EPIC - Every Person Influences Children

1021 Broadway
Buffalo, NY 14212

Family Planning and Adoption Services

EPIC was born out of a tragedy experienced by founder Robert Wilson. In 1977, his wife, Linda, was murdered by a 15 year old neighbor, a child they had befriended. Investigation of the child's life indicated that he had been abused, neglected, and placed in eleven different foster homes. He had not experienced love; he only knew anger and violence. While it was too late to change what had happened to his wife, Wilson felt that it was not too late for others. In 1980, he established EPIC in Buffalo, New York with a vision of preventing tragedies like his. EPIC workshops and trainings carry out Robert Wilson's mission by involving the entire community in helping children make responsible decisions, understand and respect authority, develop positive self-esteem, plan for the future, and succeed in life. Differentiated Family Engagement (DFE) - an EPIC copyrighted framework intended to help school-based management teams, afterschool/agency staff, school and district leaders, teachers and parent advocates and leaders understand the goals and strategies for family engagement at each stage including variations in strategies from elementary through high school. The program assumes families have different needs and different strategies need to be utilized to reach and engage parents at each stage. During this two- hour training, participants will also review and analyze research based strategies to reach Stage 1 families, who are typically parents that are the hardest to reach for schools and agencies. Car Seat Safety - instruction and distribution event appointments available. EPIC has certified car seat safety techs on staff. We are available to: Conduct car seat safety classes; Check and install car seats (call for an appointment - 716-332-4126); Attend an event and facilitate a class and/or assist with car seat checks. Families In Transition - a program designed to help parents in Erie and Niagara Counties facing a variety of challenges. FIT helps parents acquire the parenting skills and knowledge they need to be a positive influence in the lives of their children. Intensive parenting program (6 three-hour sessions or 12 one and a half hour sessions) with a highly effective delivery model that is complemented with supportive services. Group discussions, which are confidential, focus on a variety of topics such as parenting, literacy, emotional growth, communication, non-violence. Incredible Years: Baby and Toddler - a parenting workshop series is designed for parents to learn skills and strategies on how to enhance their baby's social, emotional and language development. Incredible Years is an evidence-based program, is a 2-hour program for parents of children 0 - 12 months old, designed to promote emotional and social competence and to prevent and reduce aggression and emotional problems in their children in the future. Since young children with high rates of aggressive behavioral have been shown to be at risk of developing substance abuse problems, dropping out of school, and engaging in other undesirable activities, the goal of the Incredible Years program is to reduce the occurrence of aggressive and oppositional behavior. Ready, Set, Read! - Helping families put the power of reading in their children's hands. In a series of five workshops, parents of children ages birth to age eight learn hands-on techniques and gain essential knowledge to help them create positive learning experiences in their home and everyday surroundings. During the workshops, parents learn how to help their children develop phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and reading comprehension. They identify and explore individual learning styles for themselves and their children, learn how a child's brain develops, find out why reading is critical event from birth, and learn how to select age-appropriate books and activities. Triple P: Positive Parenting Program - a parenting and family support system designed to prevent, as well as treat, behavioral and emotional problems in children. Available Programs: Triple P Discussion Groups; Triple P Teen; Triple P Primary Care - 1 on 1 support.