Awards & Recognition

On June 26, 2008, Barbara Lamsens, Executive Director, was honored with the Women's Advocacy Award for Non-Profit Leader. Presented by Legal Aid of North Texas, the award recognizes exceptional advocacy on behalf of women, especially those living in poverty. It was the first year for the award.

The agency's exisiting Healthy Marriage program has done so well that in 2007, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission asked The Parenting Center to expand the program into nine additional counties! The Parenting Center will be a Regional Intermediary for the HHSC's new project, "Twogether" and will provide premarital education programs. Planning began in March 2008 and service provision will begin in September 2008.

In May 2007, Dr. Jan Finch, Director of Programs at The Parenting Center, presented information for the Early Childhood Mental Health Symposium sponsored by the Partnership for Children. As a part of a four member panel, Dr. Finch presented information about how trauma effects pregnant women and young children and described the various programs of The Parenting Center that address these issues. Highlighted were our counseling services; the Healthy Families, Selecting Success and Wrap Around programs; Family Life Education parenting classes and Family Transitions training; and Healthy Marriage workshops.

In 2005, the Wraparound Facilitator, Benjamin Carter, was given an award for “Most Creative” by the City of Fort Worth Public Health Department Community Solutions project for his development of creative services for clients. 

Executive director, Barbara Lamsens, was a presenter at the Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Region VI, 2005 Mid-Winter Leadership Training Conference, “Over a Decade of Excellence: Working for the Well-Being of Children and Families.”

The NETCARE program was presented at two major conferences in 2004:  The Greater Texas Community Partners Conference and the 10th National Conference of Family Support America in Chicago.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Region VI, presented its Regional Administrator’s 2004 Leadership Award to the NETCARE program.

In 2002, the agency education coordinator was trained at Dr. T. Berry Brazelton’s TouchPoints Center in Boston, MA and became a charter member of the local TouchPoints team that teaches Tarrant County professionals Dr. Brazelton’s model for working with parents.

In 2001, the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault named The Parenting Center’s collaboration with Cook Children’s Medical Center “Innovative Program of the Year.”

In 2000, the Fort Worth Child magazine honored the agency and its executive director, Barbara Lamsens, with their “Shining Light” award for family life advocacy.

In January 2001, the Fort Worth Child magazine also named The Parenting Center as one of “10 Things That Make Fort Worth Great for Kids.” 

In 1999, Barney Hisanaga, Clinical Supervisor, received the Judge Scott Moore Award presented by CASA.

In 1998, Barney Hisanaga, Clinical Supervisor, was awarded the Charles Etta Milling 4th Annual Heritage Award by the Black History Month Committee, Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services.

The Fort Worth Child magazine named The Parenting Center as having “The Best Parenting Education Classes in Tarrant County” in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2001, the last year in which they provided the award. 

Nationally, the agency was featured as a model for using trained volunteers in direct service provision in the Family Resource Coalition's 1991 publication, Family Resource Coalition Report, Volume 10, Number 2.