Child Care Council of Nassau County announced the completion of the first-ever Parent Leadership Initiative (PLI) in Nassau County. PLI began more than 20 years ago at the Child Care Council of Suffolk.
Over the course of the 17-week program, 12 Nassau County residents, including Betty Rodriguez of Mineola, from diverse ethnic, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds came together weekly to share their experiences and concerns, gain a better understanding of how the government works, build self-confidence, and improve their leadership skills in order to become successful agents of change.
Additionally, each participant put their skills to use by developing projects to address issues that are important to them. The project topics are equally challenging as they are inspiring, and range from a variety of goals including: promoting early literacy and family time in Garden City; developing after-school activities in order to provide adolescents with the guidance to develop leadership and decision-making skills and decrease participation in crime and other negative behaviors; educating the Spanish-speaking community on the importance of getting mammograms and organize a mobile van to provide free mammograms; creating a genuine sense of community and support in a Roosevelt neighborhood by building and strengthening relationships between its residents; empowering parents to strengthen their association within the Hempstead school district, starting with reactivating the PTA at an elementary school; and increasing awareness for parents in Hempstead about developmental milestones and early intervention programs.
“When we are recruiting, we look to find people who have a commitment to creating a caring community for children and need to gain the skills to know where to begin,” says Danielle Asher, director of Parent Leadership Initiative Long Island.
A graduation ceremony was held at Hofstra University to celebrate those who completed the program on June 2. Family, friends, community partners and local elected officials were on hand to honor the steps these parent advocates have taken to begin strengthening their communities.
Another notable aspect of the PLI pilot is the close friendships that were formed.
“Participants not only focused on their own personal growth, but continued to help and support each other from start to finish,” says Lisa Kaplan-Miller, PLI Nassau County site coordinator. “It was truly remarkable to witness such a diverse group of people from all different areas coming together to share their interests, strengths and ideas.”
