• Good Cause

Navigator: Jennifer Martin, Ada County / MartinJ1@dhw.idaho.gov / 334-0863

VISTAs: Robbie Jackson, 2-1-1 Careline / 287-1031 / JacksonR2@dhw.idaho.gov

Health & Welfare in Ada County

WEBSITE

School-aged children who receive the child-only TANF grant automatically qualify for FREE school lunch (and breakfast at schools that offer breakfast).

For questions about whether or not your child / grandchild qualifies for the child-only TANF grant, please see H&W above or ask a GAP member.

Additionally, some schools in the Boise School District are "Provision 2" schools and offer FREE breakfast and lunch to students and their FAMILY, regardless of family income. If you're not sure if your child's school is a Provision 2 school, contact the school lunch administrator or the Boise School District offices.

Children aged 3 and 4 (and 5 yr olds not yet in kindergarten) in a kinship situation, qualify for Head Start based on their income, NOT family income. This means that if your child qualifies for the child-only TANF grant, then Head Start is tuition-free.

The Idaho Depart of Health and Welfare’s Family and Community Service Division has recently acquired a resource library with two thousand books, videos and audiotapes. This library is not available to the general public, only IDHW employees, community partners, foster families and Kincare families.

To check out materials, you must obtain a member number by emailing the 211 Careline at Careline@dhw.idaho.gov with the following information:
1. Name
2. Complete Mailing Address
3. Home and Work Telephone Numbers
4. Email address
5. Your Eligibility: (1-Foster Family; 2-IDHW Employee; 3-Kincare Family; 4-AgencyPartner)

After you receive a member number, you can request any item in the FACS library.

To browse materials, follow the links from the 211 Careline website at
http://211.idaho.gov/ that directs you to the FACS Resource Library. Once you are on the library’s page, select the media type at the bottom of the page that interests you. For example, by selecting the book icon, you will see a list of available books to check out. Use the search option by typing in a subject that you would like to read about.

To check out the materials, send an email to Careline@dhw.idaho.gov. In the
subject line, write FACS Resource Library Request. In the body of the message include your name and member number, phone number, current mailing address,
item type and barcode. In 7-10 days you should receive your requested item in the mail, along with a postage-paid envelope to mail the item back to the library.

You have three weeks to learn from the item you checked out before you have to return it!

• Contact the H&W Navigators. They often have clothing on-hand or thrift store coupons that can be redeemed for clothing or other household supplies.
• Yahoo "FreeCycle" groups - see below for a link to one very popular site.
• GAP: Just ask. Sometimes we have items to share.
• The recycling center on Seaman's Gulch Rd in Boise (by the dump) - has paint and other household chemicals. They are open Fridays and Saturdays whenever the dump is open. The paint and chemicals are tested before being shelved for residents to take. And yes, the items are completely FREE. We have painted the inside of our house with free paint from the recycling center.
• The Ada County Self-Rescue Manual - this lists everything from food banks to free or low-cost medical services. Every kinship home should have a copy! The link is below. The document is a LARGE PDF. If you can't download it, copies are available to the H&W offices.

It’s an opportunity for grandparents (who have legal guardianship) to apply for grants of up to $5000 to pay for medical services for children they are raising.

Smarty Pants Consignment is a business that holds twice-yearly sales of children's merchandise. Not only can you sell good quality children's items that are used but you can often find great children's items at deeply discounted prices. I can't get the link to work but try: smartypantsconsignment.com  

Moppet Togs Consignment is a business that holds semi-annual sales of children's merchandise. Not only can you sell good quality children's items that are used but you can often find great children's items at deeply discounted prices. I can't get the link to work but try: www.moppettogs.com   They just had a sale in September.

Do you have a favorite book on grandparenting, parenting again or child rearing? Let us know so we can list it here:

• Grandparents as Parents: A Survival Guide for Raising a Second Family by Sylvie de Toledo and Deborah Edler Brown
• Why Gender Matters: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know about the Emerging Science of Sex Differences by Leonard Sax
• Emotional Intelligence: 10th Anniversary Edition; Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen R. Covey and Sandra M. Covey