New initative aims to engage, support parents

Every parent has times when they feel isolated, frustrated or simply like they just don't know what to do.

A coalition of Linn County organizations wants to send a message to those parents - you are not alone, and there are resources to help.

A new website, 'Parents Like Us, http://www.parentslikeus.com/, and an associated Facebook page aim to connect parents with local programs aimed at supporting children and families. It also seeks to engage parents in discussions and reinforce parenting practices the organizations want to promote.

'It's a positive parenting campaign,” said Chris Carmen, director of Linn County Child and Youth Development Services.

He manages the Facebook site, which draws on messages and programing from staff of 24 different groups, ranging from organizations like Play and Learn of East Central Iowa to the Linn County Dept. of Public Health.

Research shows positive reinforcements are more effective than lecturing people about what they're doing wrong, said Linda Bigley, chair of the Linn Council for Prevention of Child Abuse. She is helping lead the collaborative program.

So the Facebook page frequently has posts that say things like, 'On average, Linn County parents surveyed say they wouldn't leave their child home alone before age 12.”

Parents are more likely to change their behavior if they see doing so as part of a community norm, Bigley said.

Helping parents figure out when their children are mature enough to stay home alone, and equipping them to do so, is one of a handful of areas the Parents Like Us group is focusing on initially. Other programs include 'Safe Sleep,” which seeks to reduce incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and 'Reaching Families,” which aims to help parents suffering from depression.

The initiative is also working closely with the Family Connections Library, another collaboration of local childhood-focused organizations. Launched just over a year ago and based out of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, the Family Connections Library serves as a hub for those groups. With office space at the library and programming - everything from family zumba sessions to parenting classes to child health screenings - it is meant to give parents an accessible location to connect with resources.

Both the Family Connections Library and the Parents Like Us initiative draw on regular meetings of local organization representatives, who network resources, skills and ideas to create programming. Each partner organization has different strengths, Carmen said, but they all have the same goals of supporting children and families.

'It's sort of like a potluck, where everybody brings what they can,” he said.

Chris Kivett-Berry, Community Project Director at partner organization Linn County Community Services, said she hopes the Parents Like Us initiative highlights just how many good things are happening to support Linn County families.

'We want to start a buzz about parenting,” she said.