Parent Mentoring
The Parent Leaders Training and Parent Mentoring Sessions seek to bolster parental involvement and commitment in the learning of their children. This was implemented in 48 schools in the cities of General Santos, Iligan, Zamboanga & Davao, and the province of Sarangani.
This project empowers parents with strategies on positive parenting, family values, financial management, family planning, healthy husband-wife relationship, and child protection. It also highlighted the value of education and the importance of principles and values in leadership.
Development of the Parent Mentoring Module
In 2019, CLAFI and Consuelo Foundation developed a Parent Mentoring Module that contained the 10 Commitments of Parents with regards to the education of their children, child protection, financial management, and teaching reading to children at home.
In 2020, this module was redesigned and re-focused on building resilient families in Sarangani amidst the pandemic. In the new module, parents receive:
- Behaviour change communication tips and tools that helps shift pre-COVID practices to easily and effectively adapt to the new normal. (This includes a Covid-19 Alphabet Chart, Number Chart, and Jingle developed by Evident Integrated Marketing and PR);
- Information on the right of children to physical and mental health;
- A provision of hand sewing kit that can make 16 face masks, and training on face mask hand sewing; and
- A provision of a protective kit containing vitamins for children and adult, along with alcohol and bath soap.
Project Milestones
The project has mentored 11,261 parents since 2014.
Overall, the project has led to the development of communities of parents that work together for a successful parental action on the education of the children. This facilitates systemic change with regards to parental involvement, resulting in increased involvement of parents in a child’s learning process. Furthermore, the project develops Parent Leaders who mentor other parents in their area, creating a domino effect of community cooperation for the education of the children.
Through this development, parents realized that they are the primary partner of schools in the education of their children. They realized that they need to support their children not only financially, but also morally. As a result, parents committed to monitor the daily school activities of their children. The resulting increased parent-child synergy further improved the education outcomes of the children.
For the teachers, the project introduced new ways and techniques in teaching reading. For the schools, it provided needed technical assistance to improve the quality of education of the students. The project also provided school staff with strategies in order to engage less-involved and inactive parents and transform them to becoming leading advocates of their children’s education.
For CLAFI, the project has been an enlightening experience, allowing the foundation to develop and innovate new strategies in addressing the education concerns in areas where it operates, in partnership with the entire community.
