This is the fascinating story of two people from sharply different backgrounds who came together for a powerful purpose. In a living arrangement known as “shared family care,” a woman with a troubled past moved in for six months with her young child to the Antioch, California home of a mentor and her children, for what amounted to a round-the-clock course in parenting. They sought to break the tenacious cycle of addiction, abuse, and dysfunction that can enslave families for generations. In this case, both mentor and mentee were the same age and learned much from each other. Children who complete the program are only half as likely to re-enter the child welfare system as kids who’ve been through traditional foster care. For the mother, shared family care offered a second chance at life.

Themes

• What do two women of very divergent backgrounds have to teach each other?
• How can training in parenthood help a family to heal?

I’m a good person. I just made bad choices and I think there’s a lot of good women that made bad choices and this program can help them make good choices. “

—Tina Cruz, shared family care mentee