Strengthening Families Mono County

Mission Statement

To introduce and implement the 5 Protective Factors at local agencies and community events throughout Mono County

The 5 Protective Factors

Research says that when these five qualities are present in families, children are safe and families are strong.  

1. Parental Resilience – Be strong & flexible. 

• ​This is the ability to bounce back when life knocks you down and refers to your psychological and emotional well-being.
• Your ability to show up and to respond to the pressures of life, not just to react to whatever happens.
• This is your ability to be in control of your thoughts, your emotions, and your actions. 

2. Social Connections – Parents need friends.

• These are the positive people in your life who give you emotional support and assistance.
• It's your community, which has your back so you can take care of your kids and yourself.
• It's also the people who can assist you with your kids.

3. Concrete Support in Times of Need – Everybody needs help at times.

• Life's joys can be very challenging: a new baby for instance may be joyous, yet exhausting.
• This is the reality that life happens to all of us and no one is immune to times of challenge.
• No matter who you are or what you currently have, you could be one illness, one fire, one job loss away from being in a really bad way.
• This protective factor tells us that it is a sign of strength to ask for help when you need it.

4. Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development – Being a great parent is part natural and part learned.

• Children don't come with a manual.
• We all know the great things our parents did that we want to pass on to our own kids and also the things that we don't want to repeat.
• Parenting is a continuous learning process - it's important to have realistic expectations for our children.  For that, we need to know some basics about how children develop and what they're capable of at different stages.

5. Social and Emotional Competence – Parents have the responsibility to teach their children social and emotional skills, including clear and effective communication techniques. 

• Children need to learn how to manage their emotions, express their needs and feelings, deal with conflict and get along with others.
• Parents have a big role in teaching their children all of these skills.