SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. – Sacred Heart Community Service (SHCS) has partnered with the County of Santa Clara Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS), to provide parent education, strengthen nurturing parenting of young children and promote family health and wellness.
The Safe, Secure and Loved©, parent education program was created by Dr. Barbara Burns, a professor of Child Studies at Santa Clara University. The program is based on scientific evidence about ways to promote resilience in young children and families facing early adversities. Safe, Secure and Loved© has been previously offered to hundreds of parents at SHCS during the last six years, and has been adopted by many diverse communities across the United States.
“We embrace proactive strategies that promote the development of healthy relationships between parents and children,” said County of Santa Clara Supervisor Cindy Chavez, Chair of the Board’s Children, Seniors and Families Committee. “Healthy families make healthy communities.”
“We are very excited about the implementation of this parent education program. The fact that it is led by county champions makes it unique and provides a sense of ownership to participants, at no cost to them,” said County of Santa Clara Supervisor Mike Wasserman. “We want as many parents, caregivers and children as possible to benefit and grow from this remarkable effort.”
The community partnership and parent education program are part of a larger prevention strategy by DFCS to strengthen family functioning and to support child safety, permanency, and well-being in the family and larger community. The neighbor-to-neighbor workshop approach enable parents to strengthen their nurturing parenting skills and promote a healthy sense of attachment between parents and children.
“We are excited to partner with Sacred Heart Community Service to support prevention efforts in the community and to help families thrive and be well,” said Francesca LeRúe, Director of the Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children’s Services. “A wonderful aspect of this program is that parents are learning from other parents about resiliency and this unique approach provides hands-on coaching in an inclusive and supportive environment.”
“This partnership recognizes the inherent strength of parents by providing a space to gather and share their parenting and caregiver experience while reinforcing habits of resilience,” said Poncho Guevara, Executive Director of Sacred Heart Community Service.
SCHS has expanded their parent education programming due to the generous support of our community partners: the Klarich Family, Bella Vista Foundation, Sacred Heart Church of Saratoga, Kaiser Permanente, St. Mary’s Church of Gilroy, and Gilroy Library.
In addition to the community-led parent education workshops offered to parents, the Gilroy sites offer added components to strengthen and reinforce what parents learn during the class. Components include the, “Godmother Ministry” (Ministerio de Madrinas), in which trained community volunteers provide a supportive relationship to the parents and families across an entire year. During these gatherings, families have the opportunity to learn and play together to strengthen their connection and resiliency.
Individuals interested in this opportunity to participate in community-based parent education should call Maria Gallardo, Early Childhood Education Program Manager (408) 278-2193 or email mariag@sacredheart.org
WHEN AND WHERE:
• St. Mary’s Church – Gilroy
7980 Church St., Gilroy, CA 95020
Wednesdays starting January 30, 2019 – March 6, 2019 (9 -11 a.m.)
• Tully Community Branch Library
880 Tully Rd., San Jose, CA 95121
Tuesdays starting March 5, 2019 – April 16, 2019 (10 a.m.-12 p.m.)
• San Ysidro Community Center – Gilroy
7700 Murray Avenue, Gilroy, CA 95020
Wednesdays starting April 17, 2019 – May 22, 2019 (9-11 a.m.)
