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Chatham County Partnership for Children

“All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.”

~anonymous

Smart Start in North Carolina
father and child mother and child mother and child

LAST YEAR. . .

20 fathers of young children received individualized home visits, parenting education and participated in parent support groups

50 children had fathers participating in parenting education and support activities

58 families with young children received emergency crisis assistance

74 home visits provided to families experiencing domestic violence

18 families experiencing domestic violence received parent counseling and family support services focused on breaking the cycle of violence

30 pregnant low income minority women received intensive case management support

452 transports were provided for 147 families with young children, to get to needed family and child health services and resources

Smart Start programs: family support

The Partnership is committed to helping families do their best. The programs we fund give families the opportunity to

  • discover more about how children grow and learn
  • share ideas with other parents
  • get ideas on how to discipline their child
  • get help paying and finding child care
  • find resources for their child's special needs
  • help their child get prepared for kindergarten.

To meet the diverse needs of the county's families, we fund a group of programs that include small support groups, parent education classes, and home visiting services. Many of these services are also available in Spanish.

Helping Fathers Be Their Best

Focus on Fathers – Chatham County Public Health  - Sterlin Holt 919-545-8382. This program gives fathers the opportunity to increase their knowledge of parenting, child development, and children's health issues, while assisting fathers in attaining their employment and educational goals. Program participants take part in discussion groups, workshops, home visits and regularly scheduled family outings.

Learning to Be the Best Parents We Can

Chatham Parenting Now - Chapel Hill Training-Outreach Project (CHTOP) - Lara Kehle, 919-644-6590. Chatham Parenting Now is a free, 7-session, positive parenting course open to all Chatham County parents with children ages birth - 5 years. We provide a family dinner, childcare, and a supportive group that educates families about the special skills needed to parent our young children. Topics include parenting values, preventive discipline, handling parent stress, setting limits and much more. Courses are scheduled throughout the county.

Breaking the Cycle of Violence

Family Advocacy Program – Family Violence and Rape Crisis Services (FVRC)- Mary Linker, 542-5445. This program serves mothers and their children ages 0-5 who are living in the battered women's shelter or who have left the shelter and moved home. The Family Advocacy program provides counseling and play activities for children living in the shelter; parenting education through counseling and support groups for their mothers; help connecting families with community resources; and education on skills and activities to enhance parent/child relationships.

Family Resources & Support

Chatham Family Resource Center – Family Resource Center - Ann Watson, 919- 663-1181. Siler City's Family Resource Center was established in 1994 to be a one-stop resource for families. The Center is a user-friendly, highly visible place for families, volunteers and human service providers to work toward strengthening families and helping families get access to health care and child care.

The Center provides meeting space for groups such as Head Start and several Smart-Start funded programs.