Family Services
Each year family service programs at Geminus reach thousands of Hoosiers in Lake County, providing critical social service resources to support local children and families.
Community Partners
For families seeking to manage obstacles such as job loss, behavioral issues, domestic violence, addiction, and other concerns, Community Partners provides assistance including job counseling, parenting classes, and advice on how to make use of local community services that help keep families healthy, happy, and together. Last year, through its programs and events, Community Partners reached:
Families in Lake County: 723 | Kids in Lake County: 1809
Circle Around Families (CAF)
Families with children exhibiting emotional and behavioral problems, who are at risk of placement outside the home, are supported through a cross system of care with individualized care plans to help support the child and family. Children are referred by the Lake County Juvenile Justice Court System and the Indiana Department of Child Services.
New Clients Supported: 61 | Total Cases Closed: 47
Real Fathers Initiative
To increase the involvement of fathers' roles in the lives of their children, we focus on teaching fathers how to be effective parents and how to engage with their children. With counseling on an educational, vocational, and family planing level, participants also collaborate with a family advocate to assist with housing, transportation, employment assistance, and visitation with children, and more.
New Participants Assisted: 222 | Successfully Re-Engaged Clients: 35
Abuse Intervention Management
As the only state-certified batterers intervention program in Lake County serving men and women, participants receive both one-on-one counseling and group counseling by a certified domestic violence therapist. We work to keep children and families safe in a healthy environment to begin the process for change.
New Clients Enrolled to Keep Safe: 107
Truancy Prevention Program
To asssit families dealing with truancy issues, we partner with Lake County school corporations to address challenges before they escalate to the county juvenile court system and the Indiana Department of Child Services.
Families Helped: 277
Prevention Services
To continue the change for a healthier tomorow through mental health awareness and community engagement, we work tirelessly to prevent and reduce alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use— and stop suicide.
Lake County Substance Abuse Block Grant
Our team partners with several Lake County organizations to provide prevention programs— such as Al's Pals, Too Good for Drugs, and a social norms campaign— to reach thousands of local Hoosiers, including preschoolers, pre-teens, and college students.
Grants Directly Served: 31,717
Partnership for Success Grant
The Lake County Partnership for Success works with Hammond High, Hobart High, and Hobart Middle Schools to implement two evidence-based drug-use prevention programs: Project Towards No Drug Abuse and Too Good for Drugs. We also continue to partner with the U.S. DEA to promote two National Prescription Drug Take Back Days.
Students Receiving Programming: 890
Early Learning
As early childhood education supporters, we know that all child care is early learning. The demand for access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education in Northwest Indiana is so much greater than the current availability. That's why Geminus's early learning programs such as Early Head Start, Head Start, On My Way Pre-K, Paths to QUALITYtm, and other child care partnerships are so important. These programs not only help increase access to affordable, quality early childhood education, they also empower parents to become advocates and participants in their child's education.
Early Learning Connections
We recognize that familiarity with the key indicators of quality child care is important. Families receive localized information about the variety of available child care that meet their specific needs and gain access to models of high-quality child care programming. Indiana programs like Paths to QUALITYtm and On My Way Pre-K help parents judge a provider's quality standards.
Unique Providers Trained (monthly average): 139 | Children Impaced Monthly (monthly average): 3,958 | Programs Enrolled in Paths-to-Quality: 41 | Programs that Advanced to High Quality: 47 | Families that Received Child Care Referrals: 730
Northwest Indiana Child Care Development Fund Voucher Program (CCDF)
Assists income-eligible families in Jasper, Lake, Porter and Newton counties with child care options and costs. In FY 2019, program staff serviced approximately 2,500 cases each month. This access helped low-income families obtain child care so that they could work, attend training or continue their education.
Daily Bread
Specifically geared towards increasing a child's access to nutritious meals while in child care, reimburses child daycare homes and centers with funding from USDA Child & Adult Care Feeding Program (CACFP). Daily Bread ensures child care homes and centers meet CACFP standards for enrolled children and provides training in menu planing and preparation as well as sanitation and administration. The program serves approximately 60 daycare homes and centers.
Geminus Head Start
Our longest running early childhood education program, it is also Northwest Indiana's leader in early childhood education— making positive impacts on families, children, and staff through creative partnerships that inspire personal growth, foster empowerment and provide quality comprehensive services for all. We make it convenient for families to access quality early learning and social services. For more info view our 2019 Head Start Annual Report