Flight Clinkscale (at right) is shown with his family. He took the Nurturing Families Program and learned different parenting techniques to use with his 3-year-old son.
Akron Children’s External Affairs has offered a Nurturing Families Program (NFP) to expecting couples, parents and caregivers of children birth to 5 years old since 2016. The free program is a partnership between Akron Children’s and Ohio Children’s Trust Fund and is designed to teach individuals and families new ways to make healthy parenting choices.
When COVID-19 shut down in-person training, NFP switched to a virtual format, making it accessible to more people. The flexible structure led to increased participation with approximately 150 families completing the program last year.
It also prompted an expansion after one of Children’s program facilitators, Monika Hale, saw an opportunity to create a specialty program focused on the prenatal experience. Both the prenatal specialty program and the birth to 5 years program use an evidence-based curriculum designed to promote positive parent-child interaction by teaching caring, nurturing skills.
“I realized we didn’t talk enough about the bodily and relationship changes women and their partners experience, which can affect parenting practices,” she said. “We received the green light to proceed with the prenatal specialty program and our team fine-tuned its curriculum.”
Understanding the unique needs of children from birth through age 5
The Nurturing Families Program relies on community organizations and events, promotional materials and word-of-mouth to reach parents and caregivers, which is how Flight Clinkscale of Youngstown, Ohio learned about the NFP.
“I didn’t know about the program while raising my other kids, but I took advantage of it with Zechariah, my youngest,” said Flight, whose family includes four children ages 11, 10, 8 and 3. “In my role as a father, I want to help my kids succeed in life and know how great they can be. In my role as a track coach, I’m training kids in middle school and high school and helping them to excel. I’m a firm believer in bettering myself, both as a parent and role model to kids.”
The birth to 5 years program taught Flight different parenting techniques, including one he uses often that involves giving choices to create win-wins for himself and his 3-year-old. For instance, one that he uses at nap time allows Zechariah to feel in control while still accomplishing the goal of getting him to rest. Instead of asking his son if he wants to take a nap, Flight asks, “Do you want to take your nap with your toy or your book?”
Flight said he looked forward to each of the program’s sessions and has encouraged other fathers to sign up.
“I told them, ‘You’ll learn more about yourself.’ For me, I felt like I was talking to a good friend,” he said about his program facilitator, Monica Cunningham. “I felt comfortable opening up, sharing my story and talking about things I wanted to change so I could become the type of parent I want to be.”
Emily Knapp learned about children’s social and emotional development in the Nurturing Families program. She now uses an emotional wheel that helps her 4-year-old son label his emotions, helping him to develop coping strategies.
Protecting families through family-centered trauma informed learning
According to Monica Cunningham, Akron Children’s community health educator, most parents and caregivers who complete the birth to 5 years program see improvements in their nurturing and resiliency skills.
“The birth to 5 years program supports the five protective factors, a framework that is shown to help reduce instances of child abuse and neglect,” she said. “We understand that when stress is reduced, it leads to more nurturing. Parents learn to model this for their children.”
Monica likes teaching parents about social and emotional development and uses an emotional wheel they can use with their child.
“The emotional wheel helps the child label their emotions, like anger, sadness and surprise,” Monica said. “It teaches the child how to handle emotions and develop coping strategies. It’s a beautiful skill to teach our kids.”
Taking virtual classes taught Emily Knapp of Akron, Ohio how to communicate better with her son, Vinny, age 4. They have an emotional wheel on their wall and space near it where Vinny goes with a toy or blanket to self-regulate.
“I want Vinny to grow up in an environment free from tension and where he feels safe,” said Emily of Akron, Ohio. “I learned how to properly discipline and reinforce behaviors that respect Vinny’s feelings, while managing my stress.”
Enrolling in the Nurturing Families Program
The birth to 5 years program is free and consists of seven interactive sessions that last between 45 minutes and one hour. The one-on-one sessions are offered virtually, allowing participants to attend from home or work.
Among the topics covered are:
- Discipline
- Child Development
- Stress Management/Self-Care
- Attachment
The program is primarily available to parents and caregivers in Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit and Trumbull counties. Other counties in the Akron Children’s service areas are also eligible for enrollment.
All parents who complete the program receive a generous incentive package, including gift cards, toys, books and a safety kit for the home.
For more information and to register for the Nurturing Families program, contact the External Affairs Department by emailing nurturingfamilies@akronchildrens.org or calling 330-543-0736.
