Parent Ed 2.0

Being a parent is not easy. While it is certainly a journey full of joy and discovery, all parents need some support along the way.

As one might guess from the name of Ashland Parenting Plus, parent education is a foundational part of what APP offers to the people of Ashland County. Its ultimate goal is to come alongside parents in the hopes of enriching the family unit as a whole by helping the parent to become the best they can be for their kids. 

When an APP parent educator meets with parents, they cover a range of topics that include such things as child development, discipline, building strengths, stress, and the effects of drugs and alcohol on a family, among others. These topics can be part of the APP curriculum, relevant concerns in the parents’ minds, or perhaps a means of addressing some issues that have been observed and identified as an area of growth.

During any given week, a parent educator will meet with five to eight parents on an individual basis and simply discuss what is happening in their lives. The educators will provide the parent with information and resources, present different perspectives, and bolster positive practices already in place. From there, the educator will work to empower the parents to take courses of action which will direct the future of their respective families in a positive direction. 

         Greg Hall and Sonia Smith are two of the kind faces of parent education at Ashland Parenting Plus. Hall, who mostly works with the fathers that come to receive parenting support, is coming upon his one year anniversary with APP. Armed with a background in varied contexts of Christian ministry as well as being a dad himself, Hall has been equipped to meet parents exactly where they are and aid in fostering their growth. Smith came to APP 11 years ago after helping to build a different program for moms and kids. Smith is well qualified to speak to mothers in the parent education program, as she spent many years as a stay-at-home mom to the four boys she raised with her husband of 39 years.

         APP works with other area agencies, such as the Ashland County Department of Job and Family Services and Children’s Services, to help braid proper parenting knowledge with the instillation of hope. Hall highlights the fact that just because a parent might be in the education program does not mean they are a bad parent because, simply put, “none of us have parenting completely figured out.”

Additionally, a lot of parenting is a repetition of the type of treatment an individual received as a child, and so the job of the educator also includes helping to break the cycle by helping to empower the parent practically and personally. “We work very hard to give our clients help and support when it seems like the world is out to get them,” Smith states. “We want to be the people that they can trust to be there for them when things get tough.” APP fights for the family unit and stands up for the safety and rights of the children, but they also fight to call out the inherent worth, dignity, and potential of the parent. 

“We work very hard to give our clients help and support when it seems like the world is out to get them…we want to be the people that they can trust to be there for them when things get tough.”

Sonia Smith – Parenting Facilitator

For Hall and Smith, the difference that APP makes in the community is closely tied to their favorite aspects of the job. Hall has noticed that the vast majority of the youth with whom he comes in contact have absent fathers. “So, with the dads that I am working with, I try to encourage and equip them as much as I can, because I see the impact that having an engaged father figure has on a kid’s life.” Hall loves to experience his parent education clients growing in confidence and simply being a support system for those men who want to grow. Parent education makes a difference for fathers in Ashland County because it encourages them toward becoming a steady and confident presence in the lives of their children. 

Smith has also loved seeing her clients learn to make healthier decisions in their lives, and that joy is coupled with the hope that her clients would be excited to contribute to the world. “It can make them better members of the community and proud to live in a community that cares,” Smith states, “It is my hope that they will find ways to give back to the community. When we feel good about what we are doing we are more likely to make positive choices and this can be infectious with the family and their friends. It also sets such a good example for the parents’ children. It is a win win kind of thing!”

When asked what he wished people knew about APP, Hall responded that he wished potential clients would know that the agency is a resource and support, not a place of judgement. We “come alongside them and help them in their specific situation,” Hall states. 

Aside from the logistic fact that APP is not Planned Parenthood, Smith would want the community to understand that the staff members at Ashland Parenting Plus approach those who are struggling with a sense of compassion and a desire to help rather than enable. In the end, it is about loving and serving. She says, “We as employees and the people that we work with are all God’s children and He loves us all.”

Check back again as more spotlights will be shown on the services of APP throughout the summer.