Napa County Triple P Collaborative members, joined by representatives from other nonprofits in the California Triple P Collaborative, visited the California Legislature on Jan. 13 to celebrate the proclamation of January as Positive Parenting Awareness Month.
Cope Family Center, which manages the Napa County Triple P (NCTP) Collaborative, announced that the California Legislature proclaimed January 2020 as Positive Parenting Awareness Month by the California Legislature. Positive Parenting Awareness Month highlights the importance for parents and caregivers to develop warm, nurturing relationships with their children and teens and become more confident as parents.
“Positive Parenting Awareness Month was launched in Santa Cruz County eight years ago and has since become observed by nine more counties,” said Assemblymember Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley, lead author of the statewide resolution. “Taking this statewide is a great way to send the message that every community in California benefits from a focus on raising healthy, happy kids – and there are tips and tools available to help.”
“This is a truly fantastic initiative. A Positive Parenting Awareness Month gives proper public recognition to the crucial importance of parenting to the well-being of children, parents and entire communities. There is nothing more important we can do to promote the well-being of children than to increase the knowledge, skills and confidence of all parents in the task of raising healthy well-adjusted children and young people. Well done, California,” said Professor Matt Sanders, founder of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, one of various positive parenting programs available in communities throughout California.
Triple P has been available to families throughout Napa County since 2016. NCTP Collaborative agencies include: Cope Family Center (Lead Agency); Up Valley Family Centers; Child Start, Inc.; ParentsCAN; Napa County Public Health, Child Welfare Services, Self-Sufficiency, and Mental Health; Napa Valley Unified School District; Napa County Office of Education; Napa Emergency Women’s Services; and Queen of the Valley Medical Center. Major funding for the program is provided by Auction Napa Valley and the Napa County Health and Human Services Agency Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement Grant.
In proclaiming January 2020 as Positive Parenting Awareness Month, the California Legislature introduced numerous important messages and concepts related to parenting, some of which include:
• Raising children and youth in California to become healthy, confident, capable individuals is the most important job parents and caregivers have.
• Positive parenting can prevent or mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences such as child abuse, neglect, household dysfunction, and other traumatic events that can create dangerous levels of stress and impair lifelong health and well-being; and
• Many parents and caregivers begin the lifetime job of raising children feeling unprepared, and fear and social pressures prevent many from seeking parenting help and guidance.
• Families in California come in many forms, with children who are raised by parents, grandparents, foster parents, family members and other caregivers; and
• Families can benefit from a “tool kit” of proven strategies and receive support from various positive parenting programs in many counties and tribes through numerous organizations and individual practitioners, thanks to local partnerships, such as between First 5 Commissions, local government, tribal nations, health and human service providers, schools, libraries, higher education institutions, and child welfare agencies; and
• Every individual, community group, business, public, and non-profit agency, and tribe in California has a role to play in raising awareness of the importance of positive parenting and supporting the health and well-being of children and families.
“We are excited by the Statewide success and acknowledgment of our partnerships to expand positive parenting programs throughout California,” said Cope Executive Director Michele Grupe. “We look forward to continuing to collaborate and support families in our community.”
Funding for the Triple P program is provided by the County of Napa, Auction Napa Valley and support from the community.