Resource Guide To The Protective Factors
Early Childhood Collective of Douglas County is dedicated to strengthening families by recognizing and facilitating access to these five factors that improve child outcomes and protect families from abuse and neglect.
Finding Child Care & Financial Aid Resources
Parents & Caregivers
How to Find Child Care & Support. Click here to learn more.
Positive Bright Start UW Scholarship & Financial Aid Applications can be found here.
DCF Subsidies can be found here.
Kansas Quality Network (KQN) is a new website offered by the Kansas Department for Children and Families that directs child care providers, families and communities to resources available for the advancement, support and recognition of continuous quality improvement efforts in child care in Kansas. KQN provides information on child care assistance and other services available to children and families, including eligibility requirements for early childhood education programs. KQN supports parents with information about how to choose child care for their families that goes beyond health and safety and assists child care providers in enhancing their professional skills by providing professional development and other opportunities that will help provide better early-learning experiences for children. Learn More Here.
Early Childhood Educators
Professional Development & Coaching Resources
Additional Resources
More information about each resource can be found via the linked images below.
INFANTS & TODDLERS
tiny-k Early Intervention of Douglas County provides therapy services including, but not limited to: Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Social Work Services (including Play Therapy), Feeding and Nutrition Therapy, and Child Development to address behavior concerns, speech concerns, nutrition and feeding concerns, movement concerns, and sensory issues to name a few of the issues we address with children and their caregivers. These services are provided at no cost to families in the child’s natural environment (home, child care, grandparents’ home, etc.). tiny-k works with community partners including physicians to insure collaborative care.
PRESCHOOLERS
LPL is here as your sidekick to assist you and your pre-reader with resources. Sometimes you need to tag-team it, and that’s when we’ll jump in to arm you with books your child will find entrancing or especially silly, or take over for a storytime session that shoulders a bit of your responsibility to provide enrichment experiences. You’re always welcome to join us for storytimes to meet other parents and children, ask for book suggestions from Lauren or Jenny, and build up literacy skills. Learn more here.
We brought Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Douglas County! One free book a month to children up to age 5. This page has resources for parents and information for how to support our nonprofit cause. Learn more here.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Special education is specially designed instruction that enables students to make continuous progress in school. Special education services are provided within each school and services are individualized to meet the needs of each child. Special education and related services are provided to eligible students with disabilities ages 3 to 21 and to students who qualify for gifted services in Kindergarten to Grade 12. Special education and related services (such as speech-language, occupational, and/or physical therapy) are determined through comprehensive assessment and input from parents.
More information about each special education program can be found via the linked images below.
Parenting Classes
LMH Health offers ONLINE classes for Childbirth, Breastfeeding, Baby Care and Newborn Safety. Registration has been discounted and is required for these classes. We are also offering a free, Online New Parent & Breastfeeding Support Group. Please look in the categories under Baby Care and Childbirth for details and to register. Learn More.
Breastfeeding Support
Lawrence Douglas County Public Health offers Breastfeeding Support with the following:
- Breast pump program
- Help with combining breastfeeding with work or school
- Home visits
- Linking families to services
- One-on-one counseling
- Support
- Telephone consultations
Healthy Dads Program
The Healthy Dads Healthy Families program provides the skills and knowledge men need to build positive, lasting relationships with their children.
- For fathers by fathers
- Offers support and mentoring
- Teaches important skills
- Provides incentives
Classes are ongoing, free and open to any dad or father figure in Douglas County. Child care and snacks are provided. Learn More Here.
Smart Connections
Join Community Children’s Center online for an hour each week to explore making smart connections with your children during this challenging time. Learn strategies you can apply immediately and interact with other parents who are facing the same challenges. Attend all sessions or only those of particular interest to you. Learn More Here.
Home Visiting Programs
Lawrence parents & teachers program provides the information, support, and encouragement parents need to help their children develop optimally during the crucial early years of life. Learn more here.
The Baldwin STAR program uses the national Parents as Teachers curriculum. All parent educators have a minimum of an undergraduate degree and experience in early childhood education. They also train in the national Parents as Teachers certification program. Learn more here.
The Eudora Parents as Teachers is a national program for children age birth to three, that equips parents with the tools they need to tap into their child’s natural ability to learn. Participants in PAT enjoy regular play groups and activities, as well as one-on-one home visits for a truly individualized focus on the child’s stages of development. The program also includes basic vision, hearing, and developmental screenings at the different critical stages. Learn more here.
Healthy Families Home Visitors
Douglas County residents who are pregnant or have a child under 3 months of age can participate in this program. Residents can opt to remain in program until child turns 3 years old. Learn more here.
ECKAN Head Start and Early Head Start
ECKAN Helps your child and family be ready for school and lifelong success. ECKAN offers FREE Head Start programs for low-income children and families pregnancy to age 5. Learn more here.
The Centro Hispano Resource Center effectively builds the community’s capacity to meet health, educational and social service needs of Latino families while cultivating cultural understanding and honoring traditions. Teléfono (785) 843-2039
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
We brought Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Douglas County! One free book a month to children up to age 5. This page has resources for parents and information for how to support our nonprofit cause. Learn More Here.
Children’s Behavior
PBS Play Therapy
Positive Bright Start’s Play therapists work with children who display behavioral concerns at childcare or at home, who are working through grief and loss, anxiety, attachment concerns, or transitions such as divorce and foster care. They also work with children who have a history of trauma including physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect. Learn more here.
KU Child & Family Services Clinic
The mission of the Child & Family Services Clinic is to provide affordable, quality mental health care to the children, adolescents, and families of Northeast Kansas, including Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin, Topeka, and the Kansas City Metro area. We are the primary training clinic for graduate students in the Clinical Child Psychology Doctoral program at the University of Kansas. Learn more here.
Monarch Play Therapy
Over the past 20 years, Bridget has worked in various public service contexts, including child welfare, community mental health, substance abuse, behavior consultation and early childhood mental health. She previously served as the Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant at Head Start of Lawrence. Passionate about play therapy and teaching, Bridget also is an instructor for Heartland Play Therapy Institute as well as a Board Member of the Kansas Association of Play Therapy.
Jamie is a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor. Her social work career, for the past 20 years, has included work in health care and hospice, grief and loss, early childhood mental health and infant-toddler fields. Jamie is an endorsed member of the Kansas Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. She has extensive experience with child development, children with special needs, healthcare concerns and families experiencing trauma. Jamie enjoys working with a wide variety of families in office, home and school settings. Learn more here.
Lawrence Play Therapy
Stacy Johnson, the owner of Lawrence Play Therapy specializes in working with children ages 2 – 12. Stacy also does family therapy involving children and parents when needed. Some of the most common issues Stacy sees children for include abuse/trauma, attachment, ADHD, anxiety, depression, behavior problems, divorce, parenting struggles, anger, grief/loss, and adjustment issues. Learn more.
Marci Ramsay, Clinical Social Work/Therapist
Marci Ramsay’s primary practice is the assessment and treatment of children, birth through age 13, with developmental and mental health disorders. I offer clinical assessment for children and individual, client-centered therapy for children and their caregivers. I specialize in treating children with trauma-related conditions, including child maltreatment and attachment or adjustment disorders. This includes work around grief and loss, and those impacted by divorce or separation from caregivers. Additionally, my work with children involves parenting education and support when there are stressors within the family system. Learn more here.
Parents’ Emotional Health Resources
BNC Child & Families
The mission of the Bert Nash Center is to advance the health of the Douglas County community through comprehensive behavioral health services responsive to evolving needs and changing environments. Learn more here.
Satori Counseling Services
Satori Counseling Services was founded 5 years ago and uses a strengths-based, client-centered approach. Satori Counseling staff use trauma-informed strategies and techniques to best serve the people we work with. Satori staff practice with a lens of inclusion and respect for all individuals we serve. Learn more here.
Lydia Diebolt, LSCSW
Lydia Diebolt is a bilingual psychotherapist in Lawrence, Kansas. Lydia provides confidential psychotherapy to individuals, couples and families. Lydia’s specialized training includes Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Ericksonian Hypnotherapy and Brainspotting. Lydia also offers clinical supervision for social workers and hardship waiver evaluations for families facing immigration barriers. Learn more here.
Rent & Utilities
The Housing Stabilization Collaborative provides financial rent support and low-interest microloans to Douglas County renters experiencing a COVID-affected income. Through the HSC, tenants, landlords and participating agencies are brought together to collaboratively establish equitable and sustainable solutions for rent support and successful housing. If you are a tenant or landlord that has been economically affected by COVID-19. Learn more here.
The mission of Family Promise of Lawrence is to help homeless families with children achieve and maintain permanent housing. Learn more here.
Tenants to Homeowners is a local Lawrence, KS nonprofit that has helped more than 421 individuals with 167 permanently affordable, energy-efficient rental (83) or owner-occupied (84) homes since 1992. TTH also provides 84 affordable rentals and reaches more than 300 people annually through homebuyer education workshops and presentations to help equip families to be successful homeowners. Learn more here.
DCF Economic & Employment Assistance
Economic and Employment Support provides a variety of services that may help you, including cash, food, medical, energy and child care assistance; Early Head Start and adult protective services. It also helps individuals to find and keep a job along with other employment support services. Learn more here.
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