News & Library
Keep up with the latest news about Firefly Children and Family Alliance, from recent announcements to new programs and services
4 TIPS TO SURVIVE DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME WITH YOUR KIDS
“Springing forward” in anticipation for those long summer nights might sound exciting, but setting the clocks ahead for Daylight Savings Time and losing an hour of sleep can make anyone cranky, especially children. Suddenly implementing an earlier bedtime may make it much harder to fall asleep, which can leave a person feeling tired and groggy the next morning or even several days to follow.
According to a study from the Better Sleep Council, 29% of all parents reported they disliked this spring time change. If you were already sleep deprived and feeling drained, and now the kids are exhausted and increasingly uncooperative; nobody wins. Prepping yourself and your kiddos for this inevitable change is the best way to curb those negative effects. These four tips can help everyone in the house make a smooth transition:
Kris’ Corner: Online Support Groups
So, last time I discussed support through in-person groups; and as promised, I’d like to now talk about online support groups. These are the groups that are only ever online. They typically have moderators who can approve posts, and/or remove posts which do not fit...
Kris’ Corner: In Person Support Groups
To continue our series on supports while fostering, I’d like to take some time today and talk about in-person support groups. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, they are often virtual. But they still differ from online support groups in that you actually can see and...
Kris’ Corner: Natural Supports for Foster Parents
Let’s talk about some natural supports for foster parents. Sometimes people ask me, how do you survive at this foster parenting thing…how do you even do it?” And the answer is lots of support. Support while fostering can, and should, come from several different...
Kris’ Corner: Foster Care Support from DCS & Children’s Bureau
In this blog, I want to help you understand important sources of support. Department of Child Services (DCS) is definitely one, as well as the agency you may have gotten licensed through. (in this blog I presume it to be Children’s Bureau). Many of you have probably...
30 TIPS FOR INVOLVING CHILDREN IN HOUSEWORK
Has the pandemic wrought havoc on your haven? Is your dining room barely discernible from a garage sale? After nearly a year of living, working, schooling, and playing at home, perhaps your space could use a good ol’ fashioned spring spruce up.
Getting everyone in the family involved in spring cleaning or year-round household chores is a win-win. It’s good for parents, because let’s be honest, you could use some help. It’s good for the kids because it teaches them responsibility and what it means to be part of a family.
Kris’ Corner – Blending Family Traditions
I know some of you might be getting tired of me discussing holidays and birthdays and how they affect foster kids and the foster family…so I assure you that this is (probably) the last blog on this topic, at least for a while. Focusing on holiday and birthday...
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Annie Martinez 317 625-6005 amartinez@childrensbureau.org Children’s Bureau and Families First Sign Merger Agreement INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (January 21, 2021)— Children’s Bureau and Families First, two of Indiana’s most established...
Kris’ Corner – Holidays and Birthdays Are Not Always Joyful
I already discussed how holidays can look with the addition of (or at least acknowledgement of) biological parents and the inclusion of foster children in the foster family festivities. But, we still have a whole year of other holidays and birthdays in front of us....
Kris’ Corner – The Adoptable Child Who is Not Adopted
Sometimes, a child is placed in the home and it seems like he is a perfect fit into the family. But as time goes by, and his case plays out and he becomes legally free, the foster family does not adopt him. Why is that? I am sure that for people who have not yet...