Strengthening Families Program (SFP)

Meets for ten Wednesdays from 6 to 8 pm. SFP is designed to support families as their children grow into teenagers. To promote family bonding, families enjoy fun activities and games together. Young people learn how to handle frustration, appreciate their parents, resist peer pressure and get along with others. Parents learn parenting skills and tips.

Registration required for this free program. A light meal and babysitting provided. Call for more information.

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 (the Mt Pleasant office) for more information about this program.

Youth Programs

And Activities

*Alateen meetings are Tuesdays from 7 to 8 pm. The program is for anyone affected by somebody else’s alcoholism. Parents, children, spouses, partners, brothers and sisters, and other family members of alcoholics are all welcome to attend, as are friends and those who work with alcoholics.

At meetings, members share their personal experiences, and learn to find personal happiness, whether or not the alcoholic in their lives is still drinking.

*Blizzard Brigade matches responsible students in grades 7–12 with residents who need help shoveling their walks and driveways. Residents should call NYFS discuss their needs with a coordinator; students should fill out an application at the Job Bank.

Although the time commitment is minimal, students must be organized, punctual, and have the ability to work with little supervision.

*Job Bank is now taking applications from qualified 13–17-year-olds who would like employment babysitting, pet-sitting or performing other household chores. Call between 2:30 and 4:30 pm, on weekdays, for an application.

*Movies: A rotating series of G- and PG-rated movies are screened each Monday through Friday from 2:15 to 4 pm. All are welcome.

*Peer Mentoring is available each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 1 to 1:30 pm, at Newtown High School.

*SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) meets Wednesdays from 2 to 3 pm, at Newtown High School.

*Start Something, for seventh and eighth graders, meets Mondays from 2:30 to 4 pm for ten weeks. Start Something helps students define a specific personal goal, develop an action plan to achieve it, and explore careers within their interest areas.

Students have the opportunity to perform community service, and to qualify for scholarships. Parental permission and registration are required. Call for more information.

*Yoga Mania, for students in grades 7–12, meets on Tuesdays, from 3 to 4 pm. Build strength, improve flexibility and decrease anxiety in this free program. Parental permission and registration required.

Moms’ Programs

A new session of Mommy and Me, for first-time moms and mothers of infants, has started. The program will meet on Tuesdays, from 10:30 to 11:30 am, until April 29. Newcomers are still welcome.

Gym Time meets at Edmond Town Hall on Wednesdays from 9:30 to 11:30 am. Call to register.

Support Groups

Autism Group, for parents of children with special needs, meets the first Thursday of every month. Call Wendy Suckow, 364-1163, for more information.

Children of Divorce, for children ages 5 to 9, whose parents are divorced or divorcing, will meet on Thursday, February 7, from 5 to 6:30 pm.

NAMI, which is America’s largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons will serious mental illness. The next chapter meeting at NYFS will be Monday, February 18, from 9:30 am until noon.

All programs take place at NYFS, 17 Church Hill Road, unless otherwise noted. For more information or to register, call 270-4335.