MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Shelby County will host a pilot program that will offer two “parenting places” where parents and caregivers can get professional and pre-emptive support for a multitude of issues.
Leaders in Memphis say the initiative is a way to help families break any destructive cycles and catch problems before they turn into crises.
Early childhood consultant Barbara Holden Nixon is chair of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Center Task Force for Shelby County. She told the Memphis Daily News (https://bit.ly/RN0ppL) that there will be a focus on prevention and early intervention during the three-year pilot.
Social workers and licensed counselors will staff the parenting places, which are expected to open next January.
The privately funded initiative will be open to all families in Shelby County regardless of income.
Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women will partner with Knowledge Quest to host one location.
“We do 5,000 deliveries a year,” said Baptist Memorial CEO Anita Vaughan. “Fifty-two percent are underserved and the rest are everyday walk-of-life. I don’t care who you are; parenting can be scary. From the moment it happens all the way through the teen years.”
The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study found that negative experiences as a child could affect people well into adulthood.
“Every community has a high level of toxic stress,” Nixon said. “What we’re hoping to answer is what do we need to do about it?”
Officials say they hope the services could at some point be at least partially reimbursable through health insurance.
“We’re gonna have to show some results,” Vaughan said. “And then I think they’ll jump on board with us.”
Nixon said families who participate will find the parenting places to have a “warm, friendly feeling. Somebody will be there to greet you. This is not people walking around in lab coats with clipboards.”
“Some people might need it one time,” Vaughan said. “And some people will need it a lot more than that.”
Said Nixon: “We’re trying to make it OK to ask for help. You parent the way you were parented.”
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Information from: The Memphis Daily News, https://www.memphisdailynews.com
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