The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) recognizes the rich cultural diversity of the children, youth, and families it serves as well as the importance of engaging families in ways that build trust, strengthen connections, and enhance the effectiveness of prevention services. To acquire this, DCYF has made an intentional investment in services that not only align with families’ cultural values and norms but also incorporate culturally specific practices delivered by culturally proximate providers who reflect and understand the communities they serve. Positive Indian Parenting (PIP) is an eight-session culturally specific parenting program developed by the National Indian Child Welfare Association for American Indian and Alaka Native families. This program draws on the strengths of traditional indigenous child-rearing practices using methods such as storytelling, traditional approaches to supporting child development, promoting household harmony, positive behavior management and the use of praise. It also addresses the historic impact of boarding schools, intergenerational trauma, grief and forced assimilation of parenting practices while empowering AI/AN families to reclaim their right to their heritage to be positive parents.
