The following announcement was sent to registrants of our upcoming Parenting Journey groups in response to the COVID-19 outbreak:
Dear Friend,
I’m writing to inform you about the steps that Parenting Journey is taking to ensure the health and safety of the parents we partner with, the children in our care, our staff, and our community.
As you likely are aware, the rapid spread around the globe of COVID-19, the 2019 novel coronavirus, has prompted Gov. Charlie Baker to declare a state of emergency in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Federal and state agencies are encouraging social distancing to slow the spread of this disease. This is an uncertain and evolving situation and the steps that each of us take can help reduce the risk of infection.
We appreciate your’ commitment to being the best parent possible and your interest in coming to Parenting Journey to help strengthen their abilities to cope with the challenges that parenting presents. We recognize that many of the parents involved in our programs are facing stressors and challenges right now — and some need to complete our program to be reunified with their children.
It is not easy to balance the emotional health needs of our parents with the need to reduce the spread of this disease but out of an abundance of caution, Parenting Journey is temporarily postponing our upcoming groups until at least April 7. While it is unclear when the need for social distancing will pass, our team’s goal over the coming weeks is to create a plan that will enable parents to complete our program by the scheduled graduation dates.
In order to support our parents, we are happy to issue a letter stating that they have completed an intake, are registered for a group and that the start of the group is being delayed. Please email me at lcarbone@parentingjourney.org to request a letter and specify if you would prefer to receive it electronically or by mail. Please let me know if you’d like me to check-in with you weekly as we are working through this challenging.
If you need access to healthcare, we encourage you to contact Health Care For All’s HelpLine at (800) 272-4232. For the latest information regarding COVID-19, please visit the Commonwealth of Massachusetts resource page.
Our staff is being encouraged to work remotely through the end of March but will continue to be available by phone and email.
We will continue to provide you with updates as this situation evolves.
Thanks,
Lydia Carbone
Program Director (MA)
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
