Connecting for Children

CMCA’s mission is to “empower individuals and families to achieve self-reliance” and Connecting for Children is just one of the vehicle’s available to make that mission a reality. Connecting for Children is a 5-year grant through the Department of Health & Human Services and the Administration for Children and Families and it is one of only 24 programs in the country. It is a voluntary program for those that are single or in a non-violent relationship. We serve Head Start eligible parents living in our eight county service area, and we offer trainings in both English and Spanish, with Deaf Interpreters available as needed. In this way, our program falls under CMCA’s Strategic Commitment # 4: Building relationships across class and race lines.

Connecting for Children’s mission is to honor parents by educating them on building healthy relationships that benefit children and their families; with our vision of the future being that parents will continue to build healthy relationships so that families—specifically children— will prosper. Our main goal is to have parent’s model healthy behavior for their children—after all, parents are a child’s first and best teacher! When children are equipped with healthy and effective communication skills, they are more successful in school, and school readiness is truly our focus. Successful children mean a successful future for us all. In an effort to reach this mission, we offer training opportunities that focus on effective parenting strategies, conflict management, problem solving skills, stress management, health literacy, and more. In this way, Connecting for Children falls under CMCA’s Strategic Commitment # 2: Enhance community capacity to ensure all individuals have lifelong learning opportunities.

For questions or to find out more information about Connecting for Children, please call us at 573-443-8706 or toll-free at 800-706-1742 (ext.1022 for English or ext.1032 for Spanish). We also have information on other trainings offered in the community that we can refer families to- so don't hesitate to contact us!