COI's Services for Children and Families
Children who experience instability and homelessness are more likely to struggle to be emotionally, socially, and scholastically successful in school. Through programs such as our Transformative Shelter Program, Mari’s Place and the Child Support Specialist, COI ensures that all the needs of children and their families will be met.
Programs like these ultimately improve family dynamics through skill building and encourage stability. When family dynamics show improvement, children are calmer and less stressed, encouraging more success in their lives and the lives of their parents.
Working with a Child Support Specialist
Each family staying at COI is paired with a case manager. While the case manager is primarily focused on the needs of the parents, the Child Support Specialist is focused on the needs of the children. The Child Support Specialist coordinates with the family’s case manager to ensure all the children’s needs are met.
The core of the Child Support Specialist’s role is to coordinate services for families, host weekly activities for children staying in COI’s transformative shelter, provide childcare for children while their parents attend life skills classes, and be onsite as needs arise.
Every week, the Child Support Specialist hosts a homework club, allowing the children to do their schoolwork and seek help. Other weekly activities include board games, arts and crafts, and outdoor play. The Child Support Specialist also conducts one-on-one time with each child to give them undivided attention and evaluate how they are doing socially, emotionally, and scholastically.
The Role of a Child Support Specialist
The Child Support Specialist provides parenting support, models appropriate parenting behavior for families, and creates opportunities for positive parent/child interactions. When needed, the Child Support Specialist provides crisis intervention and referral services for the children.
The ultimate goal of the Child Support Specialist is to support children in crisis while coordinating with other providers, including the local 509J school district, Old Mill Center for Children and Families, and the Boys and Girls Club of Corvallis to provide a full continuum of services to the children we serve.
A key component of the Child Support Specialist’s role is coordinating with the local 509J school district to ensure the needs of children in school are being met. The school district’s Homeless Education Coordinator and Crisis Team Coordinator communicate any concerns about families staying at COI to the Child Support Specialist, who contacts them when a new school-age child arrives at COI.
Together, the Child Support Specialist and Homeless Education Coordinator ensure children are enrolled in school and address any barriers, such as transportation or school supplies.
Mari's Place
Mari’s Place is a nature-based, state-licensed childcare center for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years. Mari’s Place is inspired by the Curiosity Approach pedagogy and provides a cozy, home-like classroom setting with authentic resources and loose parts play to stimulate children’s interests and creativity.
Mari’s Place supports children by offering open-ended, child-led art, ample free play and lots of outside time. The daily rhythm in the classrooms is designed to meet the unique needs of families and provide consistent, nurturing care that parents can depend on.
Mari’s Place prioritizes enrollment for families receiving ERDC but will take self-pay enrollments if space is available.
For more information about enrollment, to schedule a tour, or if you would like to be put on our waitlist, please contact Bonnie Stutzman, Mari’s Place Director, at 541-243-8037 or [email protected].
Become a Mari's Place Volunteer
Volunteers and interns play a key role in our ability to serve others in our community. Without them, we would not be where we are today, and our capacity to serve would be nowhere near as significant.
We are always looking for more volunteers. Thank you for taking the time to fill out an application.