Parenting Partnerships

Our mission is to support parents by providing education, information and resources that they can use in their role as their child’s first and most important teacher.
Parenting Partnerships and Family Resource Center prides itself in walking with families through child development in order to build a strong foundation of success for students and parents.

The Parenting Partnership Program impacts public education by working to promote school readiness for vulnerable children. Parenting Partnerships includes four components designed to promote school readiness for high poverty, at risk populations. First, an in-home parent education program using the Parents As Teachers curriculum involves trained parent educators working with parents in their homes on activities designed to promote school readiness. Secondly, Parenting Partnerships operates a Family Resource Center which includes an on-site medical clinic provided in partnership with Affinity Health; early education classes in partnership with Carolina Community Action Head Start; and GED classes and English Learner classes offered in collaboration with Tri District Adult Education. Monthly interactive parent and child sessions are also held providing developmentally appropriate activities centered on various themes in child development. Next, Parenting Partnerships collaborates with community entities to offer learn and play sessions at community settings including Bush N Vine, York Recreation Department and York Public Library. Finally, educational resources including take home packets filled with activities, books, and resources as well as monthly newsletters are distributed monthly to families monthly.

The need for Parenting Partnership is great. York School District One is one of four public school districts in York County, South Carolina. With 5100 students, the district is the smallest of the four district in York County in terms of student enrollment. However, the district is the largest in terms of geographic area encompassing 40% of York County’s land use, spanning 316 square miles. The largely rural district has a poverty rate of 72%. For 2021, only 52% of the 352 kindergarten students in York School District One demonstrated school readiness (KRA data).

The main goal of the program is to improve school readiness (increased parent knowledge of developmental milestones; increased access to developmentally appropriate materials; improved child health outcomes; and increased rates of school readiness).

Counties Served

York

Annual Cost

$399,679.57

Partner Organizations

Parenting Partnerships, as its name suggests, partners with a number of organizations to address the needs of families and to coordinate an array of services for families with the ultimate goal of improve school readiness for vulnerable children.

• First Steps provides funding in the amount of $40,000 which is used to fund a portion of the salary and fringe for one parent educator.
• York County Early Learning Partnership provides approximately 600 books for distribution to families, for use in Parent and Child Together activities, and in the Loads of Reading literacy initiative at the local laundromats.
• Affinity Health staffs a medical clinic at the Family Resource Center on Tuesdays weekly including a nurse, pediatrician, and medical clerk.
• Carolina Community Actions Head Start operates three preschool classrooms for low income, at-risk 3 and 4-year-olds.
• Tri District Adult Education offers Adult Education and GED classes four days weekly and English as a Second Language classes two mornings weekly following the school calendar.
• WRHI radio provides toys at Christmas for families through its Toys for Happiness program.
• Bush N Vine offers the opportunity for drop in and play dates in the fall with no admission fees for families.
• York Recreation Department provides park usage for a Walk N Learn session for parents and play time for children.
• York County Library offers family reading events for children and parents.
• Sisters of Mercy Foundation provides funding in the amount of $33,000 to support the program.

Funding Sources

Cash:

• York School District One general fund
• Title I
• York County First Steps
• Sisters of Mercy Foundation

In-Kind:

Affinity Health, Carolina Community Actions Head Start, Tri District Adult Education

Evidence

The following data for Parenting Partnerships program from the 2023 SC Parents as Teachers Family Engagement Survey offers proof of Parenting Partnerships’ proven success:

• 96% of parents said that they were extremely likely and 4% said they were very like to recommend participating in Parents as Teachers.
• 72% of families reported that the program met their needs extremely well, and 28% said the program met their needs very well.
• 100% of respondents indicate that they understand child development better as a result of participating in Parents as Teachers.
• 96% of parents indicated that they were connective with resources in the community.

Sustainability

The district aggressively seeks grant funds to support the effort, and works diligently to identify ways to partner with outside entities to share resources to address identified needs.

Grades Served

• Early Childhood (Pre-K – 2)

Related Subjects

• Family Engagement

Contact Information

Lisa Spangler, lspangler@york.k12.sc.us