​KEDM Public Radio | October is national bullying prevention month, which means it is time to address the issue of bullying because of the negative impact it can have on a child.

KEDM’s Taylor Costa spoke with Tammy Washington, early childhood life skills coordinator at the Children's Coalition for Northeast Louisiana, about the issue and why it is crucial to have the talk about bullying with your children.

​Parents and professionals need timely education on the laws, science, society, and culture that children are up against everyday. Time to Talk brings you accurate and appropriate information from state and local experts about issues that affect children, so that you can understand and communicate with and about them.

Through this segment, you'll develop a sophisticated understanding of the issues faced by youth today and be encouraged to confidently discuss tough topics that face our children.

Time to Talk is produced with the Children's Coalition for Northeast Louisiana, 90.3 KEDM Public Radio and BayouLife Magazine.

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is hosting its National Prescription Takeback Day this Saturday, October 26th from 10 am until 2 pm. You can bring your medications to drop boxes at local law enforcement offices and places like Brookshires and Super 1 Foods.

In March 2019, the Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana partnered with the LSUAg Center to create the “Greauxing Gardens” to establish community gardens at local child care centers. These centers incorporate the produce from the gardens in their food service, giving the children both healthy food and a greater understanding of where it comes from.
 
Mindy Dickens of Claiborne Christian Preschool helps care for and use their community garden. According to Dickens, the children take daily time to care for the garden during the school day. These activities include tilling and watering the soil and picking and planting produce.
 
“The garden speaks for itself. The garden provides several opportunities to talk and learn about where the food we eat actually comes from, and our hope is that being a part of the growth will encourage the children to try the vegetables too,” said Dickens.
 
Currently, Greauxing Gardens includes 22 different child care centers. Ninety percent of those centers are also flourishing with assistance from LSUAg center, Northeast Louisiana Master Gardeners, 4-H volunteers, and local church and youth groups.

WEST MONROE, La. KTVE|KARD — Tammy Washington and Shauna Harrell with the Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana joined us on Louisiana Living to talk about Bully Proof Awareness Day coming up on Wednesday, October 23.

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - MORE4U is a program for pregnant moms in Morehouse and Union Parish. The program provides free prenatal care along with dinner and nurturing parenting classes. This program supports healthy pregnancy outcomes as well as providing a support system for moms.

This program is run by the Children's Coalition for Northeast Louisiana, is supported by the Aetna Foundation and aims to help pregnant moms have healthier babies by providing free Centering Pregnancy and Nurturing Parenting sessions at Morehouse and Union General Hospitals.
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They will meet every other Tuesday from 5:30-8 PM where childcare, dinner, and door prizes will be provided. This program is free and you can sign up by calling 318-323-8775 or going to childrenscoalition.org/more4u.

​The Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana and Lake D’Arbonne State Park are hosting the 9th Annual Dia de la Familia: Family Fun Day.  This family fun day is planned for Saturday, October 19th at Lake D’Arbonne State Park in Farmerville, LA from 3:00 PM-7:00 PM.  There will be free entrance to the park for all attendees that day.
  
What began as a fundraiser for a local Hispanic church with 150 attendees has continued to grow to 460 people in attendance in 2018.  This event promotes healthy living fitness as well as the features and activities available at the state park.  It also celebrates the growing number of Hispanic families in Union Parish and serves as a fundraiser for local Spanish speaking churches who prepare authentic Hispanic dishes on site.
 
This year’s scheduled activities include ponies, a petting zoo, clown show as well as a soccer tournament and food contests.  Attendees will have the opportunity to win door prizes throughout the event, connect with local agencies and organizations in the resource area and participate in interactive activities in Kids Area and Teen Zone. 
 
The Children’s Coalition’s Healthy Living Coordinator Mary Barrios says “We are so excited to be hosting our 9th annual event!  We have had such amazing support from our community, state park and our partners.   We invite everyone to celebrate with us at our family friendly event.”
 
Sponsors for this year’s event include title sponsor, Healthy Blue, Reeves Memorial Medical Center, Union General Hospital, Mabry Construction, CommuniHealth(Morehouse Community Medical Center), Louisiana Healthcare Connections, Origin Bank and Union Parish Sheriff Dusty Gates.
 
For additional information, please call Mary Barrios at 318-323-8775.

​​Every pregnant mom wants what’s best for her baby. If you, or someone you know, is a teenager and pregnant, a new free program is coming to Morehouse and Union parishes—MORE4U. Pregnant teens and a trusted adult meet twice a month in the evening at a local hospital to share a meal, meet with an OB-GYN and learn from a trained Parent Educator. The program is also available for pregnant moms, not just for pregnant teen moms. MORE4U brings together two evidence-based programs that support healthy pregnancy outcomes—Nurturing Skills for Teen Parents & Centering Pregnancy. The program will be bi-lingual in Union parish. Research has shown that increased pre-natal care and parent education help decrease the incidence of low-birth weight babies in teen pregnancies. 
 
What makes MORE4U unique is the combination of two evidence-based programs and the inclusion of a trusted adult to provide a consistent, evidence-based approach to parenting and prenatal care that can reduce the risk of low birth weight babies. Nurturing Skills for Teen Parents is an evidence-­based program that includes basic skills of parenting to increase attachment and healthy child development while helping manage the unique challenges of being a teen parent. Centering group prenatal care provides extended time with an OB-GYN every other week. Moms engage in their care by taking their own weight and blood pressure and recording their own health data with private time with their provider for belly check. Dr. Tonya Hawkins-Hunter, OB-GYN will work with a trained Nurturing Parenting educator from the Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana to provide the free program. 
  
In Union Parish, the program will be at Union General Hospital, 901 James Ave, Farmerville, every other Tuesday from 5:30-8:00 and will include dinner and childcare. In Union parish, the parent liaison is Natali Turrubiartes. Natali is from Berniece, but she works with community initiatives like U-ACT to help youth connect to services. She will lead the Union Parish sessions in English and Spanish. “We are looking for teens who are less than 20 weeks pregnant, but we are open for everyone,” says Natali. “Our goal is to bring together teens and someone who supports them to learn more about their babies and themselves.” 

In Morehouse Parish, the program will be at Morehouse General Hospital, 323 W. Walnut Ave, Bastrop, every other Tuesday from 5:30-8:00 and will include dinner and childcare. In Morehouse Parish, the parent liaison is Anna Akins. Anna is a Bastrop native – along with her husband and three children – and currently works with Kids 1st Morehouse, a community coalition that is working to increase developmental outcomes for infants and toddlers in Morehouse Parish. Anna also has a bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Studies as well as serving as a home visitor for Parents as Teachers. Even as a stay-at-home mom, Anna never stopped using her voice to advocate for children to ensure they have a healthy start to life. “We are looking for teens who are less than 20 weeks pregnant, but we are open for everyone,” says Anna. “Our goal is to bring together teens and someone who supports them to learn more about their babies and themselves.”  
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“MORE4U is not a program it’s a ministry. Ministering to the needs of pregnant teens in our parish by providing pre-natal care and parent education,” says Rev. Tommy Carr. “Teens will have a support system whenever, whatever and wherever needed. We are blessed to have a hospital engaged in the community providing a place for this ministry.” 
 
Interested teens can call the Coalition main office at 318-322-8775 or go online at childrenscoalition.org/more4u to get information or sign up. The program is sponsored by AETNA Foundation for Louisiana and the Children’s Coalition in partnership with the Well Woman Center and Union General Hospital. MORE4U is free and set to begin in late October. 

We are happy to announce that the Children’s Coalition is a Partner in Prevention Organization with Darkness to Light.

We have received this recognition because we have committed the time and effort to educate ourselves, our staff on how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.

The Children’s Coalition joins more than 150 other organizations throughout the country who is recognized as a Partner in Prevention.

​The Partner in Prevention Commitment Includes:
·      Making prevention a priority by using Stewards of Children® to train staff and volunteers who interact with youth
·      Conducting background checks on staff and volunteers who work with youth
·      Implementing policy that limits opportunities for one adult to be alone with one child

The Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana invites residents of Union Parish and beyond to experience Latin culture at the annual Día de la Familia!
 
Following the first Día de la Familia event in Ouachita Parish, Union Parish is proud to host its 9th annual Día de la Familia event from 3-7 p.m., at Lake D’arbonne State Park on Saturday, October 19th.
 
This year the normal $3 admission fee has been waived, meaning attendance is free! Participants can expect to enjoy a DJ, door prizes, a burrito eating contest and much more!
 
​Beside the burrito eating contest, there will be a wide variety of authentic Latin cuisine such as tacos, tamales and gorditas.