CPN hosts monthly Community Engagement Council meetings to receive feedback and recommendations from its residents. CPN is committed to acting on recommendations from the community.
In one meeting led by CPN Director of Programs Vicky Ingalls, five families shared stories about the challenges they face in school and or the neighborhood. Participants included:
- A grandmother raising her step-granddaughter.
- A single mother raising one child.
- A mother raising two children.
- A single father raising three children and taking care of his mother and niece.
- A single father raising his two boys with his parents and two nieces at home.
Some of the common challenges shared by the group were:
The need to help kids process their feelings. Many children live with constant anxiety due to close-to-home violence or the effects of poverty. At the same time, many children are scared of the police.
Lack of before-school childcare, after-school childcare and summer support.
Acting out by classmates, which impedes learning.
The challenges parents face when they are stereotyped, (e.g., single mom, single father living with a parent.)
Charleston Promise Neighborhood, Community Engagement Council members and Amy Adler, who supports parents in behavior management techniques, are developing strategies to respond to these concerns and creating a list of resources to share with families.
