Free parenting course and support group to begin this month

LACONIA — Parenting is no easy task, and parenting a second time can be even more difficult. More and more children are being raised by their grandparents and other relatives, both inside and outside of the child welfare system. Typically, such responsibility is met with little to no outside support for the caregiver in navigating the needs of the child in their care.

To help bridge the gap between caregivers and community supports, The Family Resource Center of Central New Hampshire, in partnership with the New Hampshire Children’s Trust, provides a program, Kinship Navigation, which is specifically tailored to the needs of these families.

The support group meets the last Monday of every month from noon – 1 p.m. via Zoom and is co-facilitated by Tricia Eisner, Kinship Navigator from the Greater Tilton Area Family Resource Center.

In addition to this program, The Family Resource Center also offers a free, 8-week course via Zoom called Parenting a Second Time Around (PASTA). Topics covered in the series include child development, discipline, self-care, rebuilding a family, living with teens, legal issues, and advocacy. PASTA begins Wednesday, March 17, from 6-8 p.m.

Registration for the 8-week PASTA series and the ongoing monthly Kinship Caregiver Support Group can be done online at www.lrcs.org/parentedregistration.

The Kinship Navigation program continues to take new referrals. If you or someone you know could benefit from this program, please contact 603-581-1576 or email melissa.shadden-cyr@lrcs.org.