The program manager putting learning into action
“What can we do to help break the cycle?”
This question inspires Randi Braun as she considers the ways that Parents as Teachers can support families who have been negatively affected by substance use.
Randi serves as the program manager for Region A Partnership for Children in Sylva, North Carolina, supervising four Smart Start funded parent educators as they partner with parents and caregivers.
“I feel honored to work with my group of ladies,” Randi said, noting how the home visitors on her team support both the parenting and advocacy skills of the families on their caseload.
And Randi, in turn, fosters the skills and the well-being of her team.
She ranks self-care as a high priority, encouraging her staff to pursue activities that “refill their cup,” like a walk or time in the sun. She also pursues professional development opportunities for her team, inviting members of the community to offer insight. They’ve heard from the local police force as well as a care management coordinator with lived experience.
“All my parent educators are eager,” she said, “and really thrive and are thirsty to continue to learn and grow alongside each other and alongside our families.”
They’re not alone.
In 2025, Randi joined the Parents as Teachers National Center learning community centered around enhancing supports for parent educators walking with families negatively affected by substance use. Funded by a grant from Elevance Health Foundation, the learning community gathers affiliates from eight states, as well as research partners and facilitators and national center staff.
Randi’s participation came, in part, through the desire to implement policies and procedures that not only center family success but also ensure the safety and well-being of parent educators.
“As their supervisor, I feel like I need to be on the forefront and able to support them,” she said, “but I also knew I needed learning in this process.”
She also wanted to advocate for her team in the same way that they advocate for families, representing the real-life experiences of the work in their corner of the world.
The learning community meets bimonthly on Zoom as well as in-person at the Annual Parents as Teachers International Conference. While the tools and resources generated from their work are in process, Randi said her team has already implemented insight she’s gained from the collaboration by changing vocabulary away from language that may carry unintended stigma.
“It shifted our approach of the way that we partner with individuals,” she said.
What remains constant is the strengths-based approach with which she and her team walk with every individual, encouraging families to celebrate their growth as they look to the future.
“There’s still hope out there,” she said. “And so we’re here to bring that sunlight.”