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Parent Leaders Are Vital for Stronger Early Childhood Systems

Parent leaders are an important part of early childhood systems to help shape the direction of services for themselves and other families.

Parent leaders are individuals who are committed to making positive changes in their family, community, at the state, and national level by using their experiences as participants in early childhood systems.

An early childhood system brings together health (holistically defined and for all members of the family), child welfare including the dependency court, early care and education, other human services, and family support program partners - as well as community leaders, families, and other partners - to achieve agreed-upon goals for thriving children and families.Parent leaders build upon their knowledge and skills to take on meaningful leadership roles within programs, agencies, and communities. They are an important part of early childhood systems, serving as a “parent voice” to help shape the direction of services for themselves and other families.

Parent leaders are parents with lived experience as parents who have navigated the reunification process within the child welfare system. Their focus is on incorporating the lived experience at the child welfare and court systems level.

Their support is part of the Safe Babies approach to infuse child and family well-being into the practice of child welfare.

Download our resource on parent leadership and how to successfully implement Parent Leaders in an infant-toddler court program.

 

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