Along with free parenting classes, a resource center in Picayune is offering free classes on anger management, financial management and healthy relationships.

The Rose of Sharon Family Resource Center has received a Parenthood Initiative grant, allowing it to hold a new set of Fatherhood Initiative and parenting classes, said program manager Kathleen Brumfield. The resource center is also expanding to offer three new classes: healthy marriage and relationships, anger management and financial management.

The grant from the Mississippi Department of Health and Human Services totals $195,000 and should fund the services for 18 months. A previous grant for $60,000 allowed the resource center to offer Fatherhood Initiative and parenting classes on a trial basis for nine months.

Even in the midst of COVID-19, those classes exceeded participation expectations, with 66 people in the parenting class and 42 in the Fatherhood Initiative. Some people participated in the classes via zoom instead of in person, and that option is still available, said Brumfield.

The Fatherhood Initiative and parenting classes are starting in April, while the other three classes will begin in May.

The parenting classes are broken up by age ranges of the children being cared for, including 0 to 5 years, 5 to 12 years and a teen session. Parents are able to learn about different stages of development and parenting strategies.

In the parenting class, Felicia Perkins teaches everything from techniques for cuddling babies to strategies for parents having a rough day. Perkins has been teaching parenting classes for 18 years.

Brumfield said the Fatherhood Initiative has helped participants improve their co-parenting, better relate to their children and become a more visible presence in their child’s life.

To find out more about the classes and class schedule, contact the resource center at 769-242-0533 or 601-215-4949 or visit the center’s Facebook page.