In the mid 1990's, through planning efforts conducted by the Polk County Decategorization Project, parent skill development and training was identified as an area where better coordination could result in better service delivery to the community. In meeting with service providers who offer parent skill development and parent education, it was determined that a wide range of opportunities existed for parents within Polk County, but what did NOT exist was...

1. easy access to these services,
2. a delivery system that was responsive to the needs of parents, at times and locations that were convenient.

Based on these findings, with a grant from DCAT and Family Preservation and Support Services, a RFP process began for the Parent Education/Training Coordination Project. There were four expectations of the original grant:

• The funded project would provide a mechanism for easy accessibility to information for both parents and service providers.
• Provide a central access point for that information.
• Use a "multi-pronged" approach for information dissemination.
• Include participation by both consumers (parents) and service providers.

It was also a requirement that the project be a collaborative effort.

The Human Services Coordinating Board wrote the proposal which was ultimately funded. In it, they named Child Care Resource & Referral of Central Iowa as a partner because of their contact with parents. In May 1996 the money was awarded and the project began with the formation of two committees, one of service providers and the other of parents. Because of the two committees, and the fact that so many agencies have been involved over the past 3 years, collaboration at times has been cumbersome and difficult. What has emerged from all the planning and process is one strong committee. This networking group, the Parent Training Coordination Committee (facilitated by Child Care Resource & Referral of Central Iowa) This committee meets on a quarterly basis.

The official grant period ended in May 1998. Parenting Monthly is currently funded by DCAT and Child Care Resource & Referral.

Parenting Monthly has proven itself to be a valuable document for locating and connecting parents with the training opportunities in Polk County.