"Maureen is a consummate trainer. She is well prepared knowledgeable, and enthusiastic. The evaluations we received after the workshop were clearly indicative of a training people not only thoroughly enjoyed but also found incredibly helpful and exciting. She has great rapport for the group she teaches as well as empathy for where they are. That sensitivity is channeled into how she can help them get to where they need to go. The end result was, for us, a training people are still talking about and which, more importantly, acted as a jumping off point for trainers who have taken her information and "run with it". The things they are doing with parents and centers is simply incredible!

I recommend Maureen without reservation in whatever training venue she might be needed. She is an outstanding example of what teaching is and can be."

- Pat Stanislasky
Partnering for Prevention. LLC
New Jersey

"Thank you so very much for helping us accomplish our goals at the Strengthening Families meeting in Los Angeles on Friday, March 19. You both were WONDERFUL! As you could tell from the audience response, your material and delivery was right on point and folks gained much from the event. We also appreciate your diligence in preparing the PowerPoint and related materials for the event; they are great and I hope will be of use to you in other venues. We are following up with the principals in the various department around next steps and will advise of possible upcoming opportunities in Los Angeles.

Again, thanks for your openness to co-designing the materials with us and for expert delivery!"

- Jean McIntosh, MSW
Senior Fellow
Center for the Study of Social Policy and Partner, Western Pacific Implementation Center

Idaho Partners and Trainers

"What I really appreciate about the Strengthening Families approach to child abuse and neglect is how comprehensive it is. Other classes I've taken gave me a little information, which is good, but left me feeling empty. ...Like I understood the problem better, but not really what exactly I could do to make a difference.

Now, working as a trainer, I've seen evidence of the same thing with the providers I'm working with. Changing your mind over (or making that paradigm shift from being a child-centered facility to a family-centered one) is a process and it takes time. Strengthening Families knows that. It is usually somewhere around the 3rd or 4th module that providers excitedly share experiences with me about how they tried something they learned with children or with parents and how well it turned out and what a difference it made. This has happened again and again. It's like the light bulb goes on and they really internalize what they've been learning. When this happens and they share it, others learn from them and it's contagious. This is my favorite part of Strengthening Families and I don't believe the same thing could be accomplished in just a few hours."

- Kathleen Lucas
IdahoSTARS Strengthening Families Trainer

"I met Maureen when she was part of our work group with the Idaho Children's Trust Fund addressing the topic of Strengthening Families through the protective factors. I appreciated Maureen's outstanding knowledge of this topic, including the information she shared on the Strengthening Families trainings she has done through the IAEYC. The curriculum that Maureen developed with partners to address the Protective Factors at the level of day care providers was excellent. I immediately saw how we could connect the material with the offenders incarcerated in Idaho to enhance their parenting skills. I've had the pleasure of working with Maureen to develop the program we are piloting (Strengthening Families Parent Workshops) and have utilized her expertise as a trainer to train our volunteers for this pilot program."

- Janet Guerin, LSW
Director of Programs
Idaho Department of Correction

From Trainees

"Myself, I wish this [the trainings] were mandatory for all daycare and preschool providers, licensed or not. My thought (not that it was asked for) is that until it is mandatory for all providers to be licensed and take all classes such as SF, things will not change and our children will not be safe or begin to grow healthy in any way."

- Kelly S.

"Learning about social and emotional abilities of children was really interesting to me throughout these trainings. I learned how important it is for children to talk about their emotions and deal with them. Dealing with some of the kids and how they act is hard at times. Now I know to talk to them and find out why they are acting that way has truly helped me. I think I can definitely take this out of the classroom and into other aspects of my life as well. I can even use it on me."

- Raelene M.

"I think the most significant thing I have learned through these trainings is that in childcare center children and their families are the number one most important factor in running a successful and meaningful place of business. It is our job as teachers and directors to assure that every family feels safe and secure in having their children attend our center."

- Rachelle B.

"We have two little boys in our center that have grown up together....[one of the fathers] told me that his son had arranged for his friends' parents to meet his own parents a few months ago and now the two families hang out all the time. I am so glad that we have families that are open to the idea of social connections. It showed me that children know what they are doing and they can really teach adults so much."

- Samantha M.

"A parent came to me and asked me where she could find some information on child abuse. They knew a friend who might be going through some tough times. It made me stop and think of a situation that I had myself years and years ago. I got pretty choked up , but at the same time I didn't want to show my emotions in front of the parent, because I wanted to...be there for the parent. It really changes your life when someone tries to abuse you...I wish upon families to treat their children right and to never, ever abuse their children."

- Arlene W.

"I had a daycare mom come into the center...her child was screaming and crying and having a major meltdown...You could tell mom was at the end of her rope and was about to lose it...I asked the mom if she wanted to talk and she agreed. Being friends with the mom made it easier to talk with her because I knew her really well. I gave her a hug and told her that I think she was a great mom and it was ok to feel however she was feeling. She shared with me that the child had woken up on the wrong side of the bed and had refused to get dressed, brush her teeth, or do any of the morning rituals...This frustrated the mom and on top of it all it was the mom's birthday and the dad was out of town...She then shared with me that she was so upset that she told her daughter she wanted to hurt her....

This situation just reminded me that we are all human and we all have our breaking points. That's why it is important to have people in your life you can talk to and that you trust to share your frustrations with. Sometimes you just need someone who will listen to you and that can make a huge difference....

Later that morning I sent flowers to her at work for her birthday. I also had her daughter who was now calm to call her mommy and talk to her...the daughter told her mom that she was sorry for behaving the way she did earlier that morning and that she loved her...I watched how a very negative morning turned into a positive one, and I felt blessed to see how it all turned out."

- Alison M.

"My 'aha' moment was understanding that informal daily interactions between parents and staff...will help the children and their development. We have a child in the class who bites and hits on a daily basis. We thought we had tried everything. It was when we started working with the parents on a daily basis that we noticed we were making progress with his behavior and things were improving. We made a plan that we would visit shortly every morning, that the mom would call on her lunch, and then the child would have a report at the end of the day. We were very consistent with the child...he knew that we were doing this as a parent/teacher team.

It has made an impact on the way I look at the world because I realize even the best parents in the world can have a difficult child and may need support from those that help care for the child. I want to live my life in a way that is positive and helpful to the parents and children around me."

- Suzanne S.

"There is a child in my class whose mother was suffering from cancer last year. The year was very difficult for the entire family and I realized how important it is for a family to be able to cope and bounce back.

When I first discovered that this child's mom was sick it made me feel very sad and worried for the family. It also helps to explain why the child had been acting out lately. I now try to really examine why a child might be acting out instead of jumping to conclusions...I now try to investigate every situation ...and be there for the parents. The dad especially needed someone to talk to at this time. To just be there for him I know helped and I hope I can be there in the future for other families. I believe it really helps them cope and bounce back from the situation better."

- Janel K.

Train the Trainers Feedback

California:

• I loved the opportunities to share and learn from each other, Most enjoyable TOT I’ve ever attended!

• Amazing training and presentation. I am excited and confident to start implementing the action plans!

• I truly enjoyed this training and thank you greatly. There was a lot more learned than just the Strengthening Families framework!

New Jersey:

• Jane [Zink] and Maureen [Durning] were absolutely fabulous! They brought home the reason why we do Strengthening Families!

• Maureen and Jane are wonderful. They share experiences and have a wonderful rapport together. Very enjoyable!

• It is always great to participate in the activities created by Idaho. Very interactive. Great workshops!

• I like the excitedness of the presenters about the topic. The knowledge of each presenter and how they bounce off each other. Wonderful!

South Carolina:

• Great job--Thank you! I enjoyed the many peer interactions, perspectives, and sharing of knowledge. I enjoyed the presentation model used to help familiarize all participants with the modules.

• This training was exceptionally helpful. The training manual contains various activities that will empower us as well as the Child Care providers we serve. I have no doubt that I will enjoy presenting these trainings!

• I like the entire training. Excellent trainers! The group presentations were awesome...this training is very dear to me. Thank you for the opportunity.

• The curriculum is wonderful. The resources are wonderful. You both did a great job!

• The training was extremely beneficial. Very well organized, very user friendly. Thank you!

• The exercises were engaging and relative to the training. The facilitators were excellent!

Georgia:

• The most useful thing was really understanding how the things I have been teaching/encouraging others to do as a course of quality care can actually result in less abuse.

• I enjoyed the interaction. The group presentations were great. It was wonderful getting the views of other directors and consultants. Overall good training!

• I liked becoming an "active listener" I enjoyed Maureen!

New Jersey participants in the Intermediate Level Train the Trainer:

• This training was wonderful--clear, insightful, and immediately useable. As presenters, you were very relevant and you presented all information at the highest quality an professionalism. You are a great team. Thanks--you were fantastic!

• I liked having the groups actually use the material. The course was very thought-provoking. We learned some great ideas for adding to our program.

• I liked the hands-on experiences, the interaction and personal stories. Keep up the great work and continue to stay abreast of what's going on in the "real world"! Thanks.

• The preventing sexual abuse module was very informative.

• Love these new modules! Great new things to share with providers and parents.

• The new modules are a great next step! Come back again!