22 • INDEPENDENTSTYLE
y p p a H
MAY 11, 2007
MOTHERS
Power in parenting S
onya Clarke-Casey of Paradise says one way to be a great mom is to have fantastic support. The 37-year-old mother of two found that support at Brighter Futures, a federally funded and locally supported program that promotes the healthy birth, growth and development of young children from birth to age six. Casey’s relationship with Brighter Futures began six years ago when her first child, Joshua, was a year old. “I knew my son could develop best socially in an organized play group, and I needed to interact with people who knew what I was going through as a mom,” she says. By the time her daughter Jessica came along, Casey knew she had found a good thing. Deborah Capps, a team leader with the Brighter Futures Coalition in the St. John’s area, says providing support to caregivers is their specialty. “This is a program that encourages parents to be involved as their child learns through play and discovery, and all this magic happens in a warm, supportive, educational environment,” she says. Dr. Chaya Kulkarni, a child development and parenting expert with Invest in Kids, a national charitable organization that focuses on positive parenting techniques, says programs like Brighter