Our Strengthening Families Approach

Skills, Strengths, Resources, Support, And Strategies

FAMILIES APPROACH nursery children building blocks with a teacher - Serving Greenville, AL

Our Strengthening Families Approach

Skills, Strengths, Resources, Support, And Strategies

Preschool & Daycare Serving Greenville, AL

These Five Protective Factors are the Foundation Of All We Do:

1. Increasing Parental/Provider Resilience To Strengthening Families

No one can eliminate stress from parenting, but building parental resilience can affect how a parent deals with stress. Parental resilience is the ability to constructively cope with and bounce back from all types of challenges. It is about creatively solving problems, building trusting relationships, maintaining a positive attitude, and seeking help when necessary.

2. Positive Social Connections That Empower Parents

Friends, family members, neighbors, and other members of a community provide emotional support and concrete assistance to parents. Networks of support serve multiple purposes: they develop and reinforce community norms around child-rearing, provide assistance in times of need, and serve as a resource for parenting information. Isolation is a common risk factor for abuse and neglect, so parents who are isolated need support in building positive friendships.

3. We Help With Concrete Support in Times of Need

Parents need access to the types of concrete supports and services that can minimize the stress of difficult situations, such as a family crisis, a condition such as substance abuse, or stress associated with a lack of resources. We ensure the basic needs of a family, such as food, clothing, and shelter, are met. We also connect parents and children to services, especially those with a stigma associated with them, like domestic violence shelter or substance abuse counseling, in times of crisis.

4. Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development Is Crucial

Having accurate information about raising young children and appropriate expectations for their behavior helps parents better understand and care for children. The information must be available when parents need it, that is when it is relevant to their life and their child. Parents whose own families used harsh discipline techniques or parents of children with developmental or behavioral problems or special needs require extra support in gaining knowledge.

5. Supporting Children Socially and Emotionally so They Can Grow

A child’s ability to interact positively with others, to self-regulate, and to effectively communicate his or her emotions has a high impact on the parent-child relationship. Children with challenging behaviors are more likely to be abused, so early identification and work with them helps keep their development on track and keeps them safe. Also, children who have experienced or witnessed violence need a safe environment that offers opportunities to develop normally.