Parent Information And Resource Center
What Is PIRC?
Parental Information and Resource Centers (PIRCs) were conceived by Congress under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to provide parents, schools, and other organizations working with families with the information and support (including training and technical assistance) needed to understand how children develop and what they need to succeed in school.
How Does PIRC Help?
PIRC (Parental Information and Resource Center)—the federal grant program authorized by NCLB to help implement effective parent involvement policies, programs, and activities intended to improve student academic achievement and to strengthen partnerships among parents, teachers, principals, administrators, and others to meet children’s education needs.
The Parent Information and Resource Center of A Work of Faith Ministries, Inc., is offering an opportunity to help parents in your community as part of the Parent Information & Resource Center’s (PIRC) program component of the Parent Information & Training Initiative (PITI), a comprehensive effort to reduce youth violence and increase adult engagement and leadership here in the Chicago area. We train Chicago-area parents to conduct parent-to-parent education and community outreach as Parent Leaders.
Village Elders
The Parent Leadership in Action Network (PLAN) component of the PLTI will provide leadership training for Village Elders aged 55 and over willing to share their life experiences. Each community’s PLAN will be composed of teams of committed, active parents including fathers, foster parents and grandparents who are currently raising (or have recently raised) an adolescent. They will be opinion leaders in their neighborhood who represent different experiences and skills.
Village Elders are trained to share their parenting skills, knowledge and stories with other parents around them who are struggling to raise adolescents in the U.S. Having “walked the walk,” they share what they have learned about: •The value of mental wellness; How protective factors (examples below) can make a difference with teens; •Being able to talk about and talk through problems and challenges •Providing a regular physical release for Village Elders and teens •Surrounding youth with a strong support system (other non-parental, nonjudgmental adults) •Using creativity to express inner feelings Best ways to navigate the mental health system; and Working through interpersonal issues related to the relationships in their lives (a key stressor for women and girls).
Village Elders Initiatives
Recycling Ambassadors
Village Elders Community Engagement
Village Elders Mentoring Program
The Village Elders Initiative delivers on several key goals of the overall Parent Leadership Training Initiative (PLTI):
Educates parents about the impact of ongoing stressors and traumas (i.e., poverty, violence, racism) on our youth, including those that underlie many emotional or mental health problems;
Promotes protective factors that build resilience and wellness among urban youth and their families;
Encourages help-seeking for youth and families who need more involved interventions (both early interventions and more intensive treatment).
Village Elder Goals
Village Elders share their gifts and talents with the community.
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Village Elders take an active role in community issues
Village Elders find positive outlets to remain active and involved.
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Integrate Village Elders with disenfranchised families
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Provide nutritional, mental and physical health support via seminars & training
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Village Elders become “go-to” resources in the community
Additional Info
Key Roles for a Parental Information and Resource Center (PIRC)
As defined by the Department of Education, the funding agency for PIRCs, key PIRC roles include:
• Providing leadership, technical assistance, and support in the implementation of successful and effective parent involvement policies, programs, and activities intended to improve student academic achievement
• Strengthening partnerships among parents (including parents of children from birth through age 5), teachers, principals, administrators, and other school personnel in meeting the education needs of children
• Developing and strengthening the relationship between parents and their children’s school; and
• Providing a comprehensive approach to improving student learning, through coordination and integration of federal, state, and local services and programs.
Check out the Guide To
Our Main Health Focus Areas
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Mental Health
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Teen Health & Wellness
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National Diabetes Prevention Program
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Workplace Wellness