PTA gearing up to assist more parents

by Shunice Butcher

How can someone raise a child without the proper knowledge and encouragement from their friends and families?

This is the question that the members of the Parenting Association are trying to answer as they continue to give their assistance to the members of the public.{{more}}

Their main priority is to offer good parenting skills to various Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) and other community groups. They are also trying to develop and disseminate information on good parenting and to offer counseling and support to both parents and children.

As a demonstration of their continued support, they have been hosting a number of parental educational programs and workshops in different communities.

Their main goal is to try and help single parents between the ages of 20-25 who do not have the necessary skills to raise a child on their own.

However despite the inroads they are making, the group is experiencing financial problems but does not see this as a stumbling block to stop its outreach to the public.

An executive member of the organisation, Janice Fraser told Searchlight that the organisation is being supported by various agencies in St Vincent.

However despite all of this the group has no intention of withdrawing its service to the less advantaged, as it is concentrating on training more of the group members so that they can be better equipped to assist some parents who show up at the office for help. The group is also concentrating on ways in which they can better serve the public and how to encourage parents to join the program.

The organisation has been in establishment since 1999 with a little break in the program for three years. It was reestablished in May 2006 and has been running programs throughout the country by hosting various workshops and other parental programs.