Professional Trainings and Community Awareness Programs

For more information about or to schedule a training for any of the below free programs, please contact Danielle Gray, community coordinator, at (207) 956-3750 or danielleg@kidsfreetogrow.org.

Kids Free to Grow is the Child Abuse Prevention Council for Cumberland County. Their mission is to prevent child abuse and neglect by empowering children and families in Cumberland County.

Kids Free to Grow
100 Gannett Drive, Suite A
South Portland, ME 04106
(207) 854-1030
www.kidsfreetogrow.org

Infant Safe Sleep

We provide training to a wide range of community partners and parents in infant safe sleep. This training works as a guide to implement strategies to reduce the number of serious injuries to and deaths of Maine infants due to unsafe sleep practices.

Mandated Reporter Training

We offer training to a variety of professional and non-professional groups who are mandated child abuse and neglect reporters. We educate those who work with children about the laws regarding reporting, how to report, and why it is important to do so.

Nurturing Parenting Program

This parenting program is held in a group setting in which parent(s) or caregiver(s) learn and develop skills such as empathy, self-worth, empowerment, roles, and expectations plus discipline with dignity.

Parent Cafe

Parents and caregivers gather and build positive relationships, peer support, and build resilience. The guided conversation cards help build family strengths using the protective factors as a model for enhancing meaningful conversation and self-reflection.

Strengthening Maine Families

This program supports child care providers to help parents become stronger parents. Child care providers learn to approach parents as the expert on their own children, to listen openly to their concerns and ideas, and to work together with parents to find answers to questions and concerns about child development. This approach fosters more trusting relationships between providers and parents.

The Period of Purple Crying

A statewide program to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome. Developed by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome. It is a program that aims to support caregivers in their understanding of early increased infant crying and to reduce the incidence of shaken baby syndrome/abusive head trauma.