“This is the best thing I could have done for our family,” said one parent in a 2025 anonymous survey of Parenting Matters’ Parent Partner Program. With the generosity and care of Bishop-Parker Foundation, Parenting Matters will continue to serve hundreds of Manatee County families—from Anna Maria Island to Myakka City—in its Parent Partner and Chosen Families Programs through a $35,000 grant. The Parent Partner Program offers personalized, in-home education for parents of children ages 0-12, focusing on parenting skills, child safety and family well-being. Parenting Matters estimates 85% of families served in the Parent Partner Program fall at or below the ALICE threshold. Chosen Families is a unique, multi-faceted initiative that supports adoptive families with children ages 0-17 through trauma-informed counseling, education and long-term relationship-building strategies. Combined, the two programs served nearly 700 children and parents in 2024.