HOME > Programs & Services > SKIP

Support for Kids with Incarcerated Parents

The Prison Society's Support for Kids with Incarcerated Parents (SKIP) helps children with incarcerated parents build their self-esteem and cope with their parents' incarceration.

SKIP IN YOUR COMMUNITY

In order to help reach more children, the Prison Society trains interested agencies and individuals who want to implement a SKIP program in their neighborhood.

For more information, contact the Inmate Family Services Program Manager at 215.564.4775, ext. 104.

Children of current and former prisoners are among the most severely at-risk children in our country. Their situations are often unknown and unattended to by human service agencies. They often blame themselves and are afraid to talk to anyone about their feelings. Their situations are often fraught by other multi-risk factors such as poverty, abuse, mental illness, substance abuse, and neglect.

The children serve a silent sentence all their own. Research shows that children of prisoners experience the trauma of loss, which puts them at risk for poor physical and mental health, emotional and behavioral difficulties, social and academic failure.

The Prison Society has determined that there are more than 30,000 children under the age of 18 living in the Philadelphia area who have incarcerated parents. We have designed and developed the SKIP program to meet the special needs of these children.

WHAT CAREGIVERS HAVE SAID ABOUT SKIP:

"She LOVED the program. She talked about it all the time. She looked forward to it. It helped her attend school more often. And it helped her feel good about her father again. SKIP was great for her."

"His speech problem used to be horrible. Now it seems much less. On the days you had SKIP, he would come home and talk like I hadn't seen in years. You made him feel comfortable, and he never used to talk about his dad. Now he does."

"He talks a little more and show a little pride for the first time."
 

The SKIP program is a 12-week support group for children ages 8-12 led by a trained instructor. The 12-week curriculum is structured around games and activities that engender sharing, help children identify and describe their feelings, build self-esteem and develop coping skills.

Caregiver and family support is an integral part of the program. Our staff assists families to navigate other supports available in the area through resource sharing and referrals.

Children make new friends and feel acknowledged for who they are. Hands-on activities are a major part of the program. The program assists children of prisoners in becoming resilient and developing into well-adjusted adolescents and adults, realizing their full potentials. Held in community centers, schools, or places of worship, SKIP provides:

  1. A safe place to discuss feelings with other children
  2. Organized activities designed to build self-esteem and help children get along with others
  3. A better understanding of and ways to deal with parents' incarceration
  4. An understanding that people in prison made mistakes, are neither heroes nor victims
  5. Information and referrals to caregivers about other human service agencies when necessary

Contact:
     Ceciley Bradford
     Inmate Family Services Program Manager
     215.564.4775 Extension 104



"I learned to believe in myself. I learned that just because you cannot see your parent [that] doesn't mean your parent does not love you."
-SKIP program participant