Recognizing the importance of parenting education, especially right now, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has officially proclaimed this month Parenting Education Awareness Month.

Many free parenting education resources and services are available in North Carolina, including free Triple P Online, but not all parents realize that support is available.

The announcement follows on from last month’s declaration of Positive Parenting Month across the state of California.

A broad coalition of local and statewide family support, early childhood education and child welfare advocates welcomed the announcement, including Prevent Child Abuse NC, NC Partnership for Children, and NC Early Education Coalition, all part of the Think Babies™ NC Alliance. 

The official proclamation mentioned some of the key issues driving the initiative, such as the increased burden on parents and families created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanks to the North Carolina Learning Collaborative, Triple P’s Online course is available free to NC parents and caregivers in English and Spanish. Triple P Online now includes a COVID-19 module for parenting during uncertain times.

Some of the other important factors driving the initiative were mentioned in the Governor’s proclamation included:

• many parents and caregivers feeling unprepared for the challenges of raising children;
• the number of free parenting education options available and how they can help the health and wellbeing of all children in North Carolina; and
• that parent and caregiver education is vital to positive childhood development.

Other Triple P programs are also available free or at low cost in many counties throughout NC, and in other states too. For more information, visit www.triplep-parenting.com