Hide 'N Seek Children's Foundation

As young families approach the holidays, here’s a way to help children move beyond the gimme stage. You can start this activity before Thanksgiving. Tell the children it’s time to think about gifts. But, not the gifts they hope to receive. Rather, what gifts would they like to give to people who are important to them? Begin by asking them to name special people. A good rule of thumb is one person for each year of the child’s age. ... Even a three year old can think of ways to be helpful. Guide them with suggestions of gifts of their time for people they love. Use stickers or simple drawings and words to explain the gift. Hand drawn art and a small envelop are nice additions. Let the child hand deliver each gift coupon to their special people and explain what they plan to do. Exa. I’ll get the water bottles three days to help us leave on time in the mornings. An older child might take responsibility to keep outdoor shoes by the door neatly lined up. Draw check boxes and post the coupon in a place the children can use a pencil. Mark off each time they complete their gift of helpfulness. Focusing on their own ability to give to others reinforces that we can all give meaningful gifts to the people we love. Children learn there is happiness in giving and receiving.

Hide ‘N Seek Children’s Foundation is a 501(c) non profit based in Salinas, CA since November, 2001. Our mission is to create public awareness of child support issues. We promote responsible parenting to encourage emotional and financial support for all children living in single parent homes. Hide’N Seek is offering community service opportunities to high school students who need to complete their hours for graduation requirements. Students will color our VIP kids cards wit...h glitter gel pens provided by Hide’N Seek. To provide a Covid free environment for community service, we can do a telephone or zoom orientation. After we have your name, phone number and address, we will send the office, porch pick up point, for all materials needed. Community service projects can be completed at home. A sample of the finished product is included as a guide. You can also text or email for a prompt response if you have questions. When you have completed the work from your first pick-up, we will make an appointment to drop off your finished projects, materials and your community service forms or to get additional projects and earn more community service. Your community service form must have your name, school name of attendance and graduation date completed in ink, that shows on all 3 copies of the community service form. Please print firmly. We are preparing for the holidays and encourage students who want to work on their community service before December 14th, 2020. This post includes a photo of our new VIP holiday cards that feature multi-cultural children. Text or call (831) 578-0760 for more information about our services, products available for purchase or ways to donate. www.hidenseekca.org

Dear Hide ‘N Seek Friends & Families, How quickly our world has changed in the last few weeks! As always, my first thoughts are for children living with a single parent. There were struggles before and surely, the pandemic is taking an unrelenting toll. It breaks my heart for all children. I pray not only for my friends and loved ones, but also that we follow what will keep us safe. We can come out of this stronger and with more resolve to make families our first priorit...y. While observing full quarantine, our work continues. Hide ‘N Seek Children’s Foundation has three main projects at this time. Our Child Support, According to the Experts is a long term project coming together carefully. We have optimized our search engine presence and added Goggle and Microsoft Bing. This is all being done remotely and our internet presence is showing more views! We will continue to add more! This year’s student education program has already provided many VIP kid’s cards that require boxing in preparation for online purchases and future child support conference attendance. (See Shop at www.hidenseekca.org ) We’ve changed our address to Hide 'N Seek Children's Foundation PO Box# 1066 Salinas, CA 93902 Please direct any written communication or donations to this new address. We are also available to be contacted through this Facebook page or with the Contact Us form at: www.hidenseekca.org This is a great time for every child support office to plan ahead and have materials ready for August’s 2020 Child Support Awareness Month. Order now and direct families to your services with Hide ‘N Seek Children’s Foundation’s beautiful, positive and directive framed prints. Our online website gallery offers something for every office, families utilize. They are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Tagalog and Vietnamese. You can request other languages for the demographics of your county and state, all customized with contact information for your Child Support Services. Although our nation is changed and there are many uncertainties , our children need the emotional and financial support of both parents desperately. It is a step forward to build stronger communities. We must show our children that we are focused and ready to be there for their futures. Be safe and be well. Rebecca Ingram Skrdla Founder/Executive Director

Hide ’N Seek Children’s Foundation is working on a new community awareness outreach project called "Caring for a Child, According to the Experts". Children are the ones most affected by responsible parenting and they are the "experts" on what helps them feel safe, secure and well provided for. This project will showcase drawings from children, the "experts", whose art is expressive and speaks volumes. This campaign will help the "experts", who have limited access for publicit...y, get their message across to adults. The Hide ’N Seek Children's Foundation's goal is to compile and share what the "experts" define as responsible parenting to a child, showing parents how children view parenting. Hide ’N Seek invites children ages 4 -17 years old to submit up to 3 drawings which will be considered for inclusion in community awareness outreach materials. We’re seeking drawings featuring parents and/or families doing things together like hobbies, camping, special interests, holiday activities, or even just sharing meals together. It could also include childhood dreams of becoming an Olympic athlete, an astronaut, or something else, and how their parents help them set and reach such goals. If you would like to be part of this project and need materials to draw on, Hide ’N Seek Children’s Foundation can send you sheets of 5 x 7 inch, white card stock and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Drawings must be in either colored pencil or markers and in horizontal, landscape format. You can mail your donated art to: Hide ‘N Seek Children’s Foundation 533 College Drive Salinas, CA 93901 c/o Rebecca A. Skrdla

I had the pleasure of reconnecting with these young women who I met 14 years ago as high school volunteers for Hide ‘N Seek. They were remarkable then and continue to give back to the community through their careers and families now. It was a wonderful honor and gift to share an afternoon catching up. An investment of time in the life of a child or a young person, builds strong communities. So thankful for this opportunity!

After a necessary, extended, medical pause in productively, it’s been tempting for me to undervalue all the hard work, passion and hopefully influence, of our student education program. Today I heard from these four beauties!They earned their community service hours, (required for high school graduation)at Hide ‘N Seek Children’s Foundation, 14 years ago! All of them are loving, supportive parents with secure families. We are still building better communities through public awareness of responsible parenting! Your county and state child support community can increase collections with positive, directive and pre-emptive outreach prints. Check out our online gallery and contact us to place an order for your child support community!

Promoting responsible parenting for children living in single parent families today at Anthem Christian School in Salinas on Alvin Drive. Hide ‘N Seek gift products help build strong families! See you there!

This is a beautiful Hide ‘N Seek print that we are proud to have in 10 major, US cities! It was designed and delivered in August 2018. It is now displayed in regional offices where many families, health & human services employees and the general public are reminded that every child needs emotional and financial support from both parents. Hide ‘N Seek started in 2002. We’ve promoted responsible parenting for almost 18 years. That length of time always presents hurdles. Some... have been financial, work related or personal. What has not changed is that our communities still have children in single parent homes who need a voice to promote responsible parenting. There are single parents that need to be a voice for their experience . We are seeking board members with fundraising expertise, business management and a sincere heart to help us, help our nation’s children. Please share this post, donate to our cause and volunteer for the change that will help all of our future families be more connected and stronger. Hide ‘N Seek Children’s Foundation www.hidenseekca.org [email protected]

These are one style of our new Patriotic VIP hand colored cards. There are two styles with both drawn by student artists! Blank inside for your personal message.

Not only are they smart, sweet and beautiful but we couldn’t have asked for better volunteers! Congratulations to Yoana and Daisy!

Congratulations to this beautiful, soon to be, high school graduate ! She completed over 100 hours of community service with Hide ‘N Seek Children’s Foundation. It was great to be a part of her very promising future. Congratulations!

May is the perfect time to honor the ones who have nurtured you. Teachers, mentors and of course, mothers! Consider ordering from Hide ‘N Seek Childrens Foundation! The money will be used to promote responsible parenting for children living in single parent homes. Child support makes a difference! We offer 8 packs of hand colored, VIP kids cards. We’re especially proud of our new birthday cake cards! Also introducing a Patriotic card set! Inner Souls scripture labels allow ...you to be standing on promises wherever you go. Also perfect for display in your mirror, cabinet or laptop. Becky’s gift book, My Mother is a Princess is loved by all ages. It captures the essence of the love between mothers and daughters. Child support communities can purchase our community outreach, framed prints and help families where they serve! Beautiful, positive and directive to your county child support office! Customized with your County Seal and contact information. They are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Tagalog and Vietnamese! * Exciting news!!! Hide ‘N Seek is growing! We are now in 10 major US cities! Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC! Please like and share this post, donate or purchase and promote responsible parenting. For more information about Hide ‘N Seek, visit our website www.hidenseekca.org

We have new VIP kids cards! These are our patriotic multi-pack and have three different designs. 8 cards total and 8 envelopes! These make great teacher gifts all year long!

Hide ‘N Seek is attending the NCSEA Child Support conference in Pittsburgh! We are meeting lots of people from this area. Our booth is planting seeds that will hopefully grow into new accounts! It’s exciting to think that being here could help make every day better for children living in single parent homes. The child support community is full of loving, dedicated people who are helping children. Proud to be a small part.

Introducing a fundraiser to help us expand our efforts and promote responsible parenting in other states.