FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2021
Sara Desautel
Chief Philanthropy Officer
Community-Minded Enterprises
(509) 496-3685
SaraD@community-minded.org
Community Grants Expand Play & Learn Program for Parents in Recovery
Spokane, Wash. – For parents recovering from substance abuse, access to healthy, engaging activities with their children can positively contribute to promoting sobriety and family stability. In 2020, Community-Minded Enterprises (CME) developed Recovering Families Play-and-Learn groups to connect parents in recovery with peers and equip them with activities and resources, designed to encourage positive social and emotional development with their children. The program is being expanded in 2021 with the support of community partners; Department of Children, Youth, and Families; Providence Health Care, and MultiCare Community Partnership Fund.
“There is no doubt 2020 was a tough year for our members,” said Christine McMackin, who manages CME’s Recovery Café. “We are excited for the return of interactive activities for our members who have young children.”
When COVID-19 hit in the spring of 2020, in-person Play-and-Learn groups were suspended, but that didn’t mean the focus on high quality early learning stopped, it just adapted. CME’s Family Engagement team created grab and go activity bags and started an online Facebook forum for parents. “The response was great,” said Kimberly Holt, Community Engagement Coordinator for CME, “but it is not the same as interactive learning.”
For 2021 Community-Minded is launching virtual Play and Learn Groups with the goal of returning to in-person sessions when it is safe to do so. The groups are for children birth to age five in recovery homes in Spokane. Older siblings and extended family members are encouraged to participate.
The 90-minute sessions are based on the Kaleidoscope Play and Learn model, an evidence-based program designed to prepare children for Kindergarten. CME launched its first Play and Learn group in the fall of 2019 at the Department of Social and Health Services office in Spokane. The weekly drop-in sessions served families waiting for assistance and provided a haven for children away from the waiting room.
“We are eager for the re-launch and grateful to our partners at MultiCare and Providence Health Care who have been there from the beginning,” said Lee Williams, CEO of Community-Minded Enterprises. “We couldn’t do this work with their support.” Providence Health Care recently awarded CME $15,500 for this work, their second grant in two years to fund CME’s Play and Learn efforts. MultiCare Community Partnership Fund graciously contributed $15,000.
CME’s 2021 Recovering Families Play and Learn Groups are designed to empower families to nurture children’s growth by developing healthy relationships and preparing them for success in school and life. Sessions are weekly and include crafts, supplies provided.
Classes are currently being formed. For more information families should contact Victoria at victoriar@community-minded.org or (509) 385-2950.
Community-Minded Enterprises is a 501c3 nonprofit with four offices in Spokane and one in Pasco. It was formed as a grassroots organization in the early 1990s and incorporated 1997.
Learn more at www.community-minded.org and www.facebook.com/communityminded/.
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