Spring Parent Project Sessions

Sometimes parents need the support and comradery found amongst other parents who are going through similar challenges as they raise their children. The Parent Project is a curriculum-based program that PCRC facilitates for organizations like the San Mateo County Sheriff’s CARON Program and San Mateo County. The goal of the Parent Project is to empower parents in their role and to foster a better relationship with their child in a loving and nurturing environment.

Parent Project sessions are held in the spring and fall of each year, and each session lasts for 12 weeks. This spring Evelia Chairez PCRC Engaging Communities Associate facilitated CARON’s Spanish language night session at a Redwood City school. The final class meeting was canceled due to shelter in place orders, but the 32 participants were able to get a lot of helpful information from the sessions they were able to attend. “Parents think they are bad parents,” says Chairez, “but Parent Project helps them to see they are not bad parents.”

At the beginning of the course, parents write down what they want to learn during the class then look back at their goals at the end of the course. Guest speakers visit the class to talk about challenges kids face growing up, helping parents understand how to handle different situations. The sheriff’s department speaks about drug use, formerly incarcerated people share their stories, mental health experts talk to the group, and school administrators talk about school issues.

Chairez says the participation level was amazing in her spring session. “I love how people open themselves and start speaking.” A woman who was learning to read and was really shy, participated and read out loud during Chairez’ session. Parents, like this woman who became emotional and even cried during the meeting, feel that the Parent Project provides a safe environment for them to be open and vulnerable.

Katalina Tameilau, PCRC Family Engagement Associate, facilitated San Mateo County’s spring Parent Project session focused on supporting the Pacific Islander community. The class sessions moved online due to the pandemic and were conducted over Zoom calls. Tameilau was able to connect with parents and parents were able to connect with each other through the online format. Parent Project provided a lifeline to the outside world as families sheltered in place and served to let parents know that they are not alone or isolated. Parents interacted with people outside of their homes to gain important information that helped keep them and their families safe. “It was very beneficial in the sense that if parents needed to know more about resources they might not have needed before, we were able to provide them with it,” says Tameilau.