“This group gave me a supportive community during an especially challenging time. I needed encouragement and accountability and to know I wasn’t alone,” says Colleen, the Oak Park mother of 5- and 3-year old boys.
Raising a family is a journey, and finding space to think beyond the day-to-day isn’t always easy. That’s where Parent Leadership Training comes in. This is a free training for parents and caregivers of young children to organize, prioritize, and create an action plan to identify and then accomplish their goals.
These can be life goals or goals for the community as a whole. Through this training, participants make a plan and discover a sense of direction all while cheering on others to become stronger advocates for themselves, their families, and their communities, too.
Achievements from Parent Leadership Training alumni have included advocating for and getting an IEP for a child, securing a new job with a stable income, getting the whole family the extra support they need in therapy, buying a house, and paying off all credit cards. These achievements are game changers for families.
At the Collaboration for Early Childhood, we know that parents and caregivers are a child’s first and most important teacher. By empowering families to advocate for their children and find fellowship with others with shared experiences, we create communities where all children can thrive.
To learn more about how the Collaboration for Early Childhood strengthens families, visit: www.collab4kids.org.
The Collaboration for Early Childhood
Early care and education is the workforce behind the workforce. It makes everything else possible, and it allows children to reach their full potential from day one. We are a community-driven organization that cultivates the development of the whole child, birth to age five, by engaging families, local organizations, early childhood educators, caregivers, and health providers to create equitable, nurturing, and interconnected systems of support. Donate today to ensure that our community continues to be a place where families and their babies have the care, relationships, and resources needed to thrive!
The biggest change starts with the smallest people. Invest in early childhood. Learn more and donate at www.collab4kids.org.
