Parent Education Program (PEP)

The State of Connecticut requires completion of this program as a prerequisite to granting a divorce. Sessions of the course sequence are designed to help families cope with the effects of divorce on children. Call 426-8103 for more information.

Strengthening Families Program (SFP)

 Meets every Wednesday for ten weeks, from 6 to 8 pm, and began January 16. The program is free, but registration is required. A light meal and babysitting provided. SFP is a ten-week program designed to support families as their children transition into the teen years. Parents will be given parenting skills and tips; teenagers will learn how to handle frustration, appreciate their parents and resist peer pressure. Call Amanda 270-4335.

Youth Programs

and Activities

NYCAAP meets Wednesday January 23, from 7 to 8 pm, at Newtown High School.

The Job Bank is taking applications from qualified 13–17-year-olds interesting babysitting, pet sitting and performing household chores. For an application, call weekdays between 2:30 and 4:30 pm.

Sib Shops, for the siblings, age 5 through 9, of special needs children, will meet Wednesday, January 23, from 5 to 6 pm.

Children of Divorce, for children ages 5 through 9, whose parents are divorced or divorcing, meets Tuesday, January 24, from 5 to 6:30 pm.

Blizzard Brigade matches responsible students from the seventh through twelfth grades with residents who need help shoveling snow. Residents can call the NYFS job bank to explain their needs. Organized punctual students should fill out an application at the job bank. They must also provide references and schedule an interview with NYFS. The job bank will match students and residents, and arrange a meeting between them. At that time, student and resident can discuss payment arrangements, and decide who will provide shovels and sand.

Coming soon, ‘Start Something’ will meet for ten weeks of Mondays, beginning January 28, from 2:30 to 4 pm. The Start Something program, for seventh and eight graders, will help students define a specific personal goal and develop an action plan to achieve it. They will also learn how to give back to their communities, to explore careers within their interest areas, and to qualify for scholarships. The program is free; however parental permission and preregistration are required. Sponsored by the Newtown Prevention Council, Newtown Youth & Family Services and the Tiger Woods Foundation Start Something Program. Call Amanda Walsh at 270-4335 for more information.

Yoga Mania, for students in the seventh through twelfth grades, begins Tuesday, January 29, and meets from 3 to 4 pm. If you like to exercise and meet new people, then Yoga Mania is for you! The class will help students improve flexibility and strength, and decrease anxiety. Parental permission and preregistration required for this free program. Call Amanda at 270-4335.

Curious Critters will be held Saturday, February 2, from 10 to 11:30 am. Children can meet alligators, snakes, frogs, lizards, turtles, tarantulas, scorpions, hedgehogs, chinchillas, and rabbits up close and personal. Space is limited for this free hands-on educational program, and preregistration is required. Call Tracy de Fusco at 270-4335.

Moms’ Programs

Mommy & Me, for first-time moms and mothers of infants will meet for 12 Tuesdays at 10:30 to 11:30 am, beginning on January 22.

Gym Time meets for 12 Wednesdays at the Edmond Town Hall from 9:30 to 11:30 am, beginning January 23.

All programs will take place at Newtown Youth & Family Services, 17 Church Hill Road, unless noted. For further information or to register, contact NYFS at 270-4335.