Child Welfare Officials Partner with The ARKGroup to Help Families

Free Online Parenting Classes During COVID-19

HOUSTON, TX –Harris County Protective Services for Children and Adults (HCPS) is partnering with The ARKGroup to provide free, online parenting classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal is to provide help to families who may not only be facing stress and anxiety during these uncertain times, but whose challenges are further augmented by the stay-at-home guidelines that require constant parenting and 24/7 contact with their children.

As Dr. Glenn Wilkerson, President of The ARKGroup points out, “The missions of HCPS and The ARKGroup are virtually the same. Both entities want to help parents become better and better at the most important–and most difficult–job in the world.”

Research reveals that people tend to parent the way they were parented. The research-based ARK for Parents and Caregivers Program helps parents examine the parenting behaviors they received from their own parents—rejecting those behaviors that were punitive or abusive and embracing those behaviors that provided caring discipline and unconditional love. The program helps facilitate CPS’ goal of helping parents learn how to discipline behavior while still honoring the personhood of their child. “Now, more than ever, a child’s sense of safety and security in their own home is crucial. Providing parents with the tools needed to navigate during these uncertain times is paramount”, said Joel Levine, Executive Director of HCPS.

The ARKGroup and HCPS will offer ARK for Parents and Caregivers, recipient of the “Texas Governor’s Award for Excellence in Programming,” at no cost to CPS’ client families during the coronavirus crisis. The classes will be available in English and Spanish. Wilkerson says, “Providing good parenting skills, and bringing adults and children together within the context of a loving, disciplined family, is what our two organizations are all about. The ARKGroup is delighted to be a member of the galaxy of organizations that team up with HCPS to enrich the

lives of its client families.”