Courtesy photo
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit families hard, and many parents and caregivers are feeling more parenting stress than ever. Families continue to struggle with the impacts of the pandemic on their family’s health, financial situation, education and emotional well-being.
Fortunately, there are high-quality parent support programs in our community — like SafeCare Colorado — that offer caring and compassionate support for families to help parents keep children safe, healthy and thriving even during challenging times.
SafeCare is a flexible, no-cost and voluntary parent support program focused on giving parents and caregivers tools to support their children’s health, safety and healthy development.
The program partners with families to help them build on the parenting skills they already have and learn new ways to keep young children safe, healthy and thriving. It is a flexible program that is designed to work with the busy schedules of parents and caregivers.
“We understand that all parents have strengths,” said Kim Maneotis, SafeCare Colorado Supervisor with Northwest Colorado Health. “We partner with families to help them build on their strengths and recognize their personal power to help ensure family success.”
Families that participate in the program are connected with a SafeCare provider, who works side-by-side with parents and caregivers once a week, either in their home, a community space or through virtual visits. Meetings are designed to accommodate families’ needs, so SafeCare providers work with families to find a location and meeting schedule that work best for them.
Sessions are targeted to the age of the child and customized based on the interests and needs of each family. Families get the most benefit when they complete the whole program, which usually takes 18-20 sessions or four to six months. Each session lasts about an hour.
Based on their interests, families can choose which topic to start with Parent-Child Relationship, Child Health or Home Safety. It’s best to complete all three topics, but families have the option to complete one topic and then decide if they want to continue with the other two.
SafeCare receives referrals from community organizations and health care providers. Referrals can also come from family members, and parents and caregivers can inquire about the program for themselves.
Northwest Colorado Health offers the program in Moffat, Routt and Rio Blanco counties. For more information or to make a referral, visit NorthwestColoradoHealth.org/safecare or call 970-870-4119.
Northwest Colorado Health is also currently hiring for a SafeCare Colorado Parent Support Provider. For more information, or to apply visit NorthwestColoradoHealth.org/jobs.
Suzi Mariano is senior director of marketing and development at Northwest Colorado Health. She can be reached at [email protected] or 970-871-7631.
