{"id":33585,"date":"2026-03-25T15:05:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T20:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/devcofi.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=33585"},"modified":"2026-03-31T15:23:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T20:23:26","slug":"fredericka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Parent Power in Kent County"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhat I love about The COFI Way<\/em> model is that it\u2019s people-centered. It\u2019s not about listening to me (as the trainer), it\u2019s about the parents digging into themselves and finding transformative pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

A Space Where Parents Could Come Together and Dream<\/strong><\/h4>\n

When Fredericka joined her first Phase 1: Self, Family and Team<\/em><\/a><\/span> training, hosted by Great Start Collaborative Kent County, she knew she found what she had been looking for as a parent.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving that space to be with parents and community members facing the same things as me, it energized me. That sense of community, or sisterhood, with moms showed me I\u2019m not carrying this load alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group quickly came together to organize a forum around Michigan\u2019s controversial third-grade reading law. It required school districts to hold back third graders who scored too low on reading tests. Fredericka\u2019s group knew parents needed to know before it was too late.<\/p>\n

They used skills from their COFI training, such as conducting one-on-ones, to talk with and engage other parents and community members about the new law and succeeded in spreading awareness about it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From Parent Leader to Organizer<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Now, Fredericka is wearing a different hat as an organizer with Urban Core Collective<\/a><\/span>. She is gearing up to lead a group of parents through the same Phase 1<\/em> training she took seven years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I love about The COFI Way<\/em> model is that it\u2019s people-centered. It\u2019s not about listening to me (as the trainer), it\u2019s about the parents digging into themselves and finding transformative pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fredericka will be bringing parents together around education equity and racial justice, and she\u2019s looking forward to guiding them through the model.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s base building, there\u2019s steps to take to bring parents together. It\u2019s bringing all the phases together – like pieces in a puzzle.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Dream: Investing in Parents for the Long Haul<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Fredericka is part of a growing national movement of parents and organizations using The COFI Way<\/em> to organize in their communities! For COFI\u2019s 30th Anniversary, her dream is to help Michigan parents discover what she did in her first training: Their voices matter, their leadership is powerful, and together, they can turn dreams into action.<\/p>\n

\u201cPour into parents,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you\u2019re an organization, make sure you\u2019re in this for the long haul and invest in your parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about Urban Core Collective<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”\/about-cofi\/30-years\/30-stories-for-30-years\/” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<< Back to 30 stories<\/strong>
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” link_option_url=”\/Arthur\/” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]Arthur: Building a National Network Where Parents Truly Lead >><\/strong>
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

Are you interested in building parent power and incorporating The COFI Way into your mission? Learn about the COFI Center for Action and Learning<\/a><\/span> and upcoming trainings<\/a><\/span>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meet Fredericka, an organizer building parent power in Kent County (Michigan). <\/p>","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":33582,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"

Meet Leah, a longtime partner and supporter of COFI!<\/p>

She partnered with COFI on a parent-led project that COFI Organizer Talibah<\/span><\/a> and other parents worked on to address the lack of developmental screenings.<\/p>

As the director of a statewide community collaboration project, Leah collaborated with seven communities, including Englewood, to boost early learning enrollment. Englewood parents, armed with training from COFI, discovered that fear of stigma and mistrust of systems led some families to avoid developmental screenings for early intervention and special education.<\/p>

Parents pitched an idea to Leah: with funding, parents could support other parents to navigate the early intervention system and the special education system to get children in their community the support they needed.<\/p>

Leah funded the project and parents did it!<\/p>

Fast forward to 2024: during a training with The COFI Center for Action and Learning<\/a><\/span>, Leah visited Parker Academy in Englewood (pictured below) and met parents who were initially part of the project and were still benefiting from it!<\/p>

\u201cI got really emotional about a dad whose son benefited from the program and thrived,\u201d she said. \u201cThe parent-led project in Englewood shows that with a little bit of seed money, families can lead and make their innovations last. It is a systems change success story. This is how things work when parent voices are at the table.\u201d<\/p>

This anniversary and Leah\u2019s dream serve as a reminder of the connections forged through parent-led efforts. Change begins with a parent\u2019s dream, and when they unite with others and partners like Leah, remarkable transformations can ripple out.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-testimonials"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBuilding Parent Power in Kent County | COFI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Meet Fredericka, an organizer building parent power in Kent County (Michigan).\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Building Parent Power in Kent County | COFI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Meet Fredericka, an organizer building parent power in Kent County (Michigan).\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"COFI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-25T20:05:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-31T20:23:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Fredericka-forweb.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"543\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"556\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jacqui Guillen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Escrito por\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jacqui Guillen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Tiempo de lectura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutos\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/es\\\/fredericka\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/es\\\/fredericka\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jacqui Guillen\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8489c18c2d8535c80f441301fe2333ca\"},\"headline\":\"Building Parent Power in Kent County\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-25T20:05:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-31T20:23:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/es\\\/fredericka\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":645,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/es\\\/fredericka\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Fredericka-forweb.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Testimonials\"],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/es\\\/fredericka\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/es\\\/fredericka\\\/\",\"name\":\"Building Parent Power in Kent County | COFI\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/es\\\/fredericka\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/es\\\/fredericka\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Fredericka-forweb.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-25T20:05:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-31T20:23:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Meet Fredericka, an organizer building parent power in Kent County (Michigan).\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/es\\\/fredericka\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/es\\\/fredericka\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/es\\\/fredericka\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Fredericka-forweb.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Fredericka-forweb.jpg\",\"width\":543,\"height\":556,\"caption\":\"A sketch of a Black woman\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/es\\\/fredericka\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Building Parent Power in Kent County\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"COFI | Community Organizing and Family Issues\",\"description\":\"Community Organizing and Family Issues\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"COFI | Community Organizing and Family Issues\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/logo-cofi.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/logo-cofi.png\",\"width\":518,\"height\":180,\"caption\":\"COFI | Community Organizing and Family Issues\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cofionline.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8489c18c2d8535c80f441301fe2333ca\",\"name\":\"Jacqui Guillen\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/348fe4dbdc9c61b018997e2ab98c8fbd81039afaab75ea9dc2a9099981d7606e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/348fe4dbdc9c61b018997e2ab98c8fbd81039afaab75ea9dc2a9099981d7606e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/348fe4dbdc9c61b018997e2ab98c8fbd81039afaab75ea9dc2a9099981d7606e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jacqui Guillen\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Building Parent Power in Kent County | COFI","description":"Meet Fredericka, an organizer building parent power in Kent County (Michigan).","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/","og_locale":"es_MX","og_type":"article","og_title":"Building Parent Power in Kent County | COFI","og_description":"Meet Fredericka, an organizer building parent power in Kent County (Michigan).","og_url":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/","og_site_name":"COFI","article_published_time":"2026-03-25T20:05:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-31T20:23:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":543,"height":556,"url":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Fredericka-forweb.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jacqui Guillen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Escrito por":"Jacqui Guillen","Tiempo de lectura":"3 minutos"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/"},"author":{"name":"Jacqui Guillen","@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/#\/schema\/person\/8489c18c2d8535c80f441301fe2333ca"},"headline":"Building Parent Power in Kent County","datePublished":"2026-03-25T20:05:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-31T20:23:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/"},"wordCount":645,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Fredericka-forweb.jpg","articleSection":["Testimonials"],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/","url":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/","name":"Building Parent Power in Kent County | COFI","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Fredericka-forweb.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-25T20:05:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-31T20:23:26+00:00","description":"Meet Fredericka, an organizer building parent power in Kent County (Michigan).","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"es","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Fredericka-forweb.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Fredericka-forweb.jpg","width":543,"height":556,"caption":"A sketch of a Black woman"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/fredericka\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Building Parent Power in Kent County"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/","name":"COFI | Organizaci\u00f3n comunitaria y asuntos familiares","description":"Organizaci\u00f3n comunitaria y asuntos familiares","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/#organization","name":"COFI | Organizaci\u00f3n comunitaria y asuntos familiares","url":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/logo-cofi.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/logo-cofi.png","width":518,"height":180,"caption":"COFI | Community Organizing and Family Issues"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/#\/schema\/person\/8489c18c2d8535c80f441301fe2333ca","name":"Jacqui Guillen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/348fe4dbdc9c61b018997e2ab98c8fbd81039afaab75ea9dc2a9099981d7606e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/348fe4dbdc9c61b018997e2ab98c8fbd81039afaab75ea9dc2a9099981d7606e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/348fe4dbdc9c61b018997e2ab98c8fbd81039afaab75ea9dc2a9099981d7606e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jacqui Guillen"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33585\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}