Ask The Experts

Parents face multiple challenges today that may inhibit their ability to meet their responsibilities and to raise and support their children. The goal of our parent education department is to reinforce parental practices which promote development and provide alternatives to harmful or nonproductive practices. Parent education and support programming assumes that parents are more likely to provide appropriate nurturing and guidance as they acquire a greater understanding of child development and children’s needs. All parents need support from family, friends and community agencies.

Parent Coaching

Ask The ExpertsFrustrated? Do you find yourself asking…

  • How should I discipline my child?
  • Am I giving my child enough attention?
  • How do I remain a positive parent during stressful times?
  • Am I making good decisions for my child’s future?
  • How can I be the best parent I can be?
  • Is my child watching too much TV?
  • When is it sibling rivalry and when is it something more?
  • We just had a baby, now what?

Meet Our Parent Coach…
A parent coach is highly trained, caring professional who: Listens deeply and non-judgmentally. Guides you to think about different perspectives, options, and viewpoints. Gives you new information for your individual parenting challenges. Offers you specific suggestions to help.

Schedule A Coaching Session
Coaching over the phone or in-person. A one-hour session with a certified and highly skilled Parenting Coach can be billed per hour payable by check or credit card. Contact our office at (973) 398-1730 ext. 187 or [email protected] to schedule your session. Special Offer: Schedule and prepay for a series of six (6) sessions at a reduced rate.

Positive Solutions for Families
Child & Family Resources also offers Positive Solutions workshops for Families. These parenting workshops are deigned to support parent classes/skill building groups through promoting young children’s social and emotional skills, understand their problem behavior, and use positive approaches to teach children appropriate behavior.

Developed by the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning, Positive Solutions for Families is an evidence-based, user-friendly parent training series. The six sessions are designed to promote positive and effective parenting behaviors, which will in turn promote children’s social and emotional development and address challenging behaviors and mental health needs of children.

Sessions are not designed to offer parents specific advice for their child’s individual issues. Facilitators of the training sessions are knowledgeable about local agencies and service providers that may be able to assist families who have complex support needs or children with problem behavior that requires the guidance of a professional. Contact us today if you have any questions of if you would like to learn more!

Strengthening Families

Strengthening FamiliesThe Strengthening Families Through Early Care & Education Initiative is an approach to preventing child abuse and neglect by supporting families through childcare programs. The Center for the Study of Social Policy developed the framework for Strengthening Families through Early Care and Education Initiative. The fundamental principle is that certain protective factors contribute towards family resiliency and strength. These key protective factors are Parent resilience, Social connections, Knowledge of parenting and child development, Concrete support in times of need, and Healthy social and emotional development.

Early Care and Education Centers play a prominent role in building these protective factors among the families they serve. Through seven key strategies, centers become well positioned to help families build these protective factors that have proven to be effective in preventing child abuse and neglect. This approach uses early childhood programs to build evidence-based protective factors for children and their families. This is a strength-based approach which builds on existing assets to keep all families strong and all children safe.

By recent estimates, nearly 60 percent of all children under age six are in care out of their homes for at least part of the day. For children birth to age three, the percentage is even higher: 75 percent. While early care and education doesn’t reach all families with young children, it is the only system that reaches a large proportion of young children and their parents on a daily basis.

This program builds the capacity of the early childhood programs to implement strategies that increase protective factors to prevent child abuse and neglect among the families they serve by providing training and technical assistance. CLICK HERE for more information.

Child & Family Resources works with the local Division of Youth and Family Services office in ways to support the Strengthening Families Initiative in which we:

  • Provide trainings on the protective factors framework. (Social and Emotional Competence of Young Children, Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development, Social Connections, Concrete Support In Times of Need, and Parental Resilience)
  • Provide participating early childhood programs with the Strengthening Families guide book and Self Assessment Tool.
  • Provide technical assistance to child care centers and their families.
  • Utilize SFI Family Satisfaction Survey Pre/Post to assess progress.
  • CLICK HERE for access to Protective Factors Surveys or more information

Child & Family Resources also offers:

Books, Balls & BlocksBooks, Blocks, and Balls (BBB) is a free interactive family and community event that features themed learning activity stations in which children can engage in. One of the main focuses of the event is child-led play. BBB also offers a free child developmental screening, The Ages and Stages Questionnaire -3 (ASQ-3) for children ages 1 month -5 years old. The screening is completed by parents/guardians/caregivers to help track their child’s developmental milestones. By attending our event families also gain connection to several community resources and more!

Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3: The Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 (ASQ-3) is a reliable and accurate developmental screening for children ages 1 month to 5 years old. The screening is completed by parents/guardians/caregivers and reviewed and scored by trained professionals. By using parent/guardian/caregiver’s knowledge, the screening has been specifically created to capture a child’s progress and skills, as well as catch if there is a risk for a developmental delay- the screening does not give a diagnosis. The screening focuses on important areas of development including Communication, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Problem Solving Skills, and Personal-Social. If you are interested in completing a free screening for your child or would like to learn more please contact us at [email protected]

Parent Cafés: Parent Cafés are physically and emotionally safe spaces where parents and caregivers talk about the challenges and victories of raising a family. Through individual deep self-reflection and peer-to-peer learning, participants explore their strengths, learn about the Protective Factors, and create strategies from their own wisdom and experiences to help strengthen their families. Cafés are structured discussions that use the principles of adult learning and family support. They are highly sustainable with training reinforcement, institutional support, and a commitment to an approach that engages and affirms parents as leaders. Participants leave Parent Cafés feeling inspired, energized, and excited to put into practice what they’ve learned.

CLICK HERE if you're a Child Care Provider wishing to utilize “Café Conversations to Build Protective Factors and Parent Leadership”. Click the language link for the “Orientation Guide to the Community Café Approach” ( ENGLISH | SPANISH )

If you are a Parent or a Child Care Provider wishing to learn about our Parent Café offerings please contact us at [email protected]

For Child Care Providers/Centers: Are you interested in introducing a free developmental screening to your parents at your center/program? To learn more, contact us at [email protected]

For Community Partners: Are you interested in participating in our BBB events? Here are some examples who can support: Parents, child care centers, pediatric offices, social services agencies, schools, grocery stores, recreation centers, food banks, Family Success Centers, Early Intervention, etc… Here is a list of ways you can participate: volunteering, vendor, hosting (providing venue space), co-partner, donations, workshops, etc…

Contact us today if you have any questions of if you would like to learn more!

ACT Raising Safe Kids

ACT Raising safe KidsThe ACT Raising Safe Kids Program teaches parents and caregivers basic facts about child development, parenting styles, positive discipline, conflict resolution skills and tools for keeping kids safe with media and electronic technology. By teaching positive ways to guide and communicate with young children under age 8, the ACT Raising Safe Kids Program helps adults learn how to reinforce children’s good behavior, build their self-esteem and foster loving relationships in families, all of which helps to prevent violence in the lives of young children before it starts.

What Participants Get

  • Participants in the program receive:
  • New parenting and conflict resolution skills
  • Practical methods of discipline to use with children
  • Helpful discussions about what actually works with young children
  • A support network of parents & caregivers
  • A chance to reflect on their own care-giving values and behavior
  • Group activities that reinforce learning
  • Useful handouts to take home
  • A certificate showing, they successfully completed the program

What Participants Learn
The program is taught in a fun, interactive learning environment through short lectures, slide presentations, videos, experiential activities, group discussions, small-group work and role-play.

Validated by Research
The Act Raising Safe Kids Program follows a curriculum created by the American Psychological Association. The ACT community consists of professionals who work with families of young children. These parent group leaders are trained and certified to teach the ACT RSK curriculum in their local communities. The program is continuously updated and improved. An evidence-based approach with pre-and post-program evaluations gather qualitative and quantitative data about the program’s impact and effectiveness in shifting participants’ knowledge, skills and attitudes as a result of participating in the program.

For more information, email us at [email protected], or contact Margie Kerwien at [email protected] or (973) 601-6149.

Related Evidence Based Resources and State of NJ Initiatives:
NJ's Adverse Childhood Experience's Action Plan

The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences-And How Nurse Practitioners Can Help

The Office of Resilience was created in June 2020, led by an executive on loan which is funded by the New Jersey ACEs Collaborative, an alliance of three NJ philanthropic organizations, the Burke Foundation, The Nicholson Foundation and the Turrell Fund, in partnership with the NJ Department of Children and Families.

NJ Resiliency Coalition

Nurtured Heart

The Nurtured Heart Institute is the home of the Nurtured Heart Approach®. Their mission is simple: to share this transformative Approach with the world. Nurtured Heart Approach® (NHA) is a relationship-focused approach that strategically uses the core methodology called The 3 StandsTM.

NHA helps children (and adults) build their Inner Wealth® and use their intensity in successful ways. It is designed for parents, foster parents, educators, treatment professionals, and child advocates to sharpen their skills and develop heightened leadership skills.

Those who have taken the Nurtured Heart Approach often consider it life-changing and find it provides a rich and meaningful experience not only of skill-building, but also of lasting inner growth. If you are interested in the Nurtured Heart Approach, please contact us our office at [email protected] OR (973) 398-1730 ext. 190.

CPR / First Aid

First Aid and CPR for Parents. CPR classes can teach a parent to stay calm in emergencies and learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills to restore blood circulation and breathing. CPR classes also teaches the proper technique of chest compression, rescue breathing, and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator.

Child & Family Resources offers CPR/First Aid for families as well as child care providers. More information can be found here.

Being prepared for disasters starts at home. Everyone can be part of helping to prepare for emergencies. Young children and teens alike can be a part of the process. As a parent, guardian, or other family member, you have an important role to play when it comes to protecting the children in your life and helping them be prepared in case disaster strikes. More resources can be found here.

Spanish CPR 6 Hours

Parent Resources

Learn MoreParenting Seminar/Workshop

No time to read the latest article about early brain development? You don’t have to.

DOWNLOAD ZERO TO THREE NEW PODCAST SERIES that answers the big questions about little kids.

Child with SmartphoneScreen Time & Growing Up Healthy

Experts and parents have been divided on what is the right age to give your child screen time. The World Health Organization has guidelines on recommended screen time and physical activity. VIEW GUIDELINES. VIEW MAYO CLINIC GUIDE.

Development MilestonesDevelopmental Milestones

Milestones matter! Check the milestones your child as reached by 2 months through 5 years of age by using the CDC’s MILESTONE CHECKLIST or by VISITING THEIR WEBSITE for more resources and mobile apps.

Sesame Street ReadingSesame Street in Communities

Parents and care givers are the foundation for children’s healthy development. Sesame Street in Communities can provide resources, activities, videos and interactive features to help engage with children. Parents and child care providers can FIND RESOURCES HERE.

For ParentsResearch-Based Resources for Parents

Find research-based resources, tips and ideas for families – from child development to reading, writing, music, math and more: CLICK HERE.

GO TO MAIN PARENTS PAGE