Parents

Strengthening Families Illinois is the place to bring your skills as a person, as a parent, and as a leader. If you’re new to SFI, start by checking out keepyourfamilystrong.org, where you’ll learn about the protective factors and how they help parents deal with challenges and come out stronger.

Once you learn about the protective factors, you’re going to want to share them—and build your skills as a parent leader in the process. Here are a few ways to do that:

• Parent Leadership Team: Join thousands of leaders strengthening families in communities across Illinois.
• Awaken to Your Potential: Take part in training to help you grow as a person, as a parent, and as a leader.
• Love Is Not Enough Parent Cafés: Change your life and strengthen your family with three evenings of conversation with other parents!
• Café Talk Game: Play the game that gets to the heart of family.
• Confabs: Come to SFI’s quarterly gathering of parent leaders.
• Resources: Download publications so you can learn more.

When SFI was just a few years old, parent leader Jeffrey Scott came to a meeting and said, “If you have information about how to keep families strong, parents need to know. Give it to us directly. Don’t water it down, but don’t go through early childhood folk or child welfare folk to get to us.” We listened. And today, what makes SFI different from other child and family initiatives is that parents have the same kinds of opportunities to make a difference for families as staff and policymakers do.

Please join us by filling out our parent leader recruitment form! Your commitment can be as simple as saying you agree to keep your own family and community strong.