60 participants start the Positive Parenting Support Program Facilitator Training

Philipsburg - Sixty participants have completed Orientation Day sessions towards becoming Facilitators of a new Positive Parenting Support Program (PPSP). The PPSP training will continue in the coming weeks. Once participants complete the required minimum hours, they will receive a certificate as ‘PPSP Facilitators’ with Continuing Education Units from The University of the West Indies Open Campus.

The certified PPSP Facilitators will be able to provide parenting classes guided by the PPSP. The parenting classes will help parents and caregivers increase their knowledge and understanding of positive child development practices, improve communication, increase the opportunities for bonding between parents and caregivers and reduce harsh parenting practices.

The Secretary General of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport (MECYS), Mrs. Shermina Powell-Richardson opened the training sessions: “Many things that we are experiencing currently are unprecedented. We must find solutions to continue to support children and ensure their healthy development. We cannot do this without their parents and caregivers. By implementing more accessible parenting programs such as the PPSP, we can provide support to parents and caregivers in providing knowledge and building a network around them."

The Program, which is tailor-made for Sint Maarten, has been a long-term goal and initiative led by the Department of Youth (MECYS) and implemented with technical support from UNICEF the Netherlands. The curriculum for the PPSP is developed through extensive research and data collected through dozens of focus-groups discussions and stakeholder interviews by a collaborative team of The University of the West Indies Open Campus, through the Caribbean Child Development Centre (CCDC), in partnership with Parenting Partners Caribbean (PPC).

Of the sixty certified PPSP Facilitators, twenty will be selected to continue their certifications and become ‘Master Trainers’. Master Trainers will be able to train others to become PPSP Facilitators, ensuring the continuality and accessibility of parenting classes on Sint Maarten.

The PPSP is part of the Child Resilience and Protection Project (CRPP), financed by the Government of The Netherlands, through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, administered by the World Bank.

Updates on this project can be followed on www.facebook.com/departmentofyouthsxm & www.facebook.com/unicefsxm. Those interested in contributing to or requesting information about this project can contact the Department of Youth by sending an email to deptofyouth@sintmaartengov.org.