How to Build Support

Family Support

Family life provides high levels of love and support.

1. Info:  Early Bonding For New Fathers
2. Info:  Early Bonding With Newborns
3. Info:  Encourage Your Children's Potential By Your Modeling
4. Info:  Nine Steps To More Effective Parenting
5. Info:  Show Love
6. Info:  Ten Family Characteristics That Nurture Smart Kids
7. Activity:  Teaching Values - Love
8. Idea:  Create a “Family Picture Book” for your child.  Include pictures of family members who live both near and far.  This way, children can become familiar with faces and learn names of loved ones - even if they don't get to see those people as often as you would like.  Click here to view a few sample pages of a “Family Picture Book”.  Be creative! In addition to family members, include pages of food, toys, activities that the child enjoys.  Place the pages in protective plastic sheets (available at any office supply store) so the pages can be easily wiped.  Place the pages in a binder.  Your child will love a book that is all about him!
9. Idea:  Start a “Round Robin” letter for your family.  Write a brief personal update, include a picture or two, and send it to one person.  That person does the same thing and sends it to the next person, who adds their contributions.  The letter keeps going around (getting thicker and longer) until everyone has seen all of the entries.  Encourage young children to enclose pictures they've drawn or a tape-recorded message.  This can also easily be adapted to email.
10. Idea:  Start family traditions such as game nights, special outings or family meetings.
11. Idea:     Prepare and eat a meal together weekly as a family.
12. Idea:     Every year, on your child's birthday, write your child a letter about what has been going on in their lives at that time or, if you are so inclined – over the past year.  Keep the letters and give the letters to your child on their 18th birthday.

Positive Family Communication

Young person and her or his parent(s) communicate positively and young person is willing to seek advice and counsel from parents.

1. Info:  Guidelines For Good Communication With Children
2. Info:  Communicating With Young Children
3. Info:  Basic Principles of Good Parent/Child Communication
4. Info:  Parent - Teen Communication
5. Info:  Communicating With Your Teen (Various Topics)
6. Info:  Communication Tips - Connecting With Your Teen
7. Idea:  Begin every dinner meal by going around the table and each person sharing something positive that happened to them that day.
8. Idea:  Share stories about what life was like for you as a young person (school, dating, family relationships).  Talking about these things may let your children know that you have an understanding of what life was like for them.  It may also encourage them to talk about personal issues in their own lives.
9. Idea:  Ask young people what they think about important issues about your family, your community, the world.

Other Adult Relationships

Young person receives support from three or more non-parent adults.

1. Info:  Mentoring Skills
2. Info:  The Value of Role Models
3. Info:  National Mentoring Partnership - Resources for Mentors
4. Idea:  Introduce yourself to the children and youth who live near you.  Learn their names and greet them when you see them.
5. Idea:  Become a foster grandparent for a family that doesn't have grandparents or whose grandparents live far away.
6. Idea:  Honor an adult – who has made a difference in your child's life – for the contribution they have made (a letter to the local newspaper editor, a dinner, a letter, presentation of an award, etc.)
7. Idea:  Once a month, you and your child decide on another adult to invite to your home for dinner/lunch.
8. Idea:     When you talk to other parents, be sure to greet and talk to their children, too. Get down at the child's eye level, use a normal speaking voice (not baby talk), and listen carefully and respond.
9. Idea:     Tell other parents when you see their children being responsible or generous in their actions. Try to find opportunities to praise more often than you report misbehavior..

Caring Neighborhood

Young person experiences caring neighbors.

1. Info: Respecting Adults
2. Activity:  Meet Your Neighbors At A Block Party
3. Activity:  Making a Neighborhood Garden
4. Idea:  Go out of your way to meet and greet your neighbors.
5. Idea:  Once in a while, leave messages (with chalk on sidewalks or by handing notes on doors) saying how much you appreciate a certain neighbor.  Do this for neighbors of all ages.
6. Idea:  Be aware of graduations and other major events in the lives of children and acknowledge them.
7. Idea:  Organize a neighborhood book swap for both children and adults.  Ask neighbors to donate books they're already read and have everyone come to find new books.
8. Idea:  Create a neighborhood walking club!  It's good exercise and a great way to strengthen relationships with your neighbors.

Caring School Climate

School provides a caring, encouraging environment.

1. Info:  Preparing For Back To School
2. Info:  Preparing Your Kindergartener for the First Day of School
3. Info:  Easing Back To School Jitters
4. Activity:  Seven Ways to Ease Back To School Anxiety
5. Idea:  Become familiar with the services provided at your child's school.  Introduce yourself to your child's Principal, Teachers, School Nurse, Guidance Counselors etc.  Visit your child's school and the school's website.
6. Idea:  Help your child organize a “teacher appreciation” activity.

Parent Involvement in Schooling

Parent(s) are actively involved in helping young person succeed in school.

1. Bernards Township School District Home Page
2. Ridge High School Home Page
3. William Annin Middle School Home Page
4. William Annin PTO
5. Cedar Hill Elementary School Home Page
6. Cedar Hill PTO
7. Liberty Corner Elementary School Home Page
8. Liberty Corner PTO
9. Mount Prospect Elementary School Home Page
10. Oak Street Elementary School Home Page
11. St. James School Home Page
12. St. James Home School Association Home Page
13. Albrook School Home Page
14. Info:  Questions Parents Should Ask About Schooling
15. Activity:  Organizing A School Party
16. Idea:  Volunteer to chaperone a school field trip, become a Room Mother or help with special   classroom projects.
17. Idea:  Ask your child about school and review their homework on a regular basis.