It is hard to believe that almost two months ago, HCI was holding captive in the basement of the Reformation Lutheran Church, 20 plus individuals from the Rose Tree Media School District. What were we doing? Having a Train the Trainer Training Session (say that 3 times) so that each of the 4 Elementary Schools in the Rose Tree Media School District would be able to plan and facilitate the new HCI Parenting Partners Program.

Media Elementary School was the first to launch their Parenting Partners Program on January 14, followed by Indian Lane, Glenwood and Rose Tree Elementary Schools. HCI would like to thank the close partnership we have with the School District that enabled us to bring this program to the community and also the fabulous Administrators, Teachers, Guidance Counselors and Parents who make up the Facilitation teams at each School!!!

“Since the inception of HCI’s Parenting Communication Network in 2003 and HCI’s Parenting Discussion Groups for teens and tweens, we have received feedback from parents that they wished they had more information sooner, like when their children were in Elementary School.” Said Dana Riker Jackson– HCI Executive Director. Research in fact has shown that the better equipped a Parent is with effective parenting skills with pre-school and Elementary Age students, the more prepared and effective they will be with parenting their teenagers and dealing with the emotional issues of that age.

HCI Parenting Partners Program is authored by Family Leadership Inc. and is a culturally competent seven-week workshop for increasing parenting skills, building on their strengths and involving parents in their child’s academic success. The process appeals to parents because it builds practical parenting skills and engages parents in positive leadership. Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets are a core element of the curriculum and this program gives parents’ the skills to build these 40 Assets in their children. More than 15,000 parents from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds have graduated from Parenting Partners, with more than 700 trained facilitators in 30 states leading workshops.

“Carol Staubach, the former Executive Director of HCI, brought this Parenting Partners Curriculum to my attention and ever since I have been trying to find funding so that we could implement it. Thanks to Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development and the support of Senator’s Pileggi and Erickson, HCI was awarded a grant for $20,000 through the Community Revitalization Assistance Program. This enabled us to train 4 teams of facilitators, one from each Elementary School in the Rose Tree Media School District and become the official Trainer for this Parenting Partners Program in the Tri-state area.” Dana Riker Jackson – HCI Executive Director

The HCI Parenting Partners Program is also one of the strategies being used by the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG) that was awarded to the Delaware County Office of Behavioral Health, to address the issue of underage drinking. Grant recipients are Holcomb Behavioral Health Systems and HCI.

If you are a parent interested in attending an HCI Parenting Partners Program or you are a School, Community Organization or Business that would like to know how you can implement this program at your location, please call Dana Riker Jackson, HCI Executive Director @ 610-566-8272 or email consultdana@aol.com