Child development experts talk about asset building. It’s fancy jargon with a simple meaning: boosting kids’ chances of growing into happy, successful adults.
Maybe you’ve seen these developmental asset lists — family support and caring adults, safety, positive peer influence, self-esteem — all those things that keep children on the right path. Think of a recipe. Those so-called assets are ingredients for making a good kid.
Kids couldn’t care less about childhood seen through the eyes of social workers. With schools about to shut their doors for summer, fun is at the top of children’s lists. It’s time to bust out of the classroom. That’s how kids see summer.
That’s how Nancy Reisner sees summer, too — for all kids.
Reisner, a mother of three school-age children, lives in Issaquah. This summer, she’ll spend lots of time with Snohomish County children as she launches Nancy’s House Fieldtrips. It’s a new nonprofit organization with a packed schedule of fun outings for kids in foster care.
With weekend and midweek trips to the Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett, Jetty Island and the beach in Mukilteo, Woodland Park and Point Defiance zoos and other destinations, the aim is to mix old-fashioned summer fun with positive experiences and role models the experts say all kids need.
Reisner has run her own licensed day care and worked at a preschool for children with special needs. Last summer, she worked with Y Community, a YMCA of Snohomish County program for children who have experienced homelessness.
With Nancy’s House Fieldtrips, she wants to help foster children and the families who care for them. All children in a household — the foster children and biological kids — will get out on field trip days, giving foster parents a much-needed break.
“For these families, respite is difficult. We’ll be taking all the kids so parents can recharge,” Reisner said.
Julie Frauenholtz, of the state Department of Social and Health Services’ Children’s Administration, said it was two years ago that Reisner brought her field trip idea to the agency that oversees foster care. “A year ago, she attended one of our community asset trainings. She’s just a go-getter,” Frauenholtz said.
Working with the Children’s Administration and United Way of Snohomish County, Reisner has conducted a training session for trip volunteers. Another training session is planned for June 24. The first outing is set for June 25. Volunteers must also complete an application and have an interview and state background check.
In this penny-pinching year, Reisner is securing donations and field trip sponsorships. Needs include chaperones, lunches and donations of $44 per child for each trip. Kids will take Durham Transportation school buses to field trip destinations.
Frauenholtz, described by Reisner as an “asset guru,” said it’s difficult for foster parents to get a day off, or even a spare hour for an appointment. “You might be able to call your neighbor to help,” she said. “With dependents of the state, it’s not as simple.
“This is a way to provide parents a break, and provide the kids with more adults who care about them,” said Frauenholtz. There are 900 to 1,000 Snohomish County children in foster care at any given time, she added.
With her own kids ages 7, 11 and 14 at home in Issaquah, Reisner still plans to go on every field trip. “I have a large support system, my own extended family,” she said. That’s what she hopes Nancy’s Fieldtrips will create for foster children: “a simulated version of an extended family.”
“Positive relationships are key,” Frauenholtz said. “We want these kids to grow up and not just be OK, but be great.”
Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460, muhlstein@heraldnet.com.
Field trips
Nancy’s House Fieldtrips is a nonprofit organization aimed at providing fun and enrichment for foster children and respite for foster parents. Summer field trips are planned for Wednesdays and Saturdays. Volunteer chaperones are needed, along with donations to sponsor children or provide lunches. Volunteer training is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. June 24 at United Way of Snohomish County, 3120 McDougall Ave., Everett. For information, e-mail Nancy Reisner: nancyreisner@live.com.
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