Cayuga County FAST

06/21/2023

Hello Summer! Check out page throughout the summer to learn ways to manage your mental health!

06/06/2023

06/02/2023

Cayuga County FAST is excited to Celebrate Pride all month and everyday!

05/16/2022

If you or someone you know has a child struggling with behavioral health needs in Cayuga County, please complete a FAST referral by visiting www.cayugacofast.com FAST can assist families in linking to local resources with no waitlists.

Last year, 1,000 children ended up in the emergency room at Upstate University Hospital. For many families, there's no place else to turn.

11/17/2020

Family Peer Advocates at Cayuga Counseling are now offering a virtual support group for caregivers!
This group follows an informal chat session with parents talking to parents. The parents chose the direction of the group and the topics for the speakers.
The group will be held over Zoom
The support group meets of the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
If you are interested in joining the group email sumnery@cayugacounseling.org to be added to the group list

09/22/2020

Both parents and students are tasked with the challenging job of managing mental health and learning in the middle of an unpredictable pandemic. Remember you are the best you can and we will get through this together!

Please contact FAST if you are in need of additional support at www.cayugacofast.com

Take a child.

Now remove them from their school campus,

hardworking and compassionate teachers,

and joy-inducing friends.

Now have them stay home and socially distanced from most others for six months.

Have them do 2.5 months of spontaneous online instruction via platforms they’ve never used.

Throw in approximately three months of a pandemic plagued summer.

Have them return to learning, either

masked and in-person

or unmasked and home,

and tell them this is unfortunately their "new normal."

Now give them a test.

Give them a plethora of educational assessments while their heads are still spinning from the fact that their lives have been turned upside down.

For those e-learning from home, have them test

over zoom,

at their makeshift work area in their house,

while sitting in their bedroom or at their dining room table,

while having internet connectivity issues,

while their younger sibling tries to distract them,

while their older sibling sits near them also testing,

as the dog barks,

the doorbell rings,

and they attempt to "keep it together."

Now take that score and remember that truly, it means nothing.

Something, I guess,

but in the scheme of things,

nothing.

It’s not the be-all-end-all.

It’s one piece of the puzzle.

It’s just a tool.

Your child is not a test score.

Your child is surely not their test score DURING A PANDEMIC.

With school starting for so very many across the country, and beginning of the year assessments being taken, graded, and those grades being sent home over the next few weeks, this is just a little reminder to parents that what forever matters more than any test score your child receives — now or in the future — is your human(s) feeling

loved,

safe,

provided for,

and backed.

The learning will follow, but the love should lead.

Your child’s test score is NO indication of how much you love them, how hard they are working, or how hard you have been working alongside and with them.

But that end-of-the-day smile on your kid's face,

the one that they can still muster up amidst a topsy-turvy world,

that IS a very good indication that your kiddo and you are doing just fine.

(via Jthreenme)

09/11/2020

08/25/2020

BTW is hosting a Back to School Giveaway on Tuesday, September 1st from 3:00pm to 5:00pm (while supplies last).

08/25/2020

It can be challenging during uncertain times to remember everyone is doing the best they can. Parents are especially in a challenging place determining what educational plan will best meet the needs of their family as a whole and their child as an individual.

08/25/2020

"Wherever they are, we need to remember to acknowledge their feelings and remind them we are their safe place, that we understand their anxious feelings are uncomfortable, and we are here to help. "

Supporting students and their families through the transition back to school, is one of many ways FAST supports the residents of Cayuga County. Please contact FAST at 315-294-8180 about how FAST can assist you.

Right now, a feeling of safety in the face of uncertainty is the most important thing.

07/28/2020

The next Mobile Food Pantry in Cato will be Thursday, July 30th at 4:00. You MUST preregister for this event, online starting tomorrow, follow the instructions on the flyer. Call 315-437-1899 M-F 8:00 - 4:30 with any questions.