Many local organizations offer help to parents looking to strengthen their skills, learn more about child development, and strengthen relationships with their children.
Local Programs
Great Start Plus
Home-based parenting education with families involved with Child Protective Services. Their services are tailored to the individual family focusing on the improvement of parent-child interaction, the family support system and the promotion of healthy childhood growth and development. This program offers free weekly visitation, community resources, and group events.
Eligibility: Parents with children 0-8 years old with an open CPS case
Length of Program: Approximately 6 months; weekly home visits
Contacts:
Family Service Association of San Antonio, Inc.: Veronica Salgado – 210.431.7506
Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio, Inc.: Natasha Bridges – 210.222.1294
iParent SA®
iParent SA® provides a comprehensive network of services which will include long-term parenting education, child school-readiness support, case management, crisis intervention, parent support groups, family fun nights, basic needs support, and transportation.
Eligibility: Parents with children 0-8 years old
Length of Program: 1-2 years (long-term); weekly home visits and at least monthly parent support groups
Contact: The Children’s Shelter, Natalie Lopez – 210.212.2597
Parent Talk
Voluntary, group-based program offered at various sites throughout the Eastside Promise Neighborhood, including community centers, schools, churches, and apartment complexes. Parent Talk facilitates parenting and life skills education sessions for parents and caregivers of children 0 to 17 years of age.
Eligibility: Parents with children 0-17 (with preference given to 0-8) living in the Eastside Promise Neighborhood
Length of Program: 10-12 sessions; weekly group classes
Contact: Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio, Inc.: 210.787.0723
Compadre y Compadre
Compadre y Compadre is a free, 15 week group-based program that teaches fathers to become nurturing parents while providing case management services. The first five hours of the program, Daddy Boot Camp, are designed to be an intense immersion into the world of being a father. Parent Educators connect fathers to resources to help them find employment, earn a GED or high school diploma, and overcome crises.
Eligibility: Fathers with children 0-18 years old
Length of Program: 15 weeks; weekly group classes
Contact: The Children’s Shelter, Patrick Ortiz – 210.212.2542
Autism Training Program
This program provides parent/caregiver training workshops, hands-on training courses, and introductory autism classes to empower parents of children with autism and other delays to maximize the potential of their child through child and parent interactions. These programs provide the knowledge and skills to help families work with their child and improve their lives.
Eligibility: Families with children birth to 8 who have been diagnosed with Autism
Length of Program: Hands On Training: 8 weeks; weekly meetings
Contact: Autism Community Network, Dr. Berenice de la Cruz – 210.435.1000
Parent and Child Together
Nine -month (September-May) program serving families with young children ages 0-3 living in zip codes 78207, 78228, 78237. This free program promotes strong and stable families, healthy children, and economic self-sufficiency in families through education. Through the Parent and Child Together (PACT) Time, parents and their children participate in structured age-appropriate activities in the children’s classroom to practice skills learned in the parenting class.
Eligibility: Parents of children 0 to 3 years old with a focus on recruitment in 78207, 78237, and 78228 zip codes
Length of Program: 9 months; weekly group classes
Contact: AVANCE-San Antonio, Yesenia Gonzalez – 210.223.3667
Services to Fathers
Nine month (September-May) program serving fathers with young children ages 0-3 living in zip codes 78207, 78228, 78237. This free program promotes father involvement in their child’s development through group-based parenting, early childhood education, and family support. In addition, fathers learn about anger & stress management, domestic violence prevention, expressing emotions in a positive manner, and support in achieving their goals is provided.
Eligibility: Fathers with children 0-3 years old with a focus on recruitment in 78207, 78237, and 78228 zip codes
Length of Program: 9 months; weekly group classes
Contact: AVANCE-San Antonio, Yesenia Gonzalez – 210.223.3667
YMCA Precious Minds New Connections Parenting Program
Meld
Meld brings together groups of parents who have similar parenting needs and provides them with the tools to help them become more confident leaders within their families. The program consists of peer groups guided by a team of Parent Group Facilitators, whose roles are to provide groups with a curriculum designed to address health and safety, child guidance and development, family management, and personal development. Meld Young Moms is designed for young mothers ages 13-25. Meld Growing Families is designed for mothers ages 26 and older. Meld Special Needs serves parents of children living with a wide range of illnesses and disabilities.
Find Local Classes Through Methodist Healthcare Ministries>
National Models
Nurse-Family Partnership
Nurse-Family Partnership’s maternal health program introduces vulnerable first-time parents to caring maternal and child health nurses. This program allows nurses to deliver the support first-time moms need to have a healthy pregnancy, become knowledgeable and responsible parents, and provide their babies with the best possible start in life. The relationship between mother and nurse provides the foundation for strong families, and lives are forever changed – for the better.
Eligibility: Low-income, first-time mothers less than 28 weeks pregnant
Contact: Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio, Inc.: 210.787.0723
Nurturing Parenting
The Nurturing Parenting Programs are a family-centered trauma-informed initiative designed to build nurturing parenting skills as an alternative to abusive and neglecting parenting and child-rearing practices. The long term goals are to prevent recidivism in families receiving social services, lower the rate of multiparent teenage pregnancies, reduce the rate of juvenile delinquency and alcohol abuse, and stop the intergenerational cycle of child abuse by teaching positive parenting behaviors.
Find Local Classes Through Methodist Healthcare Ministries>
Parents as Teachers
Parents as Teachers helps organizations and professionals work with parents during the critical early years of their children’s lives, from conception to kindergarten
Eligibility: Parents and caregivers with at least one child under 2 years old or expecting
Contact: Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio, Inc.: 210.787.0723
HIPPY USA
Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is an evidenced-based program that works with families in the home to support parents in their critical role as their child’s first and most important teacher.
HIPPY strengthens communities and families by empowering parents to actively prepare their children for success in school. Parents are provided with a set of carefully developed curriculum, books and materials designed to strengthen their children’s cognitive skills, early literacy skills, social/emotional and physical development.
Eligibility: Families with children 3-5 years old with a concentration in Eastside Promise Neighborhood
Contact: Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio, Inc.: 210.787.0723