Program Descriptions

Classroom Based Programs

Therapeutic Preschools
The therapeutic preschool is for developmentally and environmentally at-risk children birth to 3 years old and their parents in a trauma informed, interactive parenting program offered in both Bernalillo and Sandoval County. Parents must be able to participate in the program once a week from 9am to 1pm on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Breakfast and Lunch is provided and transportation is available. Each child participating in the program will receive a developmental evaluation which will look at how the child is functioning in the areas of Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Cognition, Language/Communication, Self-Help, Relationship to Persons, Emotions and Feeling States and Coping Behavior. Within the therapeutic classroom environment, parents and children will work together to develop and enhance healthy relationships, positive parenting skills, bonding and attachment and parents will learn age appropriate expectations of their child’s development and behavior. Families will receive health and nutritional services, home visits, individual and group parenting education, family advocacy and case management.
• Parent/Child Classroom-Each PB&J site has a therapeutic preschool classroom for infants and toddler to attend with their parent or caretaker which was thoughtfully designed to promote optimal parent-child interactive parenting education.
• Health Center-Each site has health education staff available for families through volunteers and community collaborations. Nurses are available to provide education, assessments and referrals for families enrolled in the program.
• Nutrition-Children and families receive education on understanding basic nutrition and how it impacts health, assistance with shopping for healthy foods and creating simple nutritious meals. Breakfast and Lunch is provided for each family enrolled in the program and is regulated by the CYFD Food and Nutrition Program.
• Art Therapy- Art therapy is available to families and individuals who would like to utilize art media, the creative process, and their resulting imagery to look at and resolve life challenges and stresses in order to improve functioning and overall sense of well-being. Monthly art therapy parent groups focus on self-nurturing and its importance to the effective parenting of children.
• Wilderness Program-through community donations, PB&J is able to provide field trips for parents and children to be outside, explore nature, hike and fish. For many families these are new experiences and it provides an ideal environment for building a stronger bond and attachment
• Home-based services are available if the family is not able to attend the on-site program.

New Mexico PRE-K Extended Day Program
This early childhood program provides 4 year old children access to developmentally appropriate activities with a focus on school readiness. The program was developed following the principles of the New Mexico PreK Curriculum with activities based on age appropriate child development/early childhood principles including, the needs, interests, desires, language, home experiences, cultural values and relevant life experience of the child and families served. The curriculum is based on the New Mexico Early Learning Guidelines and is designed to achieve long-range goals for children in all domains including physical, motor, social, emotional, language, and cognitive. The children attend school Monday through Thursday from 9am to 3pm with transportation services available.

Home and Community Based Services

New Mexico Home Visiting
This program provides parenting educational services, child developmental guidance and local community resource information to families with children prenatal to three in the home or alternative locations at the family’s request.
• Prenatal home visits provide information on health, nutrition, preparing for the birth of the child and child development. Information is also provided on attachment and relationship with infants, breastfeeding, impact of alcohol, tobacco and drugs on pregnancy, seatbelt use, birth control after pregnancy, premature labor, oral heath for mother and infant, folic acid, weight control and diabetes. All pregnant women are screened for depression and domestic violence issues.
• Families of children birth to three receive child developmental screenings, observation of attachment behaviors between infant/toddler and parent/caregiver, administration of a social support index to assist families with identifying informal support networks and administration of the PICCOLO to assist families with establishing positive interactions with their infants or toddlers.
• Referrals are provided to community agencies/services as necessary.

Supported Living
This program provides targeted training and support to parents with developmental disabilities with children of any age, in order for them to provide a nurturing, caring and safe environment for their family. Services are provided in the individual’s home and other community settings, as appropriate, to meet the individual’s goals. Eligibility is determined by participation in the Developmental Disabilities Waiver or DDSD State General Services or documented diagnosis of a developmental disability, including intellectual disability. Parents are provided with support included but not limited to their child’s development/education, discipline, nutrition, home safety and promoting the child’s health.

Time Limited Reunification (TLR)
Time Limited Reunification is an intensive home based program designed to support families in reunifying their children currently in Children Youth and Families Department Protective custody. These services are available during non-traditional hours in order to expedite the reunification process and to provide wraparound support to the families. The services provided include an environmental assessment and intervention to improve individual and family interactions, increasing the parent’s protective capacities with their children by building on the strengths of the parent, self and family management and case management, coordination and linkage to other services. This program requires a direct referral from the CYFD treatment worker in Bernalillo or Sandoval County.

Family Support Services (FSS)
Family Support Services are available to families with at least one child, age 0-5, in the home or by a direct referral from CYFD to a foster/adoptive family with one or more foster/adoptive children age 0-18 placed in their home at risk of abuse or neglect. This program is provided to families in their home, at least twice a week to support the family with parenting, crisis intervention and case management. Each family receives an assessment to evaluate the needs of the family and to develop a family plan to address those needs. Each family in this program has the option of participating in a parent leadership program which meets four times a year to provide support and educational learning activities to families in order to enhance their participation in the program. The families can participate in the program for up to six months. Referrals are accepted by families, other services providers or CYFD.

In-Home Services (IHS)
In-Home Services provides intensive home based services to families in Bernalillo County in order to reduce the occurrence of child abuse and neglect and promote the safety of the child without the intervention of the courts. This is an integrated comprehensive approach to strengthening and preserving families who are at risk for or who are currently experiencing problems in family functioning. This service is provided to increase the family’s capacity to provide for their children’s needs in a safe environment. The In Home Service worker functions as a facilitator of change by assisting the families to meet jointly defined goals that eliminate safety threats enhance parental protective capacities and reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect while providing the family the skills to address crisis and to modify the situation that lead to the need for services. The families need to meet at least once a week in the home and services are available during non-traditional hours. Families must not have children in legal custody and must be referred by a CYFD Protective Service Worker.

Pathways
Pathways is a program designed to reduce unmet needs, address health inequities, and improve the overall health of the residents of Bernalillo County. It focuses on positive health outcomes by utilizing community health navigators as care coordinators who connect at-risk residents to resources and follow their progress toward improved health outcomes. Meaningful outcomes for the clients are reached by following a step-by-step approach (Pathways). While individual clients attain improved health, common systems issues are also brought to light and result in stronger service coordination

Mas Papas is an outgrowth from our former Mas Mamas group that began with Spanish speaking mothers who established a peer support group to assist one another with child care, household responsibilities while sharing advice on how to navigate the English speaking world around them. Mothers that used to feel isolated began working together, helping one another and feeling more confident in their parenting and abilities. Now, through Mas Papas, Spanish speaking fathers meet weekly to deal with domestic violence and anger management, and gain therapeutic and peer support which allows them to support their family in a healthy environment.

Families Impacted by Incarceration

Fatherhood Reentry Program & Fathers Building Futures is a reentry program for fathers recently released from Los Lunas Men’s Prison or Bernalillo’s Metropolitan Detention Center. Program includes pre-and post-release wrap-around support including family-based case management, parenting education, counseling, job training and placement.
Click here to learn more about the Fathers Building Futures program

Parent Re-Entry Program
Parenting education, family reintegration and visitation is provided at the New Mexico Women’s Correctional Facility in Grants, New Mexico. The program utilizes a gender responsive, trauma informed curriculum that covers the effects of parental incarceration, substance abuse, domestic violence, child development, appropriate expectations and positive parenting. Upon completion of the parenting class, the women are eligible to receive therapeutic visitation with their children. There is a trailer on the grounds of the prison which was specially designed to provide a safe and healthy place for the children to visit their mother within a home environment. The families of the women in the community receive home visitation and case management resources to support their family while the mother is incarcerated. The program continues to work with the mothers, once they are released to help support their transition into the community.

Metropolitan Detention Center
PB&J provides a therapeutic environment for children and families to engage in developmentally appropriate, interactive activities while they are waiting to have a visit at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC). The children are provided with snacks and the families are screened for any case management needs with referrals given for appropriate services. The staff is trained to coach and model age appropriate play and adult/child interactions with attention to issues resulting from parental incarceration.

Juvenile Community Corrections Program (JCC)
The Juvenile Community Corrections program is a program funded by Children Youth and Families Department. The JCC program is a unique approach to working with incarcerated teen parents and their families. The program provides services that are gender responsive, culturally competent and based on the client’s individualized needs. The program emphasizes on intensive individual parenting skills, parenting groups, therapeutic supervised family visits and intensive home visiting upon release.

Youth Development Inc. (YDI)-Face Forward Parenting Class
The Face Forward program through YDI provides comprehensive legal, education, and workforce development services to juvenile offenders to increase their opportunity to achieve their long-term employment goals. The Face-Forward Program offers case management, mentoring, GED preparation, after school tutoring, occupational skills training, workforce literacy training, job development and parenting classes. PB&J has partnered with YDI to provide six-week parenting education classes that focus on child development, healthy relationships, safety planning, parenting styles, self-care, and other relevant parenting issues.