Leaps and Bounds

Who We Serve

Leaps and Bounds is a voluntary program for families with children 0 -7 in family reunification or family maintenance who are interested in learning about and supporting their child’s/children’s development as well as learning new parenting strategies. Leaps and Bounds is a unique program because the Children’s Services Coordinators can continue to work with families after their FCS case is dismissed. When everyone else steps out of the picture, we can continue to support families with whatever they may need.

Where do our referrals come from: We receive referrals from Parent Mentors involved in Family Preservation Court (FPC), Social Workers and the Parents Center.

How do we serve families: Leaps and Bounds sees families bi-weekly for sessions. We are able to work with families at the Parents Center, in their home or take them out in the community in order to work on basic skills such as keeping their children safe. We also try to help families build healthy support networks by taking them to do activities that will help them connect to other parents.  During Leaps and Bounds sessions, the Children’s Services Coordinators bring developmental toys, books and complete Ages and Stages Questionnaires in order to track the child’s development and refer them to additional early intervention services if needed. We use a curriculum for families with children birth to 3 called Promoting First Relationships. It is all about building safety, security and supporting attachment, as well as, helping to support the child’s social and emotional development. We provide referrals to the Stanford Developmental Clinic in order for children 0-5 to complete a comprehensive developmental assessment.

In addition to the developmental work we do with our families, we also do a lot of collaboration with other service providers. Leaps and Bounds is able to connect children to Jim Booth or Adventure Sports Unlimited for swim lessons, Musicalme for parent and child music classes and we have a collaboration with the Museum of Discovery in the Capitola Mall in order to provide passes and memberships to our families. We are able to advocate for things like housing, childcare and fill in the gaps wherever necessary. Leaps and Bounds also has some funding and gift cards in order to pay for things that their children may need such as car seats, strollers, cribs and basic necessities to promote child well-being and child safety.

PC-CARE ( an optional program of Leaps and Bounds)

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Leaps and Bounds is able to provide PC-CARE, which is a 7-week program that focuses on repairing trauma and the caregiver-child relationship, increasing the use of positive parenting skills and incorporating new strategies to manage the child’s difficult behaviors. It is done through teaching the skills to both parent and child and then coaching the parent to use the skills while the parent engages in play with the child. This program is for children ages 1-10. PC-CARE is a great way for parents and children to re-establish trust and is a fit for families moving toward reunification or families in Family Maintenance.

Infant Massage

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We currently have 2 Certified Educators of Infant Massage (CEIM) through the International Association of Infant Massage. This has been a great new addition to our program as we are able to help both parents and infants reap the benefits of nurturing touch. Infant massage is a 5 week, one-hour long course in which the CEIM guides the parents through a series of massage strokes, education and a deeply intimate experience for the parent and child. There are so many benefits for both parents and children who participate in this program.