Adam Meyer
- Mar 31, 2017
- 2 min read

Nurturing Parenting Program Grows

23 participants took part in a special new training developed to expand the capacity of the Nurturing Parenting Program in 2017.

Nurturing Parenting teaches parenting techniques and strategies for more stable home environments for children and families Common Hope serves. Started at the Antigua site and known in Spanish as Crianza con Cariño, parents participate in a ten-week workshop to strengthen the parent-child relationship, improve self-esteem of both parent and child, create accountability, and provide a safe environment for children to thrive in at home and at school.

When the program expanded to New Hope and San Miguel Milpas Altpas a few years ago, it was being delivered by the same facilitators as in Antigua. It became evident that, just like the needs of each community are different, so are the challenges of its parents. Further, delivering this valuable program without increasing the number of trained facilitators was difficult, not to mention the program was scheduled to expand to San Rafael el Arado this year.

In order to address these challenges, Familias developed a new training. Earlier this month, 23 individuals attended this training and became instructors of the Crianza con Cariño program. Not only do the new instructors address the delivery needs, but they can adapt curriculum to the unique context of each community. This new model reaches more families and better integrates the Nurturing Parenting Program curriculum into each community’s distinct programming.

Besides the training program, new things in store for Crianza con Cariño 2017 include specialized workshops, including a refresher course to those who have already completed the class, and a series of classes that focus on specific family challenges.

Sandra Ortiz, Director of Antigua Programs, who helped design the program in 2006, says, “It has been wonderful to see the program grow and reach more families over the years and it continues to be an important part of Common Hope’s family development work.”