Program Details
About Us
- Sadie Meiners, BSW, LSW, Assistant Director of Strong Families
- Sharon Gillespie, BA, QMHS, Coordinator of Parent Enrichment
- Jennifer Clarke, Administrative Office Manager
- Hilary Shelton, BA, QMHS, Parent Educator
- Aubrey Sorrell, BA, QMHS, Parent Educator
- Hillary Crippen, BA, QMHS, Parent Educator
- Lori Blackburn, AS, QMHS, Parent Educator
- Stacey Darling, BSW, QMHS, Parent Educator
- Priscilla Clark, BS, QMHS, Parent Educator
- Kayla Tully, BS, QMHS, Parent Educator
Our Philosophy
All parents, including birth, kinship, foster and adoptive parents, can benefit from support including mentoring, child development information, education and training, role modeling, hands-on parent guidance provided by highly skilled parent educators, daily living skills training and concrete resources and social supports.
The goal of parent enrichment services is to provide individualized and specialized support, training and preparation to promote healthy, well-adjusted children and families.
Our Accreditation
Child Focus programs and services have been nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) since 2005.
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Hamilton County
4411 Montgomery Road Suite 201
Cincinnati, Ohio 45212
513.752.1555
Clermont County
4629 Aicholtz Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45244
513.752.1555
Brown County
710 N. High Street
Mt. Orab, Ohio 45154
513.752.1555
Click here to complete and submit an Inquiry Form
Inquire Today!
info@child-focus.org
Who We Serve
- Children
- Birth Families
- Extended Family Members
- Foster Families
- Adoptive Families
- Child Welfare Organizations
Children
Child Focus serves children, including children who are in the custody of the State of Ohio. Child Focus receives parent enrichment referrals from parents, schools, pediatricians and several county children's protective services agencies in Southwest Ohio. Child Focus serves all children in need of care and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, sex, national origin or sexual orientation. Typically, children needing care range in age from newborn to young adulthood. Our number one priority is to ensure children in care are safe, happy, healthy, educated and well adjusted for success in life.
Birth Families
Child Focus supports birth family preservation and reunification. Our goal is to ensure children are safe, healthy and emotionally well adjusted. When children must be placed outside their birth family, program staff and foster parents are the primary care and treatment team members responsible for making sure children thrive while they are in care, maintain regular contact and connections with birth family and support the child and birth family to overcome the problems that led to the child's placement in care.
Foster Families
Child Focus understands that to be a great foster family requires being well trained and well supported before, during and after the child's departure from the home. We understand that the better we support foster parents, the better foster parents are able to care for the children in their care.
Adoptive Families
Child Focus supports permanence for all children. The absence of a permanent family is detrimental to healthy child development. It is our position that children are not well-served by lingering in foster care when birth family reunification is not possible. Child Focus supports all foster parents to adopt children in their care who have become legally free for adoption. Our goal is to support permanence for all children.
Child Welfare Organizations
Child Focus proudly boasts a great reputation in the Ohio child welfare industry. We care about children, families and very deeply about our community partners. Our organizational strength is rooted in building and maintaining collaborative, positive, effective open communication, a culture of compliance and ethics and a servant mentality.
Life Skills Group
Life Skills for Youth & Young Adults
Child Focus offers comprehensive Life Skills training for youth and young adults ages 15 and older. Life Skills training covers a series of structured core competencies designed to prepare youth for a successful transition to adulthood.
Who We Serve
- At-Risk Youth Ages 15-21
- Youth in Foster Care, Group Care or Independent Living
- Youth Involved in Juvenile Court
- Youth With Social, Emotional or Mental Health Problems
- Youth with Developmental Disabilities
- Pregnant & Parenting Teens
Life Skills training complies with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services requirements and includes a comprehensive life skills assessment and post testing to evaluate skill acquisition.
Youth benefit by acquiring hard and soft skills, fundamental for success in education, career, community living, self-care and interpersonal relationships. Life Skills is ideally suited for at-risk adolescents and young adults experiencing adjustment difficulties at home, at school or in the community. Staff assist youth to identify and overcome social, emotional and physical barriers that interfere with positive functioning in critical life domains.
Group Format
Life Skills training is conducted in a weekly 2-hour group format. Sessions are incentive-based with youth eligible to earn a stipend for attendance and participation. Content emphasizes the acquisition of hard and soft skills through the facilitation of core content, hands-on practice opportunities, community experiences, journaling, goal setting and peer group process.
Life Skills Series
Book 1: Choices, Education & Career Preparation
Life outcomes result from the choices individuals make. Human behavior is never random or without purpose and it is a complex interaction of thoughts, feelings and actions. All behavior is a choice and all choices are made in an attempt to meet our most basic human needs for survival: power, love, belonging, freedom and fun. Understanding underlying motivations and evaluating potential consequences positions young people to make effective life choices that result in a successful transition to adulthood.
Click Here For A Sample Of The Choices, Education & Career Preparation Workbook.
Book 2: Personal Finance
Developing the ability to make sound financial decisions is an important stepping stone to independence. Young people transitioning to adulthood must evaluate the basic components involved in managing personal finances. Personal finance includes banking, budgeting, record keeping, saving, investing, insurance and taxes. Developing and adhering to a personal budget allows a young adult to prioritize necessary spending and avoid perils of debt. The financial decisions made in young adulthood lay the foundation for future financial stability.
Book 3: Self-Sufficiency
Self-sufficiency is the ability for young people to draw upon and utilize knowledge, skills and available resources in order to live successfully within the social environment. Building personal and interpersonal resources as well as overcoming barriers is a fundamental requirement. Continuing to make informed, effective life choices with regard to housing and other daily living needs contributes to a healthy lifestyle and a successful transition into adulthood.
Click Here To See A Sample Of The Self-Sufficiency Workbook.
Book 4: Self-Care
Self-care involves the effective management of personal health, hygiene and safety. Effective self-care is critical in preventing or complicating ongoing health problems. Substance abuse damages your body and your ability to manage important aspects of your life, including school, work and personal relationships.
Book 5: Personal Relationships
Personal relationships refer to person to person intimate relationships that are rooted in close association, familiarity and are essential to adulthood. Trust, respect, openness, honesty and successful conflict resolution are the hallmarks of healthy relationships. Family influences and young adulthood relationships form the building blocks for the development of all future relationships. A successful transition to adulthood is dependent on each young person's ability to develop and maintain healthy personal relationships.
Referrals for Life Skills
Life Skills Training referrals may be made by contacting Child Focus, Inc. at 513.752.1555 and requesting to speak to an Out of Home Care representative or by submitting a referral to the link below.
Donation Needs
Children & Family Needs
Children and families served through Child Focus may have basic living item needs that many take for granted including housing, food and clothing.
Ways You Can Help
There are many ways you can help support these children and families. The list below highlights some of the most critical donation and support needs for children and families.
- Donate money or gift cards for basic needs such as food and clothing
- Gas cards
- Donate school supplies and book bags for children
- Volunteer your time as a mentor, tutor or babysitter
- Become a foster parent or respite provider
- Collect and donate gently used clothing for children and parents
- Donate cleaning and hygiene supplies
- Sponsor children and their families for Child Focus Holiday Giving Tree Program
- Donate family entertainment passes
- Sponsor participation fees for children's extracurricular sports or arts programs
- Encourage friends and family to donate and get involved
Donate Now
Contact Tara Keith at 513.752.1555 or Visit the our Donate Page Here.
100
percentage of caregivers who improved their parent-child relationship and communication
100
percentage of parents who improved their knowledge of child development
100
percentage of caregivers who received useful hands-on parenting strategies