What Makes Parent
Education Programs Work?
by
Jennifer Griffin-Wiesner
from Youth Update, Copyright ©1996 by Lutheran Brotherhood
University
of Minnesota Children, Youth and Family Consortium. Permission is granted
to create and distribute copies of this document for noncommercial purposes
provided that the author and CYFC receive acknowledgment and this notice
is included.
These days parent education programs and classes are offered in schools,
community centers, social service agencies, businesses, and congregations.
Indeed, almost anyone can easily get involved with some kind of family
education.
But
it hasn't always been this way. Mary Kay Stranik, the national coordinator
for Minnesota Early Learning Design (MELD), remembers the suspicion
her program encountered when peer-led parent education was a new idea-just
25 years ago. MELD brought together groups of parents, gave them parenting
information, and helped them to develop supportive peer groups. People
would say things like, "Why are you doing this? Don't people learn
from their mothers?" Stranik told the Minneapolis Star/Tribune
in 1995.
But
there dearly was-and is-a need for this type of support for parents.
Ignited by programs like MELD, Head Start, and Early Childhood and Family
Education (ECFE), parent education has taken off like wildfire.
Challenges
While
effective family education comes in many styles and formats, care is
needed in selecting or developing a program. Some efforts to support
parents actually take away their sense of control and independence about
their parenting. Some programs don't respect parents' unique styles
and ideas. Some fail to address cultural differences in parenting. These
types of parent education can do more harm than good.
Effective
programs for parents of teenagers are some of the most difficult to
find. According to Dr. Peter Scales of Search Institute, family support
programs are dealing more and more with families that include adolescents.
Unfortunately, the workers in these programs don't always understand
how to work with teenagers. Scales' recent study, Working with Young
Adolescents and Their Families, found that many of these workers have
misunderstandings about teenagers' physical, emotional, and psychological
development.
Even
high quality programs may have trouble drawing participants if parents
don't think the programs will meet their particular needs. For example,
fathers may have little interest in early childhood education programs
that seem to focus on new mothers, and single parents may feel uncomfortable
with programs that concentrate on two-parent households.
Successful
Strategies
Carefully
planned parent education programs can be important resources for parents-and
key parts of a community-wide commitment to positive youth development.
Gaining ideas, strategies, and support can help parents feel more confident
and be more effective in their parenting. Experts say successful programs
do things like build families' own capacity and responsibility, promote
cooperation, learn from as well as educate families, and build parents'
skills.
Several
communities and organizations have taken steps to integrate these qualities
into family education programs, as well as to make programs more accessible
and respectful of individual and cultural parenting styles.
Unique
Perspectives
MELD
programs focus on bringing together parents who are facing similar situations--new
parents, young moms, young dads, growing families, Hmong parents, parents
who are deaf or hard of hearing, Chicano/Latino parents, parents of
children with special needs, and others--and helping them to build peer
support groups. These groups choose their own topics of discussion and
often are facilitated by experienced parents. MELD offers this range
of programs because they believe there is no one "right way"
to nurture children and that experienced as well as new parents have
a lot to offer one another. The programs "encourage respect and
appreciation for the uniqueness of each individual."
Building
Parenting Skills
Often
when family members are together they are distracted by something else--television,
chores around the home, work, or studying. A key skill of parenting
is finding ways to spend time with and focus on your child. The Children
First initiative in St. Louis Park, Minn., has found a unique way to
emphasize the importance of parents and children spending time together.
The initiative's program, "Catch 22," encourages parents to
dedicate at least 22 minutes each day to each child, says Children First
coordinator Karen Atkinson.
Tip
sheets with suggested family activities and ways to spend time together
are sent home from area schools with students, mailed to parents in
their children's report cards, and included in school-parent conference
materials.
Accessibility
One
road block to family education is that parents may be reluctant to take
time to spend away from their kids. Attending classes may also pose
child care dilemmas or conflict with work schedules. For some parents,
transportation can also be a problem.
Some
programs are taking steps to make it easier for parents to get involved.
One community organization in Winona, Minn., takes its family education
classes to various work sites, including a hospital, a city office building,
and a manufacturing company. To deal with child care problems many programs,
including MELD, offer on-site child care during classes.
Just
for Dads
Some
programs are focusing specifically on supporting and educating fathers.
One example is the "McDad's Club" in Little Rock, Ark. "McDad's
Club" is a PTA-sponsored group to get dads more involved with their
children's schooling. Another group--The Fatherhood Project--offers
programs such as Fathers and Work, which examines how workplaces can
better support men's family lives.
Single
Moms
Many
programs are available for single mothers. MELD offers two different
programs for single moms. MELD for Young Moms is for moms ages 13°20.
It's led by other women who became parents in their teens and focuses
on basic parenting skills, healthy decision making, and pursuing educational
and career goals. MELD for Growing Families is for single mothers of
three to five year olds and focuses on development during those years.
Keys
to Quality
Clearly,
families have varied needs in terms of education and support. Here are
some things to keep in mind when planning or evaluating programs:
- Parents
need a mixture of information, including help in understanding their
child's development, and skills they need as parents.
- Parents
need regular, consistent support and information. Provide easy access
to workshops, printed material, videos, and other resources on an
ongoing basis.
- When
parent education focuses on problems (drugs, violence, etc.), it reinforces
negative images of parenting and stigmatizesparticipation in family
education. Emphasizing the positives makes it more comfortable for
all parents to participate.
- Transitions
can be particularly challenging times for families. Involve parents
in education and support during key periods of change--for example,
preparing for the birth or adoption of a child, getting ready for
a child to start kindergarten, or young adolescence.
- Parents
are valuable resources for supporting and educating one another.
- Parent
education should not be limited to "professionals." Make
intentional efforts to involve others in the community--especially
elders--in educating and supporting parents and families.
