The Parent Aide Program started toward the end of 1996, with one supervisor, Kathy Service, and one worker. The goal of the program was to provide services to strengthen families who are identified as experiencing stress and difficulty in meeting the needs of their children. Families served have children 0-17 years old. The program is designed to reduce stress by teaching skills in anger management, communication, and parenting and discipline techniques, and by advocating for the parents and connecting them to community resources. The program has served the Hartford and New Britain DCF Area offices for the past twenty years, and can also take Community Partner Agency referrals for services.

The program has evolved and changed in various aspects of its service delivery model. The staff has gone through several name changes, including Parent Aide Worker, Parent Aide Counselor, Parent Outreach Counselor, Family Enrichment Worker, Parent Educator, and currently Positive Parenting Worker. The program has been modified over the years in terms of staff case load and length of services. The staff has doubled, from two to four. In October of 2013, our staff was part of the first three agencies in the state to complete the training to become evidence-based service providers of the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P).

This program utilizes the evidence-based service Triple P –Level 4 to provide an in-home parent education curriculum along with guidance and support, so that parents will become resourceful and will be able to create a positive and safe home learning environment for children to develop emotional, behavioral and cognitive strengths. In addition to Triple P, this service provides short-term case management supports to help parents fully utilize the parenting services.

The program has maintained a wonderful collaborative partnership with the DCF gatekeeper through the years. The referrals go to either the DCF liaison in Hartford, Wayne Johnson, or the DCF liaison in New Britain, Melissa Ricelli.

Let’s celebrate the great work that has been done throughout 20 years of serving children and families through the Parenting Program and the staff we have today doing this challenging work: Adalicia Ramos, Kimberly Brathwaite, Marcia Stephen-Wells, Dee Chalwell, and Sonia Colón-Mora.  The team office is located at Klingberg Family Centers, Hartford Office.  Wishing you another 20 years of service!