During National Parent Leadership Month in February, parents in the Strengthening Families Program step up in their communities to provide guidance and support for their peers.
Carla Arguello and her daughter Sofia participate in a Strengthening Families Program activity in Greenville.
Carla Arguello loved the Strengthening Families Program so much that when she graduated from it in 2019, she instantly knew that she wanted to help other families enjoy the same experience.
She joined the SFP team of Just Say Something, a Greenville grantee of Children’s Trust, to work as a group leader in the current cycle of the program.
SFP, a 14-session program geared for families with children ages 6 to 11, helps parents and caregivers improve parenting skills; develop positive discipline practices; stay resilient in tough times; reduce conflict; and assist children with social skills, relationships, and school performance.
“This program gives amazing and powerful tools to help parents and children live in loving and respectful families. These tools don’t cost you any money, just your time,” Arguello said. “You change your attitude by seeing with your own eyes how simple but specific lessons will turn into big and positive changes for the whole family.”
Lillian Garcia (right) at a Children’s Trust event.
Lillian Garcia, Children’s Trust SFP coordinator in the Upstate, works with the Just Say Something site to support the program for the 8-to-12 families that typically enroll in a cycle. She saluted Arguello’s commitment to pay it forward in her community.
“Parents like Carla Arguello who complete the program and come back as a group leader have a big impact on the parents and caregivers participating in the program,” Garcia said. “Carla is able to embrace the parent-caregiver from the standpoint that at one time, she too was in their shoes looking for support. Parent group leaders contribute to making their families feel welcomed, comfortable, and non-judged with opportunities to connect and build trust.”
Arguello, who completed the program with her daughter Sofia, is an example of why National Parent Leadership Month was instituted nationally each February. Initiated by Parents Anonymous as an opportunity to show appreciation for parents who work to improve the lives of their families, neighbors, and communities, the month is an opportunity to recognize parents as a key resource in family strengthening and child abuse prevention efforts. Parents make it happen by contributing to local, state, and national initiatives and partnering with the staff of programs in which they participate.
Giving Back to Families in Their Communities
Sherri Caldwell at a SFP graduation.
Sherri Caldwell, Children’s Trust director of community initiatives for the SFP team, has long admired the dedication of Brandon and Rita Crawford, who completed the program in 2017 before coming back to serve as group leaders at the Westview Behavioral Health Services site in Newberry.
“Brandon and Rita contribute to the success of SFP by being able to bring real-life experiences into the parent and children groups,” Caldwell said. “They have specific examples of how they have utilized the skills taught within their family, and they are also able to have candid conversations centered around skills their family may have struggled with implementing. Because these skills made such a difference in their family, they became champions for SFP.”
The Crawfords went through the program with their three sons, Kaden, Kacen and Raylen. Brandon Crawford credits the program with imparting valuable lessons that have helped his family. He learned to praise the behavior that he wanted to see from his sons, which paid immediate dividends, and he gained a new appreciation for the importance of communicating clearly.
Rita and Brandon Crawford
“Prior to being a part of the program, I thought that I knew how to communicate,” he said. “However, after being taught the necessary tools, I quickly realized that I now had a dynamic range of skills to help with all levels of the communications needed to facilitate a healthy family life.”
Rita Crawford enjoyed many things about going through the program, but she connected and interacted with her group leaders in a way that inspired her to become involved in delivering the program.
“Each group leader made us feel so welcome and that our thoughts and opinions really mattered to them. The team of leaders whom we now consider a part of our family went above and beyond to deliver the curriculum in a way that we were able to relate to,” Rita Crawford said. “They encouraged me to want to help other families know that they aren’t alone in raising children and that there are some really awesome tools out there that can help strengthen our relationships with one another.”
Helping Families Thrive and Meet Their Potential
That sums up what SFP offers to families who choose to participate. Children’s Trust, with funding from The Duke Endowment and the S.C. Department of Social Services, provides training for partners, collects data, and monitors the program to ensure it reaches the maximum potential for children and families as part of its overall mission to prevent child abuse and neglect in South Carolina.
Sofia and Carla Arguello
The evidence-based program features two-hour weekly sessions that begin with a family meal before splitting into parenting classes and child classes. Everyone comes together again as a full group to practice new skills at the end of each evening. Over the past year due to COVID-19, local partners have moved SFP to virtual platforms.
Arguello cited an increased confidence in herself to be a better person because of the program, and she wants to share that experience with other Spanish-speaking families in the Upstate. Most importantly, she believes SFP helps increase the possibilities of a happy, respectful community and gives children a healthy place to grow and learn in a positive and proper way.
“We can help families learn to love and respect each other,” she said.
Brandon Crawford cited the new approaches and strategies he learned from the SFP team as well as fellow parents that his family put into everyday practice, while Rita spoke of the several lasting friendships with other families that have come through the program.
“It has allowed us to come in contact with so many people who share one thing, if not many things, in common. We are all wanting to better our families,” Rita Crawford said. “We get to share stories of how our kids are doing and even lend a hand when someone is in need.”
