Families First

"I have been involved with Families First since 2009, when I joined the Friends Council. I joined the Board in 2011 and have served as Co-Chair since 2013. The mission of Families First resonated with me right from the start. I am fortunate to be raising my three children with an abundance of resources, in a stable family and a safe community. All... the same, the kind of parent I strive to be requires hard work, diligence, consistency, and patience. In the communities we serve, parents are dealing with toxic stress caused by violence, poverty, crime, and addiction and have few resources on which to draw. Our parenting workshops are delivered in small groups over a series of 6-8 weeks so that parents have a chance to discuss, practice, and internalize new skills and approaches to parenting. These workshops allow parents to access the expertise of our Parenting Educators as well as to build a support network with other parents. These are things that can be easy to take for granted but are essential in giving parents the confidence to be the best parents for their children. In my professional career I have spent the last five years overseeing Learning and Development at a consulting firm, first as Director of Talent Development and now as Vice President of Human Capital. We know that adults learn best when they have training that is delivered over time, that is highly interactive, and that allows them to practice new skills in between more formal sessions. We also know that new skills "stick" better when the environment is supportive of those new skills. Families First's model of parenting support and education is at the leading edge of adult learning theory and ensures that we are truly driving improved outcomes in how parents interact with and relate to their children. I was privileged to serve on the Search Committee that brought Liz Cohen to the organization as our third Executive Director in January 2012. Under Liz's leadership, we updated our strategic plan, which has led to an even deeper relationship with ...Read More