State Grant Will Fund Expansion of St. Joseph Parenting Center Programs

Contributed photo: state Sen. Carlo Leone at the Saint Joseph Parenting Center (SJPC) in Stamford.

A $50,000 state grant will help the Saint Joseph Parenting Center (SJPC) in Stamford expand its services within lower Fairfield County.

State Sen. Carlo Leone (D-Stamford) joined the center’s staff this week to announce a major state investment was secured for the Center.

The Saint Joseph Parenting Center (SJPC) provides services to at-risk families by offering guidance to parents on how to avoid unhealthy behaviors that lead to abuse. The funding secured this year will help SJPC grow and continue working to support children and families in southwestern Connecticut.

“Demand on the Saint Joseph Parenting Center has increased tremendously in the past year, and it is important that we step up to support their work,” said Leone. “I am proud that we were able to secure this funding, which will allow SJPC to touch the lives of more families within Fairfield County and create new caseworker jobs to handle their growth in services.”

State Rep. Caroline Simmons (D-Stamford) said in a statement, “We are lucky to have such a unique resource like Saint Joseph Parenting Center to help parents and kids in our community.”

State Rep. William Tong (D-Stamford, Darien) said that many parents need guidance and support that the center provides .

The center’s Executive Director, Measi O’Rourke, said “We all know the extreme cost of child abuse to the state of Connecticut and the long term effects this trauma has on the child. This funding enables SJPC to deliver its highly efficient service model of educating the parent to protect the child.”

“I’ve been a single father for a couple years, and my son is 15 years old now. Growing up you hear the cliché that parenting does not come with a handbook and that you kind of learn as you go along,” said Ali Shannon Ranero, an SJPC client and “Dads are the Difference” participant. “I was a little apprehensive about first coming to a parenting program, thinking that you would be told what to do and how to do it and things like that, but Saint Joseph Parenting Center has made it comfortable, relaxed, supportive, and reaffirming and reassuring that fathers have a voice. We don’t always have all the answers, but I think with Saint Joseph Family Center we will eventually stop saying that parenting doesn’t come with a handbook, it actually comes with a book.”

The Saint Joseph Parenting Center is the only organization in lower Fairfield County dedicated solely to parent education. SJPC staff provides parenting education and community-based support systems for parents who are at risk of abuse and neglect of their children. They currently offer a “28 Week Parenting Program” in English and Spanish, and a “DAD” (Dads are the Difference) program in English. About 50% of SJPC clients are referred to them by the Connecticut Department of Children and families.

SJPC classes and support services are at maximum capacity. The $50,000 that Senator Leone and other members of the Stamford delegation secured this year will allow SJPC to expand within Fairfield Country, serving more clients and broadening their Spanish-language services. SJPC also plans to hire more case workers to handle the increase in demand and allow for more hours dedicated to assisting families in need.

The center is located at 566 Elm St. and can be reached at 203-588-1934.