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 Facilitate friendships and mutual support.Programs offered many opportunities for parents to get to know each other, develop mutual support systems and take leadership. Strategies included sports teams, potlucks, classes, camping trips and field trips, advisory groups, board leadership and volunteer opportunities. Special outreach to fathers and extended family members was common.> return to the logic model graphic Strengthen parenting.Programs offered many ways for parents to get support on parenting issues when they needed it-a class or a support group, opportunities to meet with teachers, family support workers or other staff, home visits or resources from a lending library. Most programs had classroom designs or technology that allowed parents to observe their children easily. Both parents and staff described the importance of the everyday opportunities at the centers for parents to understand their children's behavior and respond to it more effectively.> return to the logic model graphic Respond to family crises.In addition to day-to-day contact between teachers and parents that helped develop good relationships and support parents every day, good programs offered extra support to families when they needed it through designated family support workers or other staff who had the time, training, and expertise to connect families to the support they needed. All programs responded when families faced illnesses, job loss, housing problems, and other issues.> return to the logic model graphic Link families to services and opportunities.Programs offered parents links to job training, education, health providers and other essential services through their networks in the community. Most programs had family support workers on staff that helped to assess family needs and goals and connect them to services and supports. Mental health consultants were part of almost every program, helping parents and staff work effectively with children who had been excluded from previous programs for challenging behavior, and helping to destigmatize mental health services for children, parents, and staff.> return to the logic model graphic Value and support parents.Because the relationship between parents and teachers is essential to the programs' ability to connect with parents, support, training, and supervision of teachers to help them do this effectively was very important. Program leaders were involved in many day-to-day activities and were very accessible to staff and parents. Teaching staff were encouraged to take initiative in their relationships with families and address concerns when they arose, knowing that they had back-up from supervisors and other staff within the program. Male staff members were especially recruited.> return to the logic model graphic Facilitate Children's Social Emotional Development.Many programs used "I Can Problem Solve", "Second Step" or some other curriculum focused on helping children to articulate their feelings and get along with others. Parents in many of the programs described how the curriculum influenced their perspectives on their children and their behavior toward the child when children brought home what they learned in the classroom.> return to the logic model graphic Observe and respond to early warning signs of child abuse or neglect.All programs trained and supported staff to observe children carefully and respond at the first sign of any difficulty. Programs used indicators such as frequent absences, missing payments, late pick-ups, or signs of parental stress as opportunities to proactively reach out to families and connect them with family support or other services. Special protocols for child abuse or neglect reporting allowed programs to provide continuity and support for families that were the subject of reports. Parents at several programs backed up the effectiveness of this strategy with personal stories of how the programs had helped them alter situations that were dangerous for children and continue to be involved with the program. Most programs also developed ongoing relationships with staff at child protective services to ensure that children were safe and parents got the services they needed.> return to the logic model graphic |
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