Our Roots

The Delaware Parents Association, Inc. (DPA) was conceived out of the fundamental belief that parents are the primary educators and mentors of their children. In 1985, DPA was created and incorporated as a grassroots and community-based organization, led by ten Head Start parents. They promoted parental involvement and advocated for parents to understand their rights and responsibilities as parents.

Our Mission and Philosophy

The mission of DPA is to provide a place for parental support and empowerment by working with all parents including parents of children with disabilities to plan, design, and implement parent-youth programs of their choice. Staff practitioners help parents, youth and young adults to understand that they are an important force within their families and communities.

The Delaware Parents Association, Inc. subscribes and promotes the following basic beliefs and philosophy:

• Parents are basically good; and they possess an innate and unconditional love for their children.
• Parents will always try, to the best of their ability, to love and care for their children and give them the very best in life.
• Parents are the most important force in building strong, resilient and healthy families. This philosophy promotes providing basic family life skills as well as parental support and empowerment.
• Self-advocacy, choice, and knowledge are critical ingredients in establishing parents as the primary force in building strong families, and in delaying the onset and decreasing the frequency of substance abuse. Families are involved in identifying the problems and in offering solutions.
• Mentoring supports for youth and young adults are critical components in providing a solid foundation for positive empowerment and advocacy within their educational environment and communities.