GPS assists with parenting during pandemic

Photo submitted by Jacqueline Green HELPING PARENTS OUT: Jacqueline Green spoke about ways her GPS organization is helping struggling parents during

By Justin Seward

Commentator/Courier

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly added stress to parenting.
However, the Great Parenting Simplified is an online parenting support network that has already supported 40,000 families in over 101 countries and is seeking to offer its community-based support to an expanded network of parents globally.
“”We believe that parents need help more than ever,” said Jacqueline Green, the Edmonton-based founder and CEO of the nonprofit cooperative, GPS.
“Over the past 10 years, we have delivered effective and pragmatic help online, whether it is through community support, training for a specific need such as anxiety or co-parenting, one on one coaching or group support. We know our program is effective and can provide long term solutions.”
GPS has been an online resource since the beginning and most recently became a non-profit cooperative to partially reflect their main initiative of “Transforming turns lives, not profit.”
“Less is more” is GPS’s core principle where less of ones time is consuming information and more on applying tips and enjoying family time more.
GPS programming can give parents access to three core principles: mindset, alignment and support.
A growth mindset allows a family to see growth and continue instead thinking about the negativity.
Alignment allows for people to develop a connection that makes us cooperate with and behave like or for another.
Support wants a person to apply what they have learned, have a safe place to be honest in how you’re doing, celebrate the tiny wins that expand to bigger success, help in those days that you feel lost and be a reminder you’re on the right path.
The three pillars of change that coincide with the principals include great parenting information, great parenting support and repetition.
Parents will also receive a complete, coherent and consistent parenting techniques, ways to stay calm, personal coaching and a supportive network.
“Many parents before (the pandemic) were working 24/7, 365 days and really struggling,” said Green.
“A lot of parents have found recently that parenting is really intense. Then suddenly to add in virtual schooling, many parents moving one or both incomes, if they’re a couple and then suddenly the extra support- family and friends or childcare that was there before is not there.”
Green says a lot of parents are dealing with stress and overwhelm and all the way to anxiety and depression.
“What we’re making aware of is so many parents out there are really stressed and needed a lifeline in their home because they’re not able to go out,” she said.
It was last month that GPS joined a crowd funding campaign to raise the funds needed and awareness to help parents-in-need.
The campaign’s aim is to raise $75,000 to help moms and dads out get GPS’s programs and services.
Green said what has caught her eye during the pandemic “Is how much parents are feeling like they’re alone and like a duck in water (and) paddling as fast as they can.”
GPS conducted a survey in September and most parents agreed the global pandemic has made parenting harder while 27 per cent says despite some support from their village they are still struggling.
“These are the parents that GPS has the ability to support, to get them and their children from struggling to thriving,” says Green in an Oct. 14 press release
There are 37 per cent of the parents who are totally overwhelmed and experiencing “financial problems.”
“In addition, insomnia and the increase in high-risk coping mechanisms are leading to an increase in mental health issues for these parents, with no end in sight to the pandemic,” said Green.
More information can be found at http://www.greatparentingsimplified.com.

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