We repeatedly hear from families of young children that they continue to have difficulty finding help when their children have challenges and they sometimes have to go out of state to find the care their children need. Last week we shared with you that we want to learn more about the families’ experiences seeking help for their young children so that we can all work together to make things better for babies, toddlers and preschoolers and their families.
We are doing three more virtual focus group meetings in September for Mississippi parents and caregivers (a caregiver is someone who is raising a child who is not the child’s parent – for example, a grandparent or foster parent) of children ages birth to five who have social, emotional or developmental challenges. We are asking that you sign up for ONE group. Each focus group will last one hour. Parents will be asked in the focus group to share their thoughts about getting help for their children and to compare what happens to them to what happened to families in groups that we did a few years ago.
If you signed up for an earlier group but were unable to attend, you can still sign up for one of the three groups below.
Information will be used to help Mississippi Thrive understand the best ways to set up services to be able to help young children and their families. All participants who complete the focus group will receive a $25 Walmart gift card. Registration is required and you will be asked for your mailing address during registration so that your gift card can be mailed to you after you finish the group.
Nothing you share in the group will be shared with your name. After all the focus groups are finished, a report will be written that tells the overall findings of the groups and may have some representative quotes from families (without using their names). You and other families will be able to read the report.
Please note: the virtual focus groups will be done using Zoom. When you register you will be asked what kind of device you will be using to participate. Your registration confirmation email will contain a link for your computer, tablet or smartphone as well as a phone number for you to call in if you do not have internet access.
These are the focus group times (please sign up for only one group):
If you have questions about the focus group meetings or this project, please contact Joy Hogge at 601-355-0915 or jhogge@faams.org.
[Photo by Larry Crayton on Unsplash]
