By Six provides, here is an overview. Our weekly activities during the school year are Community Playgroup and Preschool Story Time, which is offered in conjunction with the Fairfax Community Library. During the winter months, we offer Open Tot Gym weekly, providing a safe place for young children to expend some of their energy. This year we combined Infant/Parent Play Time with Open Tot Gym, so it could be offered weekly as well. Our monthly activities are PJ Story Time and Monthly Play Date. Summer brings our very popular Kindergarten Transition Playgroup in which we introduce incoming Kindergarteners to the school and the library. We also offer a weekly Summer Playgroup that is held outdoors at the community playground. Throughout the year, BFA-PTSA’s Fairfax Success By Six provides outreach, trainings, and support meetings to childcare providers; delivers Welcome Infant bags to families of newborns and adopted babies; and gives free books to children and providers in our community. We also sponsor parent workshops on various topics as well as special family events, such as the Annual Birthday Bash, which is held the first Saturday in April, and Fire & Safety Day, which is usually held in October. All of these programs encourage better outcomes for families and their children in Fairfax.

The benefits to our community are countless. Families with newborns are made to feel welcomed and valued by the community. Our children are able to engage in activities that foster physical, emotional, psychological, and cognitive growth. Our children gain skills, such as the ability to work through conflicts, which will aid them during their transition to Kindergarten, and develop an excitement to come to our Community Library. Meanwhile, parents are given ideas about healthy, safe, and fun activities that their children can do at home. In addition, parents receive information about healthy child development and become aware of community resources. Parents gain the support and encouragement they yearn for through parent workshops and sharing stories and ideas with other parents. Ultimately, our children are healthier and more prepared for the requirements placed upon them when they begin school, and parents are more confident and informed.

In the past, Franklin County Early Childhood Programs and Success By Six collaborated with the Northwestern Medical Center’s Birthing Center to provide a Welcome Infant Bag to every family with a newborn in Franklin County. These bags contained information about local resources, family activities, and parenting, as well as a free board book and toy. Families that either did not give birth at the Northwestern Medical Center or adopted an infant were contacted by our Welcome Infant visitor and asked it they'd like the bag to be dropped off or if they would prefer a home visit.

Unfortunately, due to unexpected changes in funding at the County level, bags will now only be given by referrals through the Family Center to those families most at need. This change would mean that very few infants in Fairfax would receive a Welcome Infant Bag by the County. We would like to continue to ensure that every infant in Fairfax receives a bag regardless of socioeconomic or financial status. We find the bags to be a wonderful gift, a great resource, and a way for new parents to feel connected while finding out more about what we offer here in Fairfax for them. This is why we have increased our request for funds from the town for the first time.

BFA-PTSA’s Fairfax Success By Six is funded in large part by a mini-grant from Franklin County Success By Six, which in turn receives its funding through the Vermont Legislature. Unfortunately, funding amounts do not cover all of the expenses of operating our local programs. At the upcoming Town Meeting on March 1st voters will have an opportunity to show their support for our Success By Six and the important work that we do by voting in favor of our request for $1,500 to help offset our operating costs and fund the continuation of Welcome Infant bags and home visits here in Fairfax. Without the additional financial contribution from the town of Fairfax, we would be forced to look for another source of funding or eliminate some of our programs altogether for next year. We hope that we can count on your support.

If you’re interested in being added to our mailing list and/or email distribution list, please complete a Participant Information Sheet at any BFA-PTSA’s Fairfax Success By Six activity or online at our website (ww2.bfafairfax.com/~sbys).

Questions about our activities or about BFA-PTSA’s Fairfax Success By Six in general may be directed to either of our co-liaisons: Patricia Hendee (524-6393 / vtgoober@msn.com) or Paula Dearborn (524-1747 / fairfaxsx6@hotmail.com).