Positive Parenting

From the first day of life to the first day of kindergarten, children grow faster than at any other time in their lives. The first 5 years of life literally shape how the brain gets built, laying the foundation for a lifetime of learning. Parents are their children's first and most important teachers. We can show you how.

Families Come with Lots of Questions!

Resources for Hanover Families

I need shots for my child:

• Call Hanover Health Department, 804-365-4313

• Call the Hanover County Public School Parent Resource Center, 804-365-4596

I need medical care/health care for my family:

• Call Hanover Health Department, 804-365-4313

I am worried about my baby's development:

• Call Infant and Toddler Connection of Hanover, 804-365-3330

I am pregnant and I need help with medical care or food:

• Call Hanover Health Department, 804-365-4313

I need someone to give me guidance and resources as a pregnant/new mother:

• See Home Visiting Program information below
• Call Family Lifeline Home Visiting Program, 804-249-5414

I would like new ideas to improve my child's behavior:
 

• Call Community Services Parent Educator, 804-365-4238
• Call your school guidance counselor

I want to know more about preschool options in Hanover County:

• Call Hanover Preschool Initiative, 804-365-4506

I want someone to share resources and teach me activities so I can be the best parent to my child:

• See Home Visiting Program information below

I can't afford to feed my family:

• Call Department of Social Services, 804-365-4100
• Call Ashland Christian Emergency Services (ACES), 804-798-2784 if in Ashland
• Call Western Hanover Emergency Action Team (WHEAT), 877-559-4328 if in Beaverdam, Glen Allen, or Montpelier
• Call Mechanicsville Christian Emergency Fund (MCEF), 804-357-4093 if in Mechanicsville

I don't feel safe at home with my partner:

• Call Hanover Safe Place, 804-752-2702

I feel stressed and overwhelmed:

• Call Hanover Community Services, 804-365-4200

I want to find free and fun family activities:

• Call Pamunkey Regional Library, 804-365-6210
• Call Parks and Recreation, 804-365-7150

I have other questions:

• Call Community Resources, 804-365-4300

Home Visiting Program

A "Parent Educator" makes regular visits to the homes of pregnant women and parents of children up to the age of five.   Each home visit focuses on ways that parents and children can play and interact at various stages of development. The visits offer information and encouragement that parents need to help their child grow and learn during the important years of early childhood. The Parent Educator provides individual guidance to parents and offers connections to other services as parents prepare their child for a stronger start in school and in life. This program can also help to detect possible developmental delays and assist to find resources to address the child's specific needs. 
     
This free program is a partnership between Hanover County and Family Lifeline. For more information contact Family Lifeline at 804-249-5414. 

Workshops for Parents, Families & the Community

The Community Services Board (CSB) offers workshops for parents, families, and the community that focus on developing the strengths and life skills of parents and their children. Some of the workshops we offer include:  

• Family Matters: A 4-hour seminar for parents who have petitioned the courts because of custody, visitation or child support. The class helps teach parents about how conflict affects children. Parents are also given information about community resources.
• Guiding Good Choices: Families that Care: A 5-week workshop series that provides parents and others caring for 9-11-year-olds the opportunity to learn and talk with others about ways to help kids make healthy decisions and avoid risky behaviors.
• Strengthening Families: This program is for families with children 10-14 years old. Parents meet to learn about adolescent development and share ideas that work while the pre-teens and teens learn their own set of skills. Later the groups join together to practice what they have learned and have some fun.
• Staying Connected With Your Teen: Parents of teens aged 12-17 years old have the opportunity to learn and practice skills for improving communication and building stronger family bonds.
• Mental Health First Aid: This program is similar to First Aid and CPR. Mental Health First Aid is a full-day, interactive workshop that provides participants with a 5-step action plan to help loved ones, colleagues, neighbors and others cope with mental health problems. Similar to traditional First Aid and CPR, Mental Health First Aid is the initial help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or experiencing a crisis until professional treatment is obtained or the crisis resolves. Participants will learn about the prevalence of common mental health issues, including signs and symptoms and strategies to connect with appropriate professional, peer, social or self-help care. We offer 2 versions of Mental Health First Aid: the Adult version and a Youth Version for adults who work with adolescents.
• safeTALK: This is a half-day alertness training that prepares anyone over the age of 15, regardless of prior experience or training, to become a suicide-alert helper. Most people with thoughts of suicide don't truly want to die, but are struggling with the pain in their lives. Through their words and actions, they invite help to stay alive. safeTALK-trained helpers can recognize these invitations and take action by connecting them with life-saving intervention resources, such as caregivers trained in ASIST.

We also offer consultations for parents to talk about their concerns and help them gather ideas, resources and skills they can use at home.

Contact Us

To find out more or to schedule a workshop or consultation, call 804-365-4238, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.