“I have to take a deep breath; I gotta catch my breath before I respond.”
Amanda, a mother of 2 preschoolers and one 3rd grader, isn’t running a marathon. She is practicing intentional breathing exercises that she picked up in a local Triple P workshop.
“Triple P, the Positive Parenting Program, provides parents and caregivers with tools to help them manage stressful situations and to help model positive behaviors for their children”, says Nicole Sheppard, Greenville First Steps’ Triple P coordinator.
Nicole works with over 60 Triple P-trained practitioners, including Greenville County Schools counselors and social workers, nonprofit staff, and faith leaders from across Greenville County. Practitioners deliver Triple P positive parenting services through group-based trainings and one-on-one home visits.
“It has made a world of difference for me and my family,” Amanda says. “Before I met Rachel (Amanda’s Triple P practitioner), I would fly off the handle and yell, and then the kids would yell, and nothing got settled. But now, we all have learned to pause, take a breath, talk about what is happening, and it makes a huge difference.”
Greenville First Steps provides supports for Triple P practitioners, including training, access to free Triple P resources, and connections to other Triple P practitioners from across the state. Funding for Triple P funding comes from various sources, including the Duke Endowment, the Children’s Trust of South Carolina, United Way of Greenville County, SC First Steps, and local private funds.
This month, Greenville First Steps announced an additional $78,000 in federal Preschool Development Grant funds to help cover the cost to support several local nonprofits who plan to use Triple P content in-home visits.
“Now more than ever, parents are experiencing unusually high levels of stress including Covid-19, quarantines, schools not being open five days a week, and employment issues,” says Sheppard. “We are so excited to help our community partners with these funds to give them the resources they need to support parents and families during this difficult time.”
Any parent seeking Triple P services can visit www.GreenvilleParents.com for a calendar of training opportunities. Any church, nonprofit or family serving organization can also visit the website for directions on how to secure funding to deliver Triple P within their local community.
