Community Cafes are a way for parents to have meaningful conversations about how to keep their family strong and help their children develop. Participants sit at small tables and discuss specific questions posed by the hosts. Parents explore the questions by talking, listening and reflecting with one another. Everyone’s ideas are recorded on big sheets of paper at each table and everyone is encouraged to contribute.
After 20 minutes or so, the participants switch to a new table and are given a new - but related - question to discuss. These conversations link and build on each other as people move between groups, cross-pollinate ideas, and discover new insights into the questions or issues that matter to their lives.
Community Cafes help parents to:- Build friendships and relationships of mutual support
- Learn about community resources
- Add to their parenting knowledge
- Reflect on individual goals and desires
- Contribute to a collective wisdom that can help to solve family and community problems
Currently, the Community Cafes in Arkansas are being supported by the Arkansas Children's Trust Fund and the Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education.
For more information, contact:
Sherri Jo McLemore
Arkansas Children's Trust Fund
501-664-2227
sjmclemore@arkansasctf.org
For more information, contact:
Sherri Jo McLemore
Arkansas Children's Trust Fund
501-664-2227
sjmclemore@arkansasctf.org
