Other Parenting Tips
We’ve covered some major concerns for parents in Deltona on individual pages, but here are some other topics to ponder:
Family Building
Strengthening couples relationships for better child outcomes.
The Florida Marriage and Family Research Institute Project provides individual and group counseling to couples and families and pre-marital counseling (University of Central Florida, Orlando, 407-823-1748).
- Healthy Families Plus has launched the nation's first Building Strong Families Project for unmarried couples who have just had or are about to have a child. (Orlando, 407-649-9638)
- Children's Home Society of Florida is one of seven organizations in the nation implementing the Post-Adoption Services and Marriage Education Project for families who have adopted special needs children and want assistance with the challenges of transitioning into a new home. (The society is headquartered in Winter Park -- 1485 S. Semoran Blvd., Suite 1448, 321-397-3000, but the local North Coastal division is based in South Daytona. CHS operates the Sunshine House, Brian's House and Destiny House, emergency shelters for young children and teens, all in Deland.)
Early Childhood
Taking care of children from infancy to middle school.
- How to prevent childhood injuries: Learn about car-seat safety, childhood falls, and drowning, poisoning and burn prevention, all in one downloadable publication: September is Child Safety Month from the Florida Department of Children and Families.
- Over the years, many different arrangements have been recommended as the safest way for babies to sleep. The DCF sets it straight with another downloadable newsletter that includes an article titled “Babies Need a Firm Sleep”.
Special Needs
Serving expectant moms, newborn babies, infants and toddlers, school-aged children, adolescents and young adults.
- Children’s Medical Services, part of the Florida Department of Health, is a collection of programs for children with special needs. Highly qualified physicians, nurses, social workers and other health care providers around the state provide all services through family-centered programs.
- S.T.A.R.S. (Special Therapeutic and Recreational Services) provides support to families coping with a child or adolescent suffering from a mental illness. Program includes diagnosis, treatment, medication, education and resources (386-441-1742 or 386-447-2252).
Tweens
Supporting kids during a time of transition and growth.
Florida law does not have a hard and fast rule about when children can be left home alone, but instead expects parents to take all of the circumstances into account when deciding what level of supervision is needed. The DCF offers some advice in a downloadable publication: “It’s Your Turn: Raise the Leaders of Tomorrow.”
Teens
Supervising increasing independence and responsibility.
In addition to topics like Bullying, Drug Abuse, Underage Drinking, Violence, Peer Pressure and Teen Pregnancy, high-schoolers face many other temptations and challenges. One of them is tobacco use. For advice, visit Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids or contact Students Working Against Tobacco (S.W.A.T.) at 386-274-0603. The local organization offers projects and programs that unite teens to reach their peers about the dangers of tobacco.
