Newly Opened Sunnyhills Family Resource Center Fosters Positive Parenting

The Health Trust is proud to report that the Sunnyhills Family Resource Center (FRC), which recently held its grand opening on Saturday September 27th, 2014, is already making a positive impact in the community it serves. The staff and volunteers at the Sunnyhills FRC are providing a wide array of free programs and services to families, including: art enrichment activities, child language and literacy development programs, nutrition and wellness workshops, parent education workshops, and school readiness programming. The Sunnyhills Family Resource Center’s primary focus is to prepare children for kindergarten, an effort that requires both parent education and social development of the children, says Leticia Fernandez, who serves as the volunteer supervisor at the Sunnyhills FRC.

The children engage in skill building activities while their parents learn positive parenting skills at the Sunnyhills Family Resource Center.

The children engage in skill building activities while their parents learn positive parenting skills at the Sunnyhills Family Resource Center.

Since the center’s grand opening, the staff at the Sunnyhills FRC has been working diligently to make these goals a reality. Currently underway is the Positive Parenting Program, also known as “Triple P”.  Triple P is comprised of a series of weekly workshops that offer parents education and practice on ways to build and model healthy behaviors for their kids.  Led by Belkys Ramos, one of the Sunnyhills FRC’s two community workers, parents are introduced to fundamental principles of early childhood development. This workshop series also covers topics such as social-emotional support, healthy communication, self-esteem building, physical health, and cognitive development.

Leticia and her staff place extra value in creating a safe space for parents to gain the skills they need to provide their children with the foundation to do well in school and most importantly, in life. Belkys adds, “Parents [are] understanding that they can provide a successful life for their kids regardless of their education or income levels…the point is to have quality interactions with their kids.” While the parents participate in workshops, their children are in the adjoining classroom, where they too are learning valuable lessons and building their social skills.

Parents [are] understanding that they can provide a successful life for their kids regardless of their education or income levels…the point is to have quality interactions with their kids.

As the center continues to increase the number of families it serves, Leticia and her staff also look forward to expanding the services they offer. Some exciting programs to look for in the near future include nutrition and cooking classes as well as dance classes for children and parents. Following the completion of the Triple P program, the center will also begin its Opening Doors/Abriendo Puertas workshop, which is a 10-session evidence-based parent leadership program.

For more information about the programs and services being offered the Sunnyhills Family Resource Center, please contact Daisy Aguilar at (408)-394-6550 or Belkys Ramos at (408)-646-9338

The Sunnyhills Family Resource Center is located at the Sunnyhills United Methodist Church at 355 Dixon Road, Milpitas, CA 95035.  The center is funded by FIRST 5 Santa Clara County and is operated by The Health Trust and SJB Child Development Centers.