Baton Rouge Early Risers Kiwanis Awards $50,000 to YWCA Center for Family Empowerment

The YWCA Center for Family Empowerment (CFE) seeks to improve the educational opportunities for all families through direct service, linking families to existing services, and collaboration with other agencies and programs. The goal is to break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy, and facilitate family growth and education.

Services provided at the CFE are guided by the Family Literacy Model which integrates four primary components: 1) adult education, 2) early childhood learning, 3) parenting and counseling, and 4) parent and child intergenerational activities.

The CFE currently serves Baton Rouge area families at our Mid-City location and various schools in the East Baton Rouge Parish and Baker school districts. In 2006, the CFE was designated the first and only State Office for the Parents as Teachers National Center. In 2007, the CFE provided direct service to over 5,300 families and touched the lives of more than 3,200 families through service linkage and collaboration, accomplishing this through its three divisions: The Empowerment Zone, Parents as Teachers, and Parent University.

For more information, contact:
Deborah W. Jones, Program Director   

 deborah@ywca-br.org 
"Eliminating Racism…Empowering Women"

The Empowerment Zone

The Empowerment Zone provides services in GED preparation, basic computer skills, financial literacy, professional development and personal empowerment. Empowerment Zone participants are introduced to strategies to develop critical and creative thinking skills, facilitate effective goal setting practices, and enhance soft skills to ensure competitiveness in the job market. Empowerment Zone opportunities include the 15-session "Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin' By World" which teaches individuals how to build their own resources and prepare for continuing education and/or the workforce and the Adult Education Program in collaboration with the Greater Baton Rouge Literacy Coalitin and Zion City Revitalization Project.

Project 6

Project 6 is a collaborative project between A6 and the YWCA that will expand to middle school students in the Community School 21st Century Community Learning Center. Mentors are needed and will be asked to volunteer for the '08-'09 school year beginnning in September. Orientation is required for those interested.

Project 6 Kickoff Luncheon - Friday, March 12, 2010

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For more information on Project 6, visit their website at www.project6br.com.

Parents as Teachers

Parents as Teachers certified parent educators use the latest research in the brain development of a child to provide comprehensive training, information, and support services that will develop and strengthen the parent/child relationship with an emphasis on education and school readiness. Home visits, group meetings, and resource referrals are provided to teen parents at local high schools and to the communithy at-large.

Parent University

Parent University provides assistance in navigating the school system, coordinating parental involvement activities, and building positive relationships between parents and teachers. Baton Rouge Parent University Community Summits are held periodically throughout the year and by request in schools, churches, and community centers and have focused on topics such as post-secondary education and access, high-stakes testing and school accountability, addressing learning differences, and reading and literacy.

“Providing Opportunities for a Brighter Future”