American Rescue Plan Act: Child and Family Pandemic Relief Grants
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Child and Family Pandemic Relief grant was intended to help offset some of the immediate needs of families in the Birth to 3 Program through concrete supports, promoting social engagement, and fostering connectedness after experiencing the negative effects of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also provided many Birth to 3 Programs an opportunity to continue their investment in social and emotional awareness to better support Birth to 3 Program families and their children.
Read below to see some of the great things counties did with their grants.
Barron
Connected families with an existing community resource based on needs identified in a survey.
Buffalo | Pepin
Supported Library Story Time at the Durand Public Library, Mindfulness Yoga, Play at the Park Playgroups, and Morning Munchies Play & Learn.
Calumet | Outagamie | Winnebago
Created parent cafes (15 events across three cities and towns) that ended up serving 48 parents and 59 children.
Chippewa
Provided 85 families with concrete supports like grocery cards and transportation assistance.
Dane
Distributed 500 grocery and gas cards to families in the Birth to 3 Program families. In addition, dozens took part in connectedness and wellness activities.
Door
Provided informational packets connecting families at an area clinic to local resources in addition to the Birth to 3 Program.
Dunn
Ran weekly playgroups for families and children to interact that served 60 families per week.
Eau Claire
The Birth to 3 Program team, including leadership, attended Facilitated Attuned Interactions training.
Jackson
Sponsored a community-wide event, “Wellness Extravaganza,” that focused on all areas of wellness and included other community agencies.
Jefferson
Staff attended the Parents as Teachers conference.
Kenosha
Created a 550 hours campaign to get families outdoors, which served a total of 100 families.
Kewaunee
Purchased and distributed social emotional materials.
La Crosse
Developed weekly play groups that served a total of 146 families.
Lincoln | Langlade | Marathon
Started using the Journey Together curriculum in everyday Birth to 3 services with families.
Manitowoc
Created five distinct play groups throughout the community, each with a theme based on one of the five protective factors.
Milwaukee
Launched a multimedia campaign, “Early Start, Bright Future,” that included a website landing page for resources on protective factors.
Racine
The Boost Program, designed for families to build strength, resilience, and stability, began accepting referrals from the Birth to 3 Program.
Sawyer
Collaborated with the Lac Courte Oreilles tribe to host two large group events for Birth to 3 families and children, which was an opportunity to interact and socialize.
Trempealeau
Did a DECA assessment and saw an increase of children being identified as needing additional social and emotional supports.
Vernon
Supported a Parent-Child Play Group for 187 children in 92 families.
Washington
Implemented Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and the Child Adult Relationship Enhancement (CARE).
Waupaca
Multiple families will be served through the purchase of Brief Early Relational Assessment (B-ERA) materials.
Waushara
Created a monthly support group for infants and toddlers to play and interact with other children of similar age; 36 families participated.
