INTEGRATED APPROACHES TO SUPPORTING PARENTS
Jamaica’s new Parents’ Places: A Parents’ Place is a “one-stop-shop” for parents, a place in or near every major community, identifiable by its logo and by its activities. It is a comfortable and attractive place for parents to go for parenting information, for courses and workshops, for mutual support from other parents, and—where resources and creativity allow—other needed or desirable activities, such as social and recreational family activities, counselling and other helping services, and income-support training activities for parents’ economic betterment.
Parenting can be stressful for all parents at times; supporting and strengthening each other is at the centre of the Parents’ Place idea.
This idea builds on and coordinates many good existing efforts. It is a flexible idea; it can be attached or linked to a wide range of public or private services—a health clinic, a basic school, a primary or secondary school, a non-government social service agency, a faith-based organisation, a library. It is primarily a community initiative; community parents and stakeholders should determine the range of support activities to be available within the local Parents’ Place. The potential of community-based, collaborative centres that are primarily opened and operated through the initiative of community groups and existing organisations has been widely and enthusiastically endorsed during a year of consultations.
The Ministry of Education is proposed as the anchoring institution for an eventual framework of multi-sectoral technical support teams made up of government and non-government representatives which will support the successful implementation of new Parents’ Places.
Parenting Interventions that work: Valuable Tips from Parenting Trainers and Consultants
At the April 2011 UNESCO-supported teleconference, 104 ECD stakeholders in 12 countries participated in a discussion on meaningful parent participation in ECD. Two of the presenters shared effective methods for engaging and helping parents.
Janet Brown’s advice included:
1. Ensure all parents are included in consultations and parent activities, regardless.
2. Create climates of MUTUAL RESPECT with parents, reaching out to those who are harder to reach; families at-risk, more vulnerable persons, and those less willing to participate, possibly fathers.
3. Care about the views and ideas of parents – about their children, care and/or learning setting.
Richard Troupe also shared effective strategies for helping parents:
1. Invest in providing a series parenting training workshops;
2. Establish a Parenting Corner at your centre or school, an area where parents know that they can obtain information and important forms to support their self development and their capacities to be strong parents. The information made available should be sourced by teachers and parents. Parents who have made a difference to the centre/school can be recognized and featured as “Parent of the Month”.
3. Create a One Stop Shop concept when a designated day can be use to invite government and civil society organizations to the school to make their services available to parents; (teleconference report).
