Clinics everywhere that support transgender and gender expansive children and youth are reporting an exponential growth in the numbers of new cases. A recent study revealed that 2.7 % of over 80,000 high school students identified as a gender other than the one assigned at birth (Pediatrics, 2017). Virtually all institutions dedicated to children and youth are faced with the challenge of welcoming and integrating gender diverse children and youth and deconstructing established paradigms regarding gender identity and expression. In a field plagued with controversy, certain approaches are emerging as best practices to support gender diverse children, youth, and their families. The "gender affirmative model" proposes a new paradigm that views gender exploration and gender diversity not as a manifestation of confusion or psychopathology but as a healthy expression of the diversity of human experiences. As it has been shown that parents' attitude and support has the greatest impact on their child's well-being, this talk will focus on clinical and community-based best practices to effectively support and intervene with parents struggling to understand their child's needs as well as their own. Presented within the context of the Skipping Stone Foundation, a Canadian "by and for" trans youth community organization, this talk aims to identify helpful ingredients in building local capacity and creating meaningful systemic change for transgender children, youth, and their families.