A good story can help children develop self-identity, learn life lessons, travel to faraway places, and imagine a life beyond the current circumstances. Books can be magical yet filled with so many properties that offer hope. DC Project Connect believes in the power of stories and the benefits of purposeful storybooks. Our goal was to distribute storybooks throughout the DC Metropolitan area (MD, DC, VA) without imposing costs on parents. Thanks to the generosity of the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, we have begun to distribute these books at local community festivals, and venues in the Capitol Hill area, and we have set up literary "Reading Circles" to train parents and caregivers on the power of using our stories to engage children in bonding, coping, and healing processes.
Photo Source: DC Project Connect, Book Distribution, Information Sharing, and Literature for Children Affected by Incarceration. Children's Identities are Masked according to DCPC Policy.
DC Project Connect at its finest provides resources that help to promote familial healing. Our tagline reads: "Incarceration hurts. We foster healing." We believe in the power of information and resources to heal adults and children. This initiative is aligned with our mission statement. We have learned through our empirical research that incarceration can result in a host of confusing circumstances, where caregivers struggle to explain where incarcerated parents are. Children struggle to understand why their parents are no longer with them or caring for them. Our storybooks help to convey those messages using age-appropriate methods. Our work is vetted by child psychologists and is informed by our scientific literature.
Our Future sites and distribution goals in the Capitol Hill area include:
The Fairview Residential Reentry Center (31 mother-child dyads) - September 17, 2022
The National Reentry Action Network (Up to 30 families) - October 04, 2022
Voices of Second Chances (50) , October 29, 2022
Community Family Life Services (50 families) - November 16, 2022
The Mayor's Office of Returning Citizens Affairs & CSOSA (up to 50 families) - TBS
National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens (up to 50 families) -TBD
Our book distribution includes hosting reading circles, stocking libraries for transition homes, and providing materials for caregivers.
If you are interested in supporting us, please complete a contact form. DCPC's goals are to make these books available without passing on costs to parents.