Help for troubled teens and their families

Being a teenager is hard. We all know because we have all been through it ourselves. It is a time when you are figuring out who you are (or at least who you think you are) and gaining your own independence. Some kids aren’t affected as much and either make decent decisions (or at least learn from their mistakes) and are somewhat happy with their lives. For others, it is a very difficult road not only for the teenager, but for the parents as well. Whether it is a stage of rebelliousness, choosing to take drugs, having sex, or being unhappy with their body, teenagers have a lot of challenges to overcome.

A lot of teenagers don’t get along with their parents, and think that they would be happier somewhere else. The National Network for Youth estimates about 1.3 million teenagers run away from home each year. Studies show that over half of them returned home. But what about those that did not?

When I was a teenager, I did the same thing. After a huge blowout with my parents, I ran away from home and stayed with a friend for a week. After searching high and low for me, my parents were worried sick. When I finally came home they were upset but they were so glad to see me that I felt happy to be back home. I was very lucky. I had a place to stay with people who cared about me. The situation could have been very different. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized what I had truly put them through.

For many of the teenagers who run away and don’t return home, it is the start of the downhill spiral. Most get involved with drugs, gangs, prostitution, etc. Some are abducted and some are killed. As a parent myself, the thought of my teenager running away and living on the streets is heart wrenching. I can’t imagine the pain for those parents who don’t ever see their children again. Thankfully there are resources out there to help them and keep them safe until they can become reunited with their families.

Our government recognizes that this is a problem here in the U.S. and sets aside grant money each year to fund programs to help these troubled youth. There are a variety of programs that receive this grant funding, not only runaways but also other at risk teenagers and their families. Some of the programs include: Runaway and homeless youth housing facilities and job training programs, abstinence educational programs, teenage pregnancy and adoption programs, street outreach and drug programs and much more.

For the families of troubled or runaway teens at least there is some comfort knowing that there are some resources out there to help them. The only difficulty is getting the information out there, so the families know they have help to deal with the issues that teenagers face, and the kids know that there are adults out there that they don’t have to be afraid of that will help them.

For more information on grants go to http://www.grantgenerator.com to search for all of the different grant money that is available. For more information on the programs that help troubled teens and their families go to http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs and do a search for “teen”

Single Parent Grants

The following information is for single parents who are looking for additional support. Single parents trying to raise their children often run into many obstacles. They do their best to make family life as normal as possible but it often proves to be a difficult task. Because of divorce, teenage pregnancy, and even death of a spouse many people find themselves raising children on their own. Often times after a divorce or death the parent is under added stress making matters even more difficult. Trying to be the sole provider for a child can be financially difficult as well. Single parents still want to give the same amount of love and care for their children but don’t often have the time and energy to provide financially and emotionally for their children.
There are many avenues of support out there for single parents. Probably the number one are of support comes from other family members. Single parents can often rely on their parents or siblings to help care for their children. They may offer financial support, baby-sitting, or other general care to help relief stress from the single parent. In the case of divorce there is often financial support in the form of child support checks every month as well. Even though there are many ways to help often times the single parent still has a hard time making ends meet. Where do they turn for help? What can they do when they seem to have come to a dead end? Well there is an option out there that not many people take advantage of, which comes in the form of government grants. The Federal Government recognizes that raising a child by a single parent comes with many unwanted burdens. So now that you are aware of this option where do you start?
The first thing to do would be to assess what your needs are. Do you need money for day-care, housing, health care, etc? After you have assessed your current needs you will want to go in search of a specific government grant that best fits your needs and that you qualify for. There are many types of government grants designed specifically for areas of single parenting where parents fall short. The best place to search for these grants is online. There are many programs out there that will give you resources to help you find a grant and go through the application process. One of these programs is http://www.grantgenerator.com. They offer a free CD with thousands of grants that you may be eligible for. The best part is that there usually isn’t long waiting periods to receive the money, especially for grants associated with single parenting.
It would be to your benefit to go online and check this out for yourself. Another great thing about these government grants is that most of the time you don’t have to pay back the money! Now is the time to take advantage of these government grants as the US government gives away millions of dollars in grant money every year. Get the money you need as soon as possible so that you can have more time for your children and less stress dealing with finances.

Child Care Centers Receive Funding Through Government Grant Programs

Children are amazing! Did you know you can teach sign language to a baby as early as 5-6 months? Did you know that 75% of brain development occurs from birth to age 6? New discoveries are being made every day about the amazing human brain, and what it is capable of. Studies have shown that a child’s intelligence grows when it is stimulated by a healthy environment, especially in the early years.
Because of the need for additional income, more families are using outside child care facilities. Sadly, cost is a huge factor in the choice of day care facilities, and many child care centers around the United States do not have the funding and/or education that is needed to provide the type of stimulating environment that is essential for our children’s intellectual needs.
Our children are the future of our planet. Doesn’t it make sense to create an environment to nurture and teach them? Where they can be empowered to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills? Shouldn’t our children be taught the importance of life-long learning and the quest for more knowledge? Sure, they are taught in elementary school, but critical learning must start much earlier than that.
For many years, our government has taken a major role in providing funding for education. They are also realizing that what affects our children right now will affect the future of our nation. New government grant programs are becoming available not only for education, but also for funding childcare centers so that can provide educational programs to enhance early child development. A good portion of our state tax money goes to fund education of our children, but there is a lot of federal grant money set aside for these programs.
http://www.GrantGenerator.com has a list of the different grant programs available in a variety of different categories-from educational and non-profit organizations to grant money to start a small business, as well as programs created specifically for child care. These grants can be used for training of staff, purchasing equipment, technology, supplies and food, etc. Child care centers that might not be able to afford to get training or materials now have the ability to qualify for government funding that does not have to be paid back! As a side note, there are also government grant programs to help families pay for child care as well.
If parents must work outside the home, they should have a safe, healthy, stimulating environment in which their children can learn and grow. The federal government and other private organizations are helping by providing the grants. The rest is up to the child care centers themselves to find and apply for those benefits. Finding the right program can be tedious and time consuming unless you have software to help you. This website has some valuable tools and information. If you know of a center that could use the financial aid, have them go to http://www.GrantGenerator.com to find the funding they need.
By investing into our children now, we are investing in our nation’s future!