Director’s Corner
Parents Leading the Way
By: Katie Becker, Executive Director
Parents are the heart of Parenting Matters. Our organization was initially created to address an unmet need for trusted guidance and support in raising children in safe and nurturing homes. For more than 30 years, we have continued this vital work. But the world has changed and so have the challenges families face. How do we ensure we’re still meeting our community’s needs?
We listen to parents.
Parents’ lived experience is expertise, and their leadership is shaping the future of our programs. We are committed to making sure our impact is on point and that parents continue to lead the way.
This past Saturday, we brought that belief to life with our first-ever Parent Leadership Gathering, supported by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County as part of our 2Gen work. The Aspen Institute’s 2Gen approach emphasizes that the best way to break cycles of hardship is to create opportunities for both children and their parents. That means not only offering direct services but also ensuring that parents have a voice in shaping programs that affect their families. Our goal with this gathering was to listen, learn, and ensure that our resources are being used in the most impactful way possible.
Originally planned for a park in Palmetto, road and bridge closures forced us to shift venues. Thanks to our friends at Trinity Lutheran Church, we had a welcoming space where parents could come together and share their experiences. Leading up to the event, we conducted an anonymous survey with participating parents, asking what additional support they need. Their responses shaped the four key discussion questions that guided the day.
As families arrived, children played on the playground, made crafts, and participated in a short Musical Motion class, while parents gathered inside for conversation. A clown and staff members kept the little ones engaged, giving parents the space to focus.
Our facilitator, Elizabeth Sierra, set the tone with an energizing icebreaker, and soon the room was filled with thoughtful and passionate conversation. Parents from across our programs (Musical Motion, Chosen Families, and Parent Partner) connected, and many were surprised to learn about services they hadn’t yet explored.
One of the most powerful moments came when a mother shared the need for peer-led support groups, where parents could exchange their unique skills such as, math tutoring, financial planning, navigating parenting as a teen mom, or raising a child with special needs. Other parents echoed the value of learning from one another. This is exactly why these conversations matter. The 2Gen approach highlights the importance of engaging parents as experts in their own lives. By leveraging the strengths within our own Parenting Matters community, we can ensure that families receive not only professional guidance but also peer-to-peer support, an invaluable resource for long-term success.
Ideas like this, and many others, came out of the gathering. We will continue to reflect on these conversations as we refine and enhance our programs to ensure they align with what families truly need.
To honor their time and contributions, each parent received an “Outstanding Parent” medal and a gift card, followed by a
meal from Tacos El Guero, owned by former Parenting Matters clients. It was a full-circle moment, highlighting the long-term impact of investing in families.
This gathering wasn’t just about listening; it was about action. The 2Gen approach tells us that when parents thrive, their children do too. We are committed to making sure every resource we have, whether financial, programmatic, or within our own community—is used in the most effective way possible. Parents are leading the way, and together, we are building something stronger than any one program alone: a true community of support that will create lasting change for generations to come.