About the Developer of DC4K and the ParentZone
Category: Other
Linda Ranson Jacobs
Conference speaker and author
Linda's Personal Mission Statement
To exemplify and serve our Lord Jesus each day while educating, equipping and training people in the church realm who work with children and single parents.
About Linda
Linda Ranson Jacobs is one of the forefront leaders in the area of children and divorce. She has been actively involved in ministering to children and their families for years. Having been both divorced and widowed, Linda was a single mom who learned firsthand the emotional and support needs of broken families, and she developed a passion to help hurting families. As a speaker, author, trainer, program developer and Child Care center owner, Linda has assisted countless families by modeling and acting on the healing love she has found in Jesus Christ.
Speaker and Trainer
- Commissioned by the state of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Child Care Association to train over 1000 directors/administrators in the National Administrator's Credential, the Director's Advanced Training and Dr. Becky Bailey's Brain Smart Management
- Invited to speak to Child Care administrators around the nation for Federal Child Care Bureau
- Presented at the Georgetown Training Institutes in Washington DC
- Conducted training for elementary schools and resource and referral agencies on "Explosive Behaviors in Young Children"
- Invited to present at the Administration for Children, Youth and Families in Washington DC
- Spoke before the Oklahoma Legislative Task Force on developing successful programs for children and youth in out-of-school time
- Keynote speaker for Head Start
- Single Parent Family Consultant for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma
Linda has spoken or led workshops at the following national conferences:
- SAM Single Adult Ministry conference
- Single Parent Family Ministry conference
- LifeWay Church and Family Equipping Institute
- American Marriage and Family Ministry Conference (this August 2005)
- Oklahoma Singles Conference for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma
- LifeWay's Labor Day Singles Conference (in NM and NC)
- Church Initiative Leadership Training Conferences (across the US and in Canada)
Speaking Topics
The following topics can be presented in a longer conference or shorter workshop format. Topics can be tailored to best meet your needs, and suggestions for new topics are welcome. Contact Linda for a description of the subject matter.
- Single parents & single parent families
- Creating a Family-Friendly Church for Single Parents and Kids
- Embracing Challenging-Behavior Children and Their Single Parent in a Supportive Church Environment
- Single Parents of the Bible and the Life Lessons We Can Learn from Them
Children of divorce:
- What Your Children's Leaders Need to Know About the Child of Divorce
- The Spiritual Development of Children of Divorce
- Ages, Stages and Developmental Growth in Children of Divorce
- Understanding the Incredible Brain in Today's Children
- Connecting with the Child of Divorce
- Loss of a Parent Through Death, Divorce and Never Married
- Clarifying Your Ministry and Mission to Children of Divorce
- Harvesting Children of Divorce for the Kingdom of God
Adult children of divorce:
- Enhancing Marriages with Adult Children of Divorce
- Helping the Adult Child of Divorce to Learn to Parent as Part of a Marriage Team
DivorceCare for Kids Training
DC4K, or DivorceCare for Kids, is a biblically based, Christ-centered ministry tool designed to bring healing to children of divorce. This innovative resource, written and developed by Linda Ranson Jacobs, points children to God and introduces them to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. DC4K is a 13-week program that provides an opportunity for your church to encompass the child of divorce with the loving arms of a church family and demonstrate God's love. Each week the children will learn, connect, grow and experience healing through themed games, Bible stories, crafts, snacks, workbook activities, journaling, role-playing, puppets, music, video dramas and Scripture. Visit www.dc4k.org for a complete description and to view the materials.
Linda would be delighted to speak to your church about this exciting ministry opportunity.
Published Works
- Coordinated a special program called Broken Rainbows to assist both children and parents through the stages and stress of family separation caused by divorce, 1990.
- Authored Program Development for School Age Child Care, a training book for Child Care programs, published by the University of Oklahoma's College of Continuing Education, 1990.
- Developed a ten-hour course for the Tulsa Technology School in Oklahoma to help church leaders, school counselors, teachers and child care staff understand the divorce process, 1995.
- Developed a weekend seminar entitled "The Bible Enrichment Series for Single Parents." (Conducted retreats and seminars on this study in OK, TX, FL, NM & NC.)
- Wrote the script for a two-hour training video, "Shattered
Lives . . . Building Hope for the Child of Divorce," in coordination with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and the University of Oklahoma, 1998. - Developed, wrote and trained a forty-hour director/administrator training program on the child of divorce and on children and mental health issues. Commissioned by the Oklahoma Child Care Association, 1999.
- Wrote the script for a training video entitled "The Dawning of a New Day; Caring for Children with Mental Health Issues," produced in conjunction with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, the University of Oklahoma and the Broken Arrow Clubhouse, 2001.
- Wrote and developed DivorceCare for Kids, a 13-week comprehensive program for churches to use to minister to children whose parents are separated or divorced, published by The Church Initiative, Inc., 2004.
Child Care Center Coordinator
Linda owned her own Child Care facility for twenty-four years. In 2001 the Broken Arrow Clubhouse became part of a national research project from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. The research project, "The Models of Inclusion, Including Emotional and Behavioral Issues in Child Care," listed the Broken Arrow Clubhouse as one of the top five in the nation for successfully including children with emotional and behavioral issues in a group care context.
What Others Are Saying
"Linda-what a gift! Her energy, passion, organizational skills and dedication to ministry are contagious." SC
"Linda is powerful and engaging. To learn from the person who wrote DC4K was absolutely wonderful." SC
"How blessed we were by your presence. Your love for Jesus and children just flowed out from you." Canada