RESOURCES - Parent Guidance

LOCAL RESOURCE LIST - for families in need

WEXFORD-MISSAUKEE RESOURCE - Directory

The Wexford-Missaukee Resource Directory serves as a vital hub for community members in need. Our directory links individuals and families with resources such as shelter, food, caregiving, and more. Our mission is to enhance the quality of life for everyone in the Wexford-Missaukee area by providing reliable connections to the supports and services they require. Whether you're seeking immediate assistance or exploring options for future needs, the Wexford-Missaukee Resource Directory is here to guide you every step of the way.

Wexford-Missaukee Counties Resource Directory - 2024

Local Area Food Pantries

Resources the courts currently provide to those facing EVICTION

UNITED WE SMILE

The United Way of Northwest Michigan, in collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, is pleased to provide access to dental care for our community. We are a top-notch training facility, where local volunteer dentists work together with pre-doctoral dental interns to provide dental services to for those who can’t find help anywhere else. We focus on children, pregnant women, veterans, and those with developmental or cognitive disabilities.

LOCAL DENTISTS - Counties of - Missaukee, Wexford, Osceola and Grand Traverse

DRIVER'S TRAINING - Financial Assistance

Hagerty Drivers Foundation provides grants up to $500 to young drivers between the ages of 14 and 18- years-old who plan to complete their Drivers Education within 90 days of their application.

Grants are awarded directly to the Drivers Education school and cannot be sent to an individual.

In order to qualify for this grant, applicants are required to create a 1-minute video OR provide a 300-word essay about why they are excited to drive. The application will be marked incomplete if neither are submitted.

Why are teens sadder, lonelier, and more depressed than ever before?

The US and CDC surveyed 8,000 teen students in America.

According to this large study, “Persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” nearly doubled from 2009 to 2021 with an increase of 26 percent to 44 percent. This level of sadness in teens is undeniable, and it’s the highest level ever recorded.

PARENT GUIDANCE

Are you worried about your child?

We offer education and therapeutic support to empower and give you hope as you support your child’s mental health.

Behavior

Anxiety & Depression

Bullying

Child Development

Grief and Loss

Parent Support

Self Help

Suicide Prevention

Technology

CDC - Children’s Mental Health

The Benefits of Boredom

How to Help Your Child Get Enough Sleep

How does your child feel if they haven’t slept well? Moody? Cranky? Sluggish? Sleep deprivation can affect kids’ ability to control their emotions, impulses, and behavior. It can make symptoms of mental health disorders worse. And most kids and teens aren’t getting the recommended amount of sleep each night.

Encouraging Good Sleep Habits - Tips for helping kids fall — and stay — asleep

Why Are Teenagers So Sleep-Deprived? - A perfect storm of biology, technology, and homework

Teens and Sleep: The Cost of Sleep Deprivation - Lack of adequate sleep is linked to moodiness, risky behavior and injuries

How to Help Teenagers Get More Sleep - It's not easy, but parents still have the power to encourage good sleep habits

What Does a Healthy Relationship Look Like?

1st - Fill out this Relationship - Worksheet

2nd - Match up your answers with this Relationship Information

What does Dating Abuse Look Like?

If you are involved with Dating Abuse - Get Help

Teen Power & Control Wheel

MSU Extension 4-H Adulting 101

Michigan State University Extension's Adulting 101 programming allows youth and young adults to gain skills and knowledge of useful information that will help them be successful in an ever changing world. Adulting 101 programs helps high school students demystify the obscure reality of being an “adult” through engaging educational sessions. Each session is packed full of important life skills and tools necessary to live independently. Topics include: money management, community engagement, conflict resolution, career and future education, home skills and more.

Experiencing Homelessness? Help is Available!

Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs) provide rental assistance and service funding to prevent, prepare, and respond to the pandemic.

The EHVs provide for rental assistance and service funding to prevent, prepare, and to facilitate the leasing of emergency vouchers, such as security deposit assistance, utility hook-up or arrearage assistance, housing search assistance, moving assistance, and other costs related to retention and support of participating owners.

Learn more about the EHV program and how it can help you on the Michigan State Housing Authority's website.

BE SMART - Avoid Emotional Trauma and Exploitation

The following link is for teens. These real-life stories and interviews with teenagers across the country provide the basis for real-world learning.

NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN

NetSmartz - Videos for Teens - Explore online exploitation, cyberbullying and more.

TAKE IT DOWN

Having nudes online is scary, but there is hope to get it taken down.

Take It Down is a free service that can help you remove or stop the online sharing of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images or videos taken of you when you were under 18 years old.

Kids, Phones, and Social Media

The question for parents of tweens used to be: When should I get my kid a phone? Now, there’s a bigger dilemma: When are they ready for social media? By the time they hit middle school — if not before — kids are lobbying to be able to interact with their friends on SnapChat, Instagram, and TikTok. They feel left out if other kids are allowed to have access to social media and they’re not. But there’s potential for serious harm if kids aren’t mature enough to make good decisions about what to share, who to share it with, and how to handle negative feedback.

When Should You Get Your Kid a Phone? - It's not just a question of the right age

When Are Kids Ready for Social Media? - And how to monitor social media use when kids are starting out

Social Media and Self-Doubt - How parents can help kids resist the pressure created by artfully curated social media feeds.

Does Social Media Use Cause Depression? - How heavy Instagram and Facebook use may be affecting kids negatively

How Much Should You Monitor Your Teen’s Social Media? - So you’ve decided to get your kid a phone and even allow them on social media. Now what?

10 Parenting Tips for Preteens and Tweens - How to stay close as kids move into adolescence

MEDIA GUIDELINES for Kids of All Ages - Tips for making sure your children's screen time is healthy

SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY 101

Created by the teen-led anti-trafficking group - Youth Ending Slavery This site offers the do's and don'ts of online safety.

Steps you can take to ensure healthy social media use:

Focus on balance: Make sure your kids are also engaging in social interaction offline, and have time for activities that help build identity and self-confidence.
Turn off notifications: App developers are getting more and more aggressive with notifications to lure users to interrupt whatever they’re doing to engage constantly with their phones. Don’t let them.
Look out for girls at higher risk of depression: Monitor girls who are going through a particularly tough time or are under unusual stress. Negative effects of social media can have more impact when confidence is down.
Teach mindful use of social media: Encourage teenagers to be honest with themselves about how time spent on social media makes them feel, and disengage from interactions that increase stress or unhappiness.
Model restraint and balance in your own media diet: Set an example by disengaging from media to spend quality family time together, including phone-free dinners and other activities. Kids may resist, but they’ll feel the benefits.
Phone-free time before sleep: Enforce a policy of no smartphones in the bedroom after a specific time and overnight. Use an old-fashioned alarm clock to wake up.

Helpful links to mental health issues

Mental Health is a critical part of the whole-child education.

What Is Complex Trauma? - How ongoing traumatic experiences affect children - When people think of trauma, they often imagine a specific experience, like a natural disaster or a violent attack. And it’s true that a very upsetting or life-threatening experience can lead to PTSD and other mental health challenges. But there’s another form of trauma that involves chronic negative experiences like abuse, neglect, or violence. This is known as complex trauma, and its profound impact on kids is often misunderstood.

How Trauma Affects Kids in School - Signs of trauma and tips for helping kids who've been traumatized

Is It ADHD or Trauma? - Why the symptoms are often confused, and how to avoid a misdiagnosis

10 Ways to Teach Children to Speak Up About Sexual Abuse - Straight talk about body parts and a no-secrets policy can empower kids to get help when they need it

For Educators - GREATER GOOD IN EDUCATION - A collection of science‐based practices for integrating social‐emotional learning, mindfulness, and character education into the DNA of classrooms and schools. Greater Good in Education offers free research-based and informed strategies and practices for the social, emotional, and ethical development of students, for the well-being of the adults who work with them, and for cultivating positive school cultures.

Handle with Care Initiative - The Truth about TRAUMA and ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACEs) - See how ACEs puts a person at greater risk of developing serious physical and mental health problems as an adult. Watch this short TED Talk from Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris - How CHILDHOOD TRAUMA Affects Health Across a Lifetime

ACEs and TOXIC STRESS list - Affects of Violence in the Home - Affects of Toxic Stress

Our environment matters - Learn more about providing safe, stable, and nurturing relationships - Violence in Relationships

DEPRESSION and ANXIETY are by far are the most common forms of MENTAL ILLNESS. The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that 20% of youths aged 13-18 (that's 1 out of 5 youths) live with a mental health condition. REAL DEPRESSION can be difficult to identify and the feelings that a person goes through are difficult to explain.

The CHILD MIND INSTITUTE - MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION - Learn more about common problems like ANXIETY and OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER. This site covers a wide variety of topics and concerns including detailed information about disorders.

Is It ADHD or Bipolar Disorder - Diagnosing children who may have bipolar disorder can be very difficult because there is symptom overlap with ADHD

What Is Borderline Personality Disorder? - And why it's now being diagnosed and treated in teenagers

Depression and Anger - How irritability and anger can be signs of depression in children and teenagers

For TEACHERS - The CHILD MIND INSTITUTE – Mental Health Info for Teachers - helping educators identify and respond effectively to children with signs of a mental health or learning disorder. CLASSROOM STRATEGIES and LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR ISSUES. Teacher might be the first adult to see signs of a child’s mental health problem and the teacher’s response can make a huge difference.

At autismspeaks.org the goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders.

YOUTH TOPICS

youth.gov - is the U.S. government website that helps you create, maintain, and strengthen effective youth programs. Included are youth facts, funding information, and tools to help you assess community assets, generate maps of local and federal resources, search for evidence-based youth programs, and keep up-to-date on the latest, youth-related news.