“As a Nation, we have no task more important than ensuring our children grow up healthy and safe. It is a promise we owe to the hundreds of thousands of youth in foster care – boys and girls who too often go without the love, protection, and stability of a permanent family. This month, we […]
This is the third post in a series of three from SCAN’s CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Program, written by Lindsay Warner Ferrer. Lindsay is a CASA Case Supervisor and was previously a trained volunteer with the program. One of the best ways to prevent abuse and neglect is through home visiting programs for new […]
Today’s guest blogger is Kim Fiske, a longtime supporter and current Board Member of SCAN. Kim’s perspective on SCAN’s change and growth over the years is valuable, but it’s her personal connections and networking that we find especially uplifting. She is an individual who has put her heart into her commitment to SCAN on many levels, […]
Today’s guest blog post comes from SCAN’s Council of Young Professionals, an energetic group of 20- and 30-something-year-old volunteers getting ready to make a big impact in April for National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Thanks to Meghan Tuttle and Angela Walter for contributing to this special post! April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and, it goes without saying, […]
This is the second post in a series of three from SCAN’s CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Program, written by Lindsay Warner Ferrer. Lindsay is a CASA Case Supervisor and was previously a trained volunteer with the program. The Alexandria/Arlington Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program provides trained volunteers appointed by the Court to serve as […]
This week we welcome Senator Barbara Favola to the blog! A longtime supporter of our issues and a SCAN Honorary Board Member, we’re thrilled that she’s giving us an important update following the end of Virginia’s legislation session last month. Dear Friends, The 2013 General Assembly legislative session ended last week and it was a whirlwind. Senate Democrats held […]
Imagine you’re a parent. Raising a child is one of the hardest jobs you have EVER had. Now imagine you’re suddenly doing it in a new country, where very few people can speak your native language. Where you know little about the resources available to your family. Where few—if any—of your family and friends are there to […]
Our guest blogger today is Ana Lucia Lico, a member of SCAN’s Board whose story with SCAN actually begins in a parenting class more than five years ago, as a mother searching for support and resources to raise her young children. In addition to her role on the Board, Ana is a member of SCAN’s 25th Anniversary Planning […]
We love sharing SCANSnapshot posts here on the blog. Giving you a glimpse of our programs – the parents, children and volunteers who make it all happen – is a great way for us to show you the things we could never fully explain with words alone, including… The quiet interest and uncertainty of parents as […]
Today’s guest blogger is Christine Calpin, a member of SCAN’s Board of Directors and Chair of its Legislative & Advocacy Committee. With SCAN’s most ambitious year of advocacy ahead of us, she shares valuable updates on our policy agenda as well as ways SCAN supporters can learn more and stay involved in 2013. It’s nice to know these […]
A lot of people receive SCAN’s parenting resources in-person at community events. Thousands visit our online Parent Resource Center every month. Hundreds follow SCAN on Facebook. Dozens even read this blog every week. But there’s another way we’re able to reach thousands – perhaps tens of thousands! – of families every month: radio. For over a decade, SCAN has […]
What do a local judge, a foster parent and an emergency room doctor have in common? How about a social worker and a Parks & Recreation employee? Or an attorney and a probation officer? Every one of these individuals has received an Allies in Prevention Award from SCAN and its Allies in Prevention Coalition. Over the […]
It’s been a busy week here at SCAN. Staff members have been everywhere from The McCoart Administration Building in Prince William County to the Arlington CAC, from one of our Parent Support Groups in South Fairfax County to our very own offices here in Alexandria. So much of what we do at SCAN is made possible by the strong […]
The theme of SCAN’s year-end report this year touches on the essence of our work… Believing in children as the hope for tomorrow; Believing in the family as an essential fiber in the fabric of our community; Believing that we each have a role and responsibility in supporting parents around us in order to ensure […]
It’s a busy time of year for so many of us — at home, in our communities, on the job AND with our families. Here at SCAN, we’ve been feeling the holiday hustle & bustle, too! All the more reason to be grateful that the last couple of weeks have given us a number of opportunities to get […]
Today’s guest blog comes from SCAN’s Council of Young Professionals (CYP), a group of volunteers working together to support SCAN’s mission and engage new members of the community in SCAN’s work. To learn more about the CYP and how you can get involved, email SCAN’s Development Director Karen Price at [email protected]. There’s no underestimating the power […]
Last week we hosted a special Training for Citizen Advocates on Children’s Issues. So often at SCAN we work directly with individual children and families, but we also take time to focus on state-wide issues impacting thousands of families in our region. Along with Prevent Child Abuse Virginia, Voices for Virginia’s Children and The Commonwealth Institute we hosted elected […]
Today’s guest blogger is Karen Holmes, a local parent and prevention professional. Karen attended one of our Stewards of Children trainings earlier this fall through SCAN’s partnership with Darkness to Light. Then in November she made the commitment to become a trained facilitator for the program. We asked her to share her thoughts on prevention, her experiences […]
This year’s Toast to Hope fell just days before the Thanksgiving holiday, and the timing could not have been more perfect. We are so thankful for the hundreds of people involved with this event, from planning committee members and volunteers to sponsors and guests. They all helped us raise $65,000 to support SCAN’s child abuse prevention programs in […]
While we know that sexual abuse is a widespread problem, we also know that certain factors put particular children at risk. The risk of sexual abuse increases when children live with step-parents, a single parent and for those children who live with a single parent who has a live-in partner. Children who witness or are […]
Our most recent Allies in Prevention Coalition gathering was an average, run-of-the-mill meeting for us. Twenty+ attendees? Check. Hosted at a local public building? Check. Lunch provided? Check. But the funny thing is, these meetings are anything but average. You see, the Coalition brings together local child & family advocates from across Northern Virginia on a […]
One Decade. One Volunteer. One Amazing Impact. Ten years ago, Tyra Hunt was sworn-in as a CASA volunteer with SCAN’s Alexandria/Arlington CASA Program. Today she stops by the blog to reflect on the challenges of being a CASA, her favorite memories and why she remains committed to advocating for abused and neglected children in our local […]
Young kids can be like parrots – they’re small, sometimes they squawk, and they have a tendency to repeat and learn what they hear. That last point is well taken. When you say, “I’m trying to lose 10 pounds” in front of your five-year-old, you have just taught them something new. And it might not be something […]
Just a year ago, Kiesha Boney stepped into her very first volunteer opportunity with SCAN’s Parent Education Program. Since then she’s volunteered 40+ hours, working alongside SCAN’s Children’s Program Coordinator and helping children learn and grow in a structured children’s program while their parents participate in weekly educational support group sessions. We asked Kiesha to share […]
Putting your kids’ needs ahead of your own is a defining part of being a parent (that, and sometimes DNA plays a role). But what happens if you and your spouse decide that separating as a couple is what you want? It’s not the end of your road as a parent, and it’s certainly not the time […]