Strengthening Families^TM Maryland Parent Café Facilitator Training Institute

Parents Cafés are an opportunity to partner with parents to help keep their families strong. An effective family engagement tool, Parent Cafés bring together parents of children birth through age five for structured, meaningful conversations related to the five Strengthening Families Protective Factors. We invite organizational representatives of programs in Maryland to attend the FREE Strengthening Families Maryland Parent Café Facilitator Training Institute, which will provide the information and materials needed to host Parent Cafés for parents of very young children, and will qualify you to receive FREE resources for providing Parent Cafés. Sponsored by Maryland Family Network and Wicomico County Public Schools, this Institute will prioritize attendees from Wicomico County should the Institute fill. The Parent Café Overview provides more information about Parent Cafés. Before registering, please review the following information.

At the Strengthening Families Maryland Parent Café Facilitator Training Institute, you will learn to facilitate Strengthening Families Maryland Parent Cafés for parents of children birth through age five and to train Table Hosts for your Parent Cafés. Here are some important details to consider and help you in your planning:

• Organizations/programs are encouraged to send a team of two - four people, including at least one parent whose family participates in the program, so their Parent Cafés can get off to a strong start.
• The training will start off with a Parent Café on the morning of May 29, which those attending the Institute will participate in as a "guest." The remainder of the training will prepare new Facilitators to host their own Parent Cafés.
• Breakfast and lunch will be provided both days. A vegetarian lunch option will be available. Those with other dietary restrictions (vegan, lactose intolerant, etc.) should plan to bring their lunch.
• Attendees must complete both full days and a signed agreement (see below) to successfully complete the training.
• MSDE Office of Child Care Core of Knowledge (COK) training hours are available.

By participating in this free professional development opportunity, each Facilitator or identified team will agree to:

• Facilitate at least three Parent Cafes by November 30, 2019, targeting parents of children birth through age five and following the format and content outlined in the Facilitator Training Institute.
• Send us information, in advance, about every Parent Café they plan.
• Include parents in the planning and implementation of Parent Cafés.
• Provide training to the Table Hosts who will be assisting with the Parent Cafés after those individuals have attended a Parent Café as a guest; information about training Table Hosts will be included in the Facilitator Training Institute.
• Send us documentation after every Parent Café held.

Becoming a trained Strengthening Families Maryland Parent Café Facilitator has some great benefits in addition to the training itself:

• Each organization or team (if comprised of members from different organizations), upon scheduling their first qualifying Parent Café, will be sent a gift card with which to purchase nonperishable Parent Café supplies. Each organization/team is eligible for one gift card each year they have new Facilitators trained, as long as resources permit.
• Each qualifying Parent Café for parents of children birth through age five, held before November 30, 2019, is eligible for an added monetary stipend to help offset the costs of providing a Parent Café!
• Head Start programs which have at least one staff person and one program parent (who is not also a staff) complete the Institute will be eligible for a Parent Café Kit valued at over $200. A limited number of kits are available, and will be awarded to those programs who register both a parent and staff earliest, if they both complete the Institute.
• In addition to receiving the gift card and stipend, Facilitators will receive all the documents needed to facilitate a Parent Café, helpful tips, and follow-up communication about facilitating Parent Cafés.