FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL PARENT LEADERSHIP MONTH
Thriving Communities Celebrating
Parents as Partners!
February is National Parent Leadership Month, dedicated to recognizing the important role of parents and caregivers in their homes and community. In recognition of National Parent Leadership Month 2023, Children’s Trust Fund Alliance celebrates parents as partners in thriving communities across our nation.
The Alliance is committed to this work (see our Theory of Change) and we recognize the strong role culture plays in the lives of families and communities. The image featured on this year’s certificate stems from our work around preventing child neglect and the socio-ecological model. For families to be strong families they need the support of their communities.
Parent Leadership is a critical and effective way to help families identify and build upon their strengths for themselves and their families. In addition, Parent Leadership is a necessary component in every community and can help with building strength-based communities that thrive based on protective factors.
Community conditions shape how families build protective factors using everyday actions. Small but significant changes create strong and supportive communities. Thriving communities celebrate parents as partners! It is through small, but significant changes that we see a result in greater outcomes. Please download the 2023 certificates, social media images and other tools to help us in letting parents know how much we appreciate their partnership.
2023 CERTIFICATES
There are two versions of our certificate available this year: One that is blank and may be colored with colors that match the culture of your organization or community. The other is already colored to represent the culture of the Alliance. Please use these fillable certificates to honor the parents who are partnering with you to make a difference in your communities. Besides text fields, the certificates have images fields for a signature and your organization’s logo or a photo of the parent you are honoring.
PARTNERSHIP
The Alliance works with multiple parent groups, including the Alliance National Parent Partnership Council (ANPPC), the Birth Parent National Network (BPNN) and the Birth and Foster Parent Partnership (BFPP). We also honor all of the work that our members do to partner with parents at the state and community level. The Alliance’s parent organizations generate and create, both individually and collaboratively, many resources that help guide meaningful conversations about the value of true partnerships. It is our hope that the PARENTS Acrostic Tool and social media images will help you celebrate Parents as Partners!
ACTIVITY CALENDAR FOR FEBRUARY 2023
Families love to have fun! Download our printable February 2023 calendar that is full of inspiring ideas, actions, shareable moments and ways you can engage and celebrate time with your family. We would love to see pictures of you doing any of these activities getting tagged with #ctfcelebratesnplm #ctelebrateparentpartners or #ctfcommunitystrong as we celebrate National Parent Leadership month together.
PROCLAIMING FEBRUARY AS NATIONAL PARENT LEADERSHIP MONTH
The Alliance is sharing some tools for you to use to personalize your National Parent Leadership Month celebration in your state, county, local community or organization. Please use them to request a proclamation be created, some sample language to support the creation of a proclamation and possible talking points if you are asked to accept the proclamation. These are just samples, so feel free to customize them to meet your needs.
- Letter requesting a proclamation
- Sample proclamation
- Talking points when accepting the proclamation
- Share your proclamation story
We would love to celebrate with you in honoring parents in your community! Please tag us with #ctfcelebratesnplm #ctelebrateparentpartners or #ctfcommunitystrong at your special events this month.
SOCIAL MEDIA IMAGES TO SHARE
Help us get the word out about our innovative National Parent Leadership Month tools: a unique coloring page parent leader certificate, a sample proclamation, a fun activity calendar, social media images and more! Thank you for downloading these social media images and disseminating them.
VIRTUAL BACKGROUND
Excited about celebrating National Parent Leadership Month? DOWNLOAD this virtual background to National Parent Leadership all month long!
“P” is for PROVIDE
"P" is for Provide
(Suggested Message for Sharing on Social Media)
Use the Alliance National Parent Partnership Council’s PARENTS acrostic to guide meaningful conversations about the value of true partnerships with parents. The “P” in “PARENTS” is for “Provide”.
Explore the full Parent Acrostic tool on the Alliance website at: https://ctfalliance.org/partnering-with-parents/anppc/#resources
Black History Month
(Suggested message for sharing on social media)
February is Black History Month and PROVIDES an opportunity to talk to your child(ren) about racism and discrimination. These conversations will look different for each family. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, the science is clear: the earlier parents start the conversation with their children the better. Explore the past together to better understand the present. Start this important conversation and keep it going beyond the month of February!
“A” is for ASK
"A" is for Ask
(Suggested Message for Sharing on Social Media)
Use the Alliance National Parent Partnership Council’s PARENTS acrostic to guide meaningful conversations about the value of true partnerships with parents. The “A” in “PARENTS” is for “ASK”.
Explore the full Parent Acrostic tool on the Alliance website at: https://ctfalliance.org/partnering-with-parents/anppc/#resources
"Ask" to Proclaim February as National Parent Leadership Month
“Ask” your community to partner with you to proclaim February as National Parent Leadership Month!
DOWNLOAD a Sample Letter & Proclamation Form Today!
“R” is for RELATIONSHIPS
"R" is for Relationships
(Suggested Message for Sharing on Social Media)
Use the Alliance National Parent Partnership Council’s PARENTS acrostic to guide meaningful conversations about the value of true partnerships with parents. The “R” in “PARENTS” is for “RELATIONSHIPS”.
Explore the full Parent Acrostic tool on the Alliance website at: https://ctfalliance.org/partnering-with-parents/anppc/#resources
Showing Love & Appreciation
Relationships are essential to quality partnerships. Strengthen your relationships with the Parent Leaders in your life by expressing your love and admiration. Let them know how you feel by creating a fun Valentine using our template or on your own with scissors, paper, markers and colored paper. Send a sweet message to remind them how special and important they are! Use your imagination and have some fun on your own or in a group to show your appreciation to the parent leaders whose hard work and dedication inspire us all year long! ❤️
Relationship Building Guide
Birth and Foster Parent Partnership: A Relationship Building Guide and the Birth and Foster Parent Partnership: A State and Local Leader’s Guide to Building a Strong Policy and Practice Foundation – created by parents and partners within the Birth and Foster Parent Partnership (BFPP). The Executive Summary offers a quick overview of the two guides which provide valuable supports to help birth and foster parents, including kin, build strong relationships and help systems institute policies and practices to support these relationships.
“E” is for ENCOURAGEMENT
"E" is for Encouragement
(Suggested Message for Sharing on Social Media)
The Alliance National Parent Partnership Council is happy to celebrate National Parent Leadership month with you and the parents you serve. The “E” in “PARENTS” is for “ENCOURAGEMENT”.
Explore the full Parent Acrostic tool on the Alliance website at: https://ctfalliance.org/partnering-with-parents/anppc/#resources
"Encourage" Community Based Approach
We “encourage” you to ask yourself and your colleagues questions about your approach in relating to parents.
Check out “What Parents Say About…Building a 21st Century Community-Based Approach to Strengthening Families”
“N” is for NURTURE
"N" is for NURTURE
(Suggested Message for Sharing on Social Media)
The “N” in “PARENTS” is for “NURTURE”. Nurture parents and nourish their strengths. Listen to their thoughts. Acknowledge and validate their ideas. Implement parents’ recommendations and ideas whenever possible.
Explore the full Parent Acrostic tool on the Alliance website at: https://ctfalliance.org/partnering-with-parents/anppc/#resources
Nurture Your Thirst for Knowledge
Explore, learn and engage with the National Museum of African American History and Culture through the extensive list of digital resources and educational offerings.
“T” is for TRUST
"T" is for Trust
(Suggested Message for Sharing on Social Media)
The Alliance National Parent Partnership Council is happy to celebrate National Parent Leadership month with you and the parents you serve. The “T” in “PARENTS” is for “TRUST”.
Explore the full Parent Acrostic tool on the Alliance website at: https://ctfalliance.org/partnering-with-parents/anppc/#resources
Talking Builds Trust
Building trust is hard, and so is talking about race. Both are necessary for building PARTNERSHIPS! The National Museum of African American History and Culture provides tools and guidance to empower your journey and inspire conversation.
“S” is for SUCCEED
"S" is for SUCCEED
(Suggested Message for Sharing on Social Media)
The “S” in “PARENTS” is for “SUCCEED”. A partnership will succeed when both partners are committed to learning from each other and listening to each other’s ideas. Be prepared to change your mind and find the best solutions to strengthen families and communities!
Explore the full Parent Acrostic tool on the Alliance website at: https://ctfalliance.org/partnering-with-parents/anppc/#resources
Sustaining Successful Partnership
- Getting to Know You
- Working Together
- Building Community
- Mentoring Others
Continue to be SUCCESSFUL in partnership all year long by using the “Creating Parent Partnerships” tool created by the ANPPC.
To learn more, see Building and Sustaining Effective Parent Partnerships @ Partnering With Parents | CTF Alliance
Community Conversations
WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU THINK OF COMMUNITY?
Watch the following “Community Conversations” short videos to hear how Parent Partners define community. How do their answers compare to yours? Create conversations in your community to discover what comes to mind when others think of community. Are you a member of a “Thriving Community” that celebrates Parents as Partners? Please share your answers with us HERE.
WHY IS PARTNERSHIP IMPORTANT FOR A STRONG COMMUNITY?
Parent Partners from the Children’s Trust Fund Alliance believe that partnership is essential to having a strong community. Watch the following videos to hear their answers and compare them to what you think is important. Ask members within your community and share what you learn with us HERE.
What makes you a Strong Partner?
Parent Partners with the Children’s Trust Fund Alliance focus on their strengths and reveal what makes them strong partners! What makes you a strong partner? Share your thoughts with us!