Kids' Turn
1242 Market Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102-4802
(415) 437-0700 or 1-800-392-9239

email: kidsturn@earthlink.net web page: http://www.kidsturn.org

WHAT’S NEW?   

Kids' Turn received its largest philanthropic gift ever in a January 2006 from local businessman Halsey Minor.  Mr. Minor, CEO of Grand Central Communications, is a firm believer in the value of Kids' Turn Programs.  He is also a firm believer that Kids' Turn's programs could be enriched and made available for a larger service group.  To that end, Mr. Minor contributed a designated gift of $50,000 (in addition to an even larger general operating gift) to underwrite the evaluation of Kids' Turn's divorce education program and consultation support by educational curriculum specialists.  'I want to send a clear message to the organization, ' said Minor, 'of my interest in upgrading this valuable program.' 

To that end, the Kids' Turn program evaluation conducted by Dr. Jeffrey Cookson (San Francisco State University) is in its third year and preliminary data is expected in July, 2006.  Simultaneously, Kids' Turn has contracted with Dr. Anabel Jensen and Marsha Rideout of 6 Seconds Emotional Intelligence Network (www.6seconds.org) , to help identify improved curriculum delivery methods.  Dr. Jensen and Ms. Rideout are expert curriculum specialists and their background in Emotional Intelligence will improve our ability to help families.

We are gratified by the interest and financial support of a venture capitalist (Mr. Minor) whose philanthropic support will positively impact the lives of 'divorce' children in and beyond the San Francisco Bay Area.

CHECK OUT OUR CONNECTION TO T. BERRY BRAZELTON, MD  [Back to top of page]  

Current Organizational Accomplishments and Priorities

Nonviolent Family Skills Program  Efforts are underway to replicate the adult program in Oakland.

Grandparent Seminar  This is Kids’ Turn newest program and it will be piloted in February, 2007.  The Seminar was developed based on repeated inquiries to our office from grandparents who want to be involved in helping their grandchildren ease through parental separation.  We also recognize that an increasing number of grandparents are offering support (financial, emotional, etc.) to their children and grandchildren during times of family difficulties.

10,000 Bay Area Participants  This benchmark was reached in 2006, reflecting over 10,000 children and parents completing Kids’ Turn programs since the early 1990’s.  This accomplishment has been funded entirely with private support.

       
Second Printing of Good Parenting Through your Divorce   Local author, Mary Ellen Hannibal, wrote this parent handbook, based on Kids’ Turn programs, four years ago.  The first printing sold out, and the second printing, with updated information (ex: email etiquette for separating families) became available in December, 2006.

Kids’ Turn’s Longitudinal Study  Over the past three years, Dr. Jeffrey Cookston, San Francisco State University, has designed and implemented a longitudinal study of the Kids’ Turn core programs (described in #3 below).  Satisfaction surveys completed by participants over the years reflect overwhelmingly positive results by workshop attendees.  The goal of the Longitudinal Study is to validate the satisfaction surveys and determine that the Kids’ Turn curriculum significantly improves the family atmosphere for children.  The ‘Kids’ Turn’ evaluation model, will be the first of its kind in the United States.

Curriculum Improvements  Paired with Dr. Cookston’s efforts, Kids’ Turn has contracted with Six Seconds (Emotional Intelligence), experts in contemporary learning styles of adults and children.  The Kids’ Turn Program Staff and Six Seconds Staff are re-formatting the program delivery in order to maximize the potential of teachable moments of emotionally debilitated children and parents.

Public Broadcasting Feature  Kids’ Turn was featured in an October, 2006 PBS broadcast on the childhood impact of parental separation and divorce.  Developed in the Bay Area but broadcast nationally, ‘Kids’ and Divorce, For Better or Worse’, brought national attention to the program.

Multiple Language Capacity  Kids’ Turn’s core curriculum has been translated into Chinese and Spanish, and ethnic specific service collaborations are established in partnerships with agencies in San Francisco’s Mission and Chinatown communities.

Replication  Conversations are underway in response to inquires for potential replication in Hawaii, Sacramento, CA and the United Kingdom (Great Britain).

HISTORY    [Back to top of page]

From 1987 to 1990, Judge Ina Levin Gyemant presided over the family law department of the domestic relations court, noting that while lawyers filed motions and parents sought orders regarding custody, visitation and other disputes, children and their needs were almost completely ignored. Mediation services were mandated for parents in California in 1980, but no educational program was available for children, who are often the people most vulnerable and confused during separation or divorce.

Gyemant and other professionals in law, education, social service, and mental health, felt strongly that early intervention would not only reduce litigation but increase the well-being of children, improve their performance in school, and teach children and parents important skills in the midst of family reorganization. In 1988, with the help of attorneys Ann Van Balen and Jennifer Jackson, Gyemant started Kids’ Turn as a nonprofit agency in order to offer direct educational services to children and their parents who are undergoing separation or divorce.

The current home office for Kids’ Turn is located in San Francisco. Out of that location, services are conducted for four Bay Area Counties (ref. Program section below).  Those counties are: San Francisco, Marin, Alameda and Contra Costa.  Due to the significant response to Kids’ Turn in the East Bay, the organization rents a small space in Oakland in order to accommodate East Bay staff.

In the early 90’s, the Kids’ Turn Board developed a framework for selling the curriculum and for licensing affiliates. Presently, seven organizations hold affiliate status; those organizations are located in California (Sonoma, Napa, San Diego, Shasta and Yolo Counties), Dayton, Ohio and Hillsboro, Oregon.  Affiliates are required to pay an annual licensing fee of $300 plus provide proof of liability coverage.  An annual meeting of affiliates occurs on a regular basis whereby Kids’ Turn professionals can discuss and share curriculum changes and issues common to program delivery.

This Fall, The Kids’ Turn Board of Directors will be planning a five-year strategic plan which will determine course direction for the organization.  Areas already targeted for consideration include:

Ø      An enhanced presence in this community and others;

Ø      Identifying additional service groups and communities for Kids’ Turn workshops;

Although Kids' Turn was developed as an early intervention and prevention model, it is highly effective for families who have been divorced or separated for some time. The goal of Kids' Turn is to provide a safe, accessible environment in which children learn to deal with the difficult situations they face as their family reorganizes. The purposes of the workshops are to: demystify and de-stigmatize the separation/divorce process; provide children and their parents with communication and problem-solving skills to help them with the divorce/separation; provide a place for children and their parents to discuss their thoughts and feelings about their experiences.