Since 1978, Sister Carmen Community Center, or SCCC, has provided the Boulder County community with a variety of critical resources without discrimination, according to their website. Many of these resources are focused on supporting local parents and for the past ten years, SCCC has offered a Nurturing Parenting Program.
The Nurturing Parent Program is available for both English- and Spanish-speakers in separate sessions. Since the program has transferred from in-person meetings to classes on Zoom, due to the pandemic, an unlimited number of parents can register and participate in the program for free.
According to Ginny Holien, the Nurturing Parenting Program coordinator and facilitator of classes in English, the parenting classes follow an eight-week curriculum with one session a week. Each class touches on family-related subjects such as brain and growth development, family and core values, empathy, communication, feelings and discipline.
A new round of the program kicked off last Tuesday.
The first class, Holien said, was for participants to express their hopes, challenges and what they expect to gain from the parenting classes. Next, the attendees took a pre-survey that they will compare to the post-survey they take when the class is finished “to capture their growth” by the end of the program, said Julie Piller, SCCC’s community and family education manager.
The program doesn’t include tests or quizzes about the course material. Instead, a participant will graduate and receive a certificate at the end of the program based on their attendance, Piller said.
Although the program follows a fairly strict curriculum, parents will sometimes decide what they want to talk about during class, Holien said. During the first class on Tuesday, a discussion was sparked by a parent who identified yelling as one of their challenges. After a productive conversation on the topic, the parent later emailed Holien to say that their attitude toward yelling had changed thanks to the class.
Throughout the program, it’s common for participants to bond with one another and arrange to spend time outside of the class discussing certain parenting topics.
“When we first start, parents (think) eight weeks sounds like forever,” Holien said. “By the end, people are like ‘wait, we don’t want to stop meeting!’”
As a result of this, Holien and facilitator of the Spanish classes Mabel Garcia-Parro started a nurturing parent support group on Wednesday nights. Although the support groups are currently not in session, they may start again soon, Piller said.
Besides the Nurturing Parenting Program, SCCC aims to provide other additional programs to fulfill any need that local parents might have. SCCC’s Circle of Parents is a substance abuse support group held every Thursday night from 6 to 7:15 via Zoom for “anyone who feels like their life has been affected by substance abuse, whether it’s in the past or present,” Piller said. The organization also implemented the Family Leadership Institute, a program where parents can use their leadership skills to get involved with projects to make the community a better and safer place for children. In January, an Active Parenting Program will provide classes for parents of teenagers.
In true SCCC fashion, Holien and Piller reported the prospect of a new parent support group for single mothers, inspired by the high number who participate in the Nurturing Parent Program.
According to Piller, the non-profit’s community center in Lafayette is equipped with a food bank, thrift store, financial assistance resources and free mental health services. People can stop in if they need food, help getting their rent paid, a place to exercise or if they want to volunteer in the organic garden, among other things, Piller said.
With everything SCCC does, there is an emphasis on presenting material in both English and Spanish, according to Piller. “We want to be sure we’re inclusive and that we’re bringing that equity lens into all the services we offer,” she said.
“There’s just so many different ways that we are available to help people connect and parenting programs are one of the most important ways. We’ve really seen how important they are,” Piller said.
If you would like to learn more about SCCC’s programs, please contact Holien at [email protected] or 303-669-8837. Holien is available to speak in English and Spanish.
