Parents of children at the Silvia Elementary School were invited to attend a Parent Cafe at the school on February 4, 2015 to engage them in dialogue with one another about their parenting experiences. Eighty-six parents and their children joined 25 staff at the free event that included a pasta dinner for the parents and their children, a separate activity session for the children and a structured group exercise that got parents talking about the Protective Factors that parents need to raise healthy and secure children. Similar sessions are being used across the country as effective vehicles for engaging parents, families, and communities in conversations that matter! Parent Cafes are fun, engaging, inclusive and culturally competent. They also provide a wonderful opportunity to hear parent and family voices and develop parent and family leadership in organizations and communities. Click here for a 24-minute video of the event. For further information, contact United Neighbors of Fall River Executive Director Wendy Garf-Lipp at 508-324-7900.

(Top row, left) Partners Community Outreach Manager Brian Moses lays out paper upon which groups can record their thoughts and reactions during the discussion. (Top row, center) United Neighbors of Fall River Executive Director Wendy Garf-Lipp and Fall River Child and Family Services staff member Wendy Botelho begin the evening by illustrating that parents usually get no formal assistance for parenting their children. (Top row, right) Jason Chase looks at his six-week-old daughter, Ava, held by her mother, Alicia Fernandes. (Row two, left) Parents are divided into different groups and paired with someone they don't know by matching cards with someone holding a similar card. (Row two, right) Silvia Physical Education Teacher, Terry Mahjoory, hold up her card looking for a match. (Row three, left) Syed Jamal and Matt Lebeault talk about what kind of person the want their children to be during the first exercise. (Row three, center) The Protective Factor for Strengthening Families are displayed on the wall during the discussion for parents to refer to. (Row three, right) Fourth-grade teacher and parent Christine Carvalho talks with the group about what will help their children become the persons their parents want them to be. (Bottom row, center) As parents talk in groups, Annemarie Sterling and Jeph Barthold contribute to the discussion.