In the late 1980’s a group of passionate community leaders were tired of seeing stories about broken families and children being abused and neglected. Rather than turning a blind eye and remaining apathetic, this group decided to do something about it. They created the foundation for Parent Aid. Our founders were made up of the six Exchange Clubs of Tucson who dared to take on their national proje
ct to prevent child abuse. Our local Exchange Clubs worked hard to raise all the funds necessary and dedicated long hours to launching our program in 1990. Initially, we were set up as a program under a larger organization, but quickly were able to find our footing and become an autonomous 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening families and preventing child abuse. While the number of local Exchange Clubs has changed from 6 to 1, their dedication to this cause is symbolized by their continual support and efforts to enable Parent Aid to reach more families and positively impact the lives of more children in our community. Initially, our program consisted of volunteer “parent aides,” but as family dynamics became more complex our program evolved to utilize paraprofessional Family Support Specialists to work with families. Our staff are highly trained in helping families understand and overcome the challenges they face. In fact, since 1990, we have partnered with over 1500 families and over 4500 children in Pima County. We’ve expanded our programs to include our Parent Partners™ Program, Parenting Classes, and Family Enrichment Workshops. As a mission-driven organization, our board of directors and staff are passionate about making a difference. We are constantly evaluating and innovating our programs to make the biggest impact in the community. Families that come through our programs:
Improve parenting skills
Increase their understanding of child development
Have children with better behavior
Enhance family communication
Learn to solve problems
Develop a sense of self-sufficiency
Are better at dealing with and reducing stress
Develop support systems
Gain confidence and pride in being a healthy family unit
And much more!!!! Children who have been exposed to child abuse and neglect are more likely to:
Get involved in criminal activity
Indulge in substance abuse
Drop out of school
Develop mental illness
And worst of all, they are more likely to continue the cycle of abuse when they have children of their own. Help us turn the tide and strengthen families in our community!!! If you have questions, concerns or ideas on how we can improve our programs and/or better serve our community, please Contact Us.
