Jamee Range and Crista Riffle, parent and youth ambassadors for COAD (Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development) led attendees through a parent support meeting in Wellsville on self-care. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

WELLSVILLE – Some not-so-fun facts about raising a child in today’s Appalachia:

— 26.8 percent of children live in food insecure households.

— 15 percent of a family’s income is spent on childcare for one child.

— 55.7 percent of children qualify for free or reduced lunch

That can result in a lot of stress for a parent, and COAD4kids is geared to assist families in navigating these available resources.

Jamee Range and Crista Riffle, parent youth ambassadors for COAD (the Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development), met Thursday with parents to discuss the importance of self-care at Kiducation Community Center.

Child care was provided for attendees across the street, while moms and female guardians learned the importance of taking those moments to provide self-care.

Families received a $50 gift card for attending.

After hosting the gathering, COAD reps are supposed to report gaps in services back to the state for remediation.

Riffle explained that housing overwhelmingly has been the number one biggest gap right now.

Who asks how they maintain the strength for their family, most participants answered that they look for their faith to keep grounded. “Church helps to put you in a more positive spin,” one woman explained.

The women explained that often when in “mom mode,” they forget their own self-care, which is needed for their families.

Attendees acknowledged that child care can be difficult especially if their parents are no longer available as a support system.

Many of the women present utilize Kiducation’s day care program and look to their colleagues and fellow parents for support, noting they have built their own little village.

However, many of them said that they don’t necessary look for lightening the load. “I can it done faster on my own,” explained one mom.

Another said that she doesn’t necessary like the way someone else folds the towels or loaded the dishwasher, so she ends up redoing it.

Some of the symptoms that the attendees say they seem to relay when in the need of self-care are forgetfulness, shorttemperedness, and unexplained sadness.

Riffle continued by if they get a few minutes to just relax and breathe until feeling at peace “Parents who engage in self-care are often more effective at managing their children’s needs,” she concluded.

More than 50 years old, COAD is a non-profit organization that provides direct services for Ohio’s 10 Appalachian counties which includes Columbiana and Jefferson.

Both of these counties’ Community Action Agencies hold memberships with COAD.

For more information about COAD, call 740-594-8499 or visit coadinc.org/coad4kids