The Knox County Family & Children First Council (KCFCFC) is currently recruiting for parent representatives for Council. The Ohio Family & Children First Initiative promotes coordination and collaboration among state and local governments, non-profit organizations, business and families for the benefit of Ohio’s families. In an effort to provide family-friendly, efficient, and effective services, family representatives are needed on Council to serve as the parents’ voice.
QUALIFICATIONS:
A parent representative may not be employed by an agency represented on KCFCFC. A parent representative should be receiving or have received services from one of the agencies on KCFCFC or
another county’s FCFC. These include the following agencies in Knox County:
- Behavioral Healthcare Partners of Central Ohio, Inc.
- Children and Family Services Division of Knox County DJFS
- City of Mount Vernon Local Government
- Department of Youth Services
- Interchurch Social Services of Knox County
- Juvenile Court/Probation
- Knox Area Transit (KAT)
- Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities
- Knox County Department of Job & Family Services
- Knox County FCFC Community Team
- Knox County Head Start, Inc.
- Knox Learning Center – Knox ESC
- Knox Metropolitan Housing Authority
- Knox Public Health
- Mental Health & Recovery Board of Licking & Knox Counties
- Mount Vernon City Schools
- NAMI Knox/Licking County Ohio
- New Directions
- OSU Extension
- Other Knox County Schools District
- Pathways of Central Ohio
- The Freedom Center
- The Salvation Army of Mount Vernon
- The Village Network
- United Way of Knox County
The primary role of the family representative is to encourage parents/consumers to become effective at speaking up for all children and families by working in partnership with public and private agencies. The Council understands that parents are busy supporting their families, and a stipend is provided for meeting attendance. As parent representative, we invite parents to participate in the following:
- Attend county, regional, and state meetings; serve on committees;
- Assist in educating the public about Council goals and activities;
- Promote family involvement in designing better services for families;
- Serve as a liaison between the community and the Council;
- Speak up for parents in the community about current issues that impact families such as school levies, child abuse and neglect, quality childcare and early intervention;
- Give updates to Council on family involvement and consumer concerns;
- Empower and educate parents in the community about the importance of nurturing young children;
- Promote parent involvement in solving community concerns by participating in community association meetings, voting in local and state elections, and raising concerns at neighborhood meetings.
Please contact Colette Hart, Council Coordinator, via email at KnoxFCFC@gmail.com, for more information about Family & Children First Council, or to request an application or suggest a candidate for the parent representative seats on Council. We will be accepting applications until March 1, 2021.