Recent News Events Raise Awareness Of Importance of Programs At The Upper Room, A Family Resource Center

Online, December 11, 2012 (Newswire.com) - In the wake of recent news regarding Jessica Linscott and the alleged abuse of her 3 year old son that is garnering national attention, The Upper Room, a Family Resource Center, wants to highlight the importance of prevention, and the effectiveness of its programs in helping to stop such tragedies.

Jessica Linscott, age 23, and her boyfriend Roland Dow, age 27, both of Plaistow NH, were recently arrested in Florida after being on the run for two weeks. The couple dropped off Linscott's 3 year old son, James Nicholson, at Exeter Hospital with bruises all over his body, and burns on his wrists and fingers. He also suffered a brain injury that resulted in seizures and temporary blindness. Upon learning that doctors alerted the authorities of suspected abuse, the couple fled. Dow is accused of beating the young child, and faces charges of first and second degree assault, and five counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Linscott's accusations include six child endangerment charges for failing to protect her son.

In the Teen Information for Parenting Success (TIPS) program at The Upper Room, young parents learn about parenting and life skills, receive access to resources needed, and are encouraged to continue their education. Specific topics covered include child development, positive discipline, healthy meal preparation, family dynamics, educational options for parents, and money management. The program also offers health education to reduce abuse and neglect. TIPS is for current or expectant parents aged 23 or younger, and services are free and confidential.

One of TIPS' main objectives is to reduce or eliminate instances of child abuse and neglect, as suspected of Linscott and Dow. This is done by providing strategies, education and resources to prevent even the thought of abuse before it happens. The program has been a great success so far. In fact, no families enrolled in the program have an open abuse and neglect case against them.

"Regardless of the alleged abuse or circumstances regarding the couple's home life, most of which are still unknown to the public at this time, we are confident in stating that the TIPS program could have been an asset to Ms. Linscott and her boyfriend," stated Janis Lilly, TIPS Program Coordinator. "The program works to teach young parents important life skills to handle the stress that comes with caring for a child at a young age. We empower young parents to make the best decisions for their child, and provide the resources to do so. We actually discussed this news story at a recent TIPS meeting. Several participants mentioned that without the support of TIPS, they feared they could have found themselves in a similar situation."

The Upper Room's Executive Director, Kimberly Bavaro, added that, "Outside our achievements as related to life skills and abuse reduction, the TIPS program has also been successful in many other areas, such as employment and the completion of schooling. Within a 3 month period from summer to fall of 2012, TIPS had 47 parents enrolled. 68% of these parents were employed, 81% completed high school, and 11% are still in school. Some are even working on a college education, including a master's degree."

"Individuals all around the country seem to have a strong opinion of Linscott and Dow," Lilly emphasized. "It troubles a lot of people when children are involved. We want the public to know that armed with knowledge and resources, instances of child abuse are preventable."

The TIPS program is currently made possible thanks to its funders, including Alexander Eastman Foundation, Bank of America, Citizens Bank, Granite United Way, Oak Foundation, and Women's Fund of New Hampshire. However, as a non-profit, The Upper Room has an important need for individual donations to keep the TIPS program alive, so that more young parents may be assisted. If anyone would like to help prevent child abuse, The Upper Room is asking for donations to the TIPS program. 100% of the funds will be put towards helping families.

"If this story has touched your heart as much as it has touched ours, we hope you will consider a gift to The Upper Room," Bavaro added. "No matter how much, all funds make a difference, and will help strengthen our community."

To learn more about the TIPS program, please visit urteachers.org/programs-tips.html, or contact Kimberly Bavaro, Janis Lilly, or Emily Murphy at 603-437-8477.