Provides insight and information regarding typical behaviors and the stages of development in children. From birth to their first day of school and beyond, Avera's Family Life Educators are available to help every step of the way. Offers a variety of training opportunities for parents, babysitters, and child care centers/providers. Training and classes include personalized Childcare Provider Training, Babysitting Classes for Tweens aged 10-13, and Home Alone Class for children ages 9-13. The Temperament Project can help better understand a child and can help choose appropriate techniques that fit a child's unique approach to life. Completing a Temperament Profile will give an individualized graph containing details of the child's characteristics in each of the 9 Temperament Traits. Contact Avera's Family Life Educators to discuss the Temperament Profile, free of charge.

Provides mutual coordination, cooperation, and communication among foster parents, agency representatives, and the community to improve the foster care system and enhance the lives of foster children and foster families. Raises awareness of current issues, increasing community awareness of the foster care program, and the needs for foster families, providing training and continuing education for foster parents in order to improve recruitment, retention, and the foster family effectiveness. Provides information and referral services to organizations that host support group meetings for foster families and connects them to community organizations that can support families.

Provides scholarship opportunities to assist children currently in the foster care system with the ability to participate in sports, activities, or cultural events. The criteria to apply for the scholarships are as follows: the child must be in long-term foster care, the child or family must approach the merchant and ask for a reduction in the cost of the activity, and no other state or local program availability to assist with the costs. Also provides bedroom furniture and food assistance to enable foster families to take in sibling groups or older or younger children.

Coordinates resources and referral services for young families. Facilitates case management services and dedicates its efforts to providing parents with support during their childbearing and child-rearing years to focus on the important of health families. Offers the following prenatal and parenting education classes: Childbirth Class: Provides childbirth information. Topics include warning signs and progression of labor, relaxation breathing and other relaxation techniques, comfort and pain management, and newborn care. This is a 3-hour, in-person session. Breastfeeding Class: Provides education to families on the advantages of breastfeeding, guides them on getting started, addresses common issues, discusses milk storage, and offers tips for returning to work. This is a two-hour, in-person session. Sibling Readiness Class: Provides siblings and their parents or caregivers valuable information about becoming a big brother or sister. Tours of the Avera St. Mary's Women's Center may be available to learn about the place where mom and the new baby will stay. This class is especially appropriate for children 3 years of age and older. Common Sense Parenting Class: Provides parenting education to parents or caregivers with children and adolescents of all ages who want to enhance their parenting skills. Skills learned can be used with any parenting style and with any single parent, two-parent, or multi-parent set of rules. Topis covered include parents as teachers, effective praise, teaching self-control, preventing teaching, and corrective teaching. Participants will learn how to reduce family stress, support success in school, diminish yelling and fighting, reduce problem behavior, increase confidence, and enrich their relationships with their children. SMILE (Start Making it Livable for Everyone) Class: An educational program for separating/divorcing parents with minor children. Helps parents to better understand the effects of separation and divorce, the needs of their children, and the roles in promoting their children's healthy adjustment to separation or divorce. This program is approved by the judicial system for parents involved in custody or visitation cases. Pregnancy Education and Support for Teens: Provides prenatal education about nutrition and exercise, decision making skills, building self-esteem, adoption information, educational planning, Lamaze breathing and relaxation techniques, parenting skills, tour of an Obstetrics Wing, and newborn care. Young women are invited to attend and bring their family supporters to learn more about labor, delivery, and parenting a newborn. Parenting Education and Support for Teens: Provides parenting education about the challenges of parenting, child care, nutrition and medical care, play and discipline, community resources, goal setting, school and/or work, decision making skills, coping skills, communication and relationships, and finance and legal concerns. Young moms, their babies, dads, and family supporters are invited to attend.

The WPRC seeks to divert or delay those we serve from substance use and other high-risk behaviors to promote choices/behaviors resulting in lifelong mind and body wellness. The WPRC primarily focuses prevention support services to stakeholders in South Dakota's 22 westernmost counties, but often serves an even broader audience. The WPRC's services include providing education, technical assistance, training and other support to prevention service providers, youth, parents, educators, community groups, social service providers, health/wellness agencies, chemical dependency service providers, law enforcement and other community wellness stakeholders. WPRC staff can provide community education and information on a broad range of prevention topics. These topics include: - Individual drugs (alcohol, nicotine, vaping, marijuana, methamphetamine, fentanyl, etc.) - Trends in drug use - Over the counter drug misuse - The science of chemical dependence (brain and body) - Risky behavior marketing - 988/211 Helpline usage The WPRC maintains a traditional library of books and other media relating to prevention, health and wellness. Visit the website to create an account to access the e-library. Both are no cost and open to all.