You’ve been at the scene: You’re at the grocery store, and your child suddenly decides to throw a fit, screaming her lungs out for candy. Or it’s bedtime, but your tot decides it’s not, and defiantly refuses. Tempers flare. Been there.

It’s often said it’s too bad that children don’t arrive with a user’s manual. Now more states are offering parents guidance with their children. A new parenting program that trains nurses, social workers and clergy to advise parents struggling with tantrums about discipline has resulted in lower rates of child abuse and helped keep kids out of foster care in South Carolina, Reuters reports. The Positive Parenting Program made available in 18 S.C. counties is the first large-scale scale study to show that providing all families—not just families in crisis—with access to parenting information and support can reduce the rates of child maltreatment in whole communities," the lead researcher said.

Here in the Triangle, a couple of programs are working to provide training to strengthen families. In Chapel Hill, a Web site launched by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Social Work helps communities and professionals help families. The North Carolina Clearinghouse on Family and Child Well-being (www.clearinghousenc.org) connects people and North Carolina agencies, schools, courts and human services providers with training opportunities and information they need to prevent and respond to child maltreatment and family violence. Read “New Web Site Provides Information "Clearinghouse" for those Helping Families and Children” on Carolina Parent's Get Involved page.

Durham County Cooperative Extension’s Welcome Baby program provides parenting education and support to families with young children. Services are available for free to all Durham County residents with newborns and children to age 5. Recognizing challenges faced by new parents, volunteers of the Welcome Baby program answer questions and provide information through a variety of workshops, classes, programs and publications. A variety of volunteer opportunities, including parent supporter volunteers and hospital visitor volunteers are available. To register for volunteer training, contact Von Brown, volunteer coordinator with the Durham County Cooperative Extension’s Welcome Baby program, at 919-560-7340 or via email at vdbrown@co.durham.nc.us.