Positive Parenting
Resource Center
The United Arc
of Franklin and Hampshire Counties
The Positive Parenting Resource Center provides
services and support families headed by parents
with cognitive challenges, intellectual limitations
or learning disabilities.
The following services are available:
Home based parent education and individualized
family support.
Parent education
and support groups with sessions that
focus on child development, positive
discipline and limit setting, health & safety,
parenting skills development, understanding
abuse and neglect, accessing community resources. Specific
groups may target parents with children of
a particular age group, i.e. parents of infants
and toddlers or parents of teens or may focus
on a particular topic area such as Money Management
on a Tight Budget or Guiding Good Choices. Parent
education and support groups are currently
being held in the North Quabbin and Greenfield
areas.
Parent education
workshops with one-time special sessions. Workshops
have been held on such topics as summer
health and safety, preparing for the
holidays, getting ready for school, and
so forth.
Case management and advocacy.
Supervised visitation for families whose
children live in foster care arrangements.
Consultation to other agencies wishing to
serve this population.
Mentoring support from Family
Friends volunteers
who are matched with families.
Eligibility & Referral – Positive
Parenting services have been funded through a
variety of sources including state funding from
the Department of Social Services and Department
of Mental Retardation, Children’s Trust
Fund, Community Development Block Grants, and
private grants. Any family in which the
parent is identified as having a cognitive disability
may be referred to the center. Available
services will be contingent upon the family’s
eligibility for services under a state or town
funding source and/or whether there is available
private funding.
For more information about the Positive Parenting
Resource Center or the Coalition for Supporting
Parents with Cognitive Challenges contact Susan
Jones, Positive Parenting Coordinator at The
United Arc, 413-774-5558 x 1005 or email: suejones@unitedarc.org.
Mission
Statement: "The Arc will lead in forging a
society that values, respects, includes, and recognizes
the contribution of community members with disabilities."
