Model Program
Parent Education: The Expanded Version
Jane Hunter, Human Development Specialist
If you have cable television, your subscription choices include basic, expanded basic, the family package and then a wide array of movie channels. Businesses in general recognize people want and need choices. They bend over backwards designing variety packs to meet everyone’s needs. They recognize "one size does not fit all."Parent education has reached that point as well. When I first offered parent education classes the audience usually consisted of young parents with preschool-age children.
Things have quickly changed in the ten years I have been providing parent education in the communities I serve. I have noticed a change in the audience to include parents of preschool children and adolescents. These blended families were coping with the challenges of rearing "yours, mine and ours." Then there were more and more grandparents attending the classes as they experienced parenthood all over again rearing their grandchildren.
University Outreach and Extension developed a parent education team to specifically examine resources and teaching tools pertinent to parenting in the 20th and 21st centuries. The team has written Programs for Parents, a very thorough program with teaching modules covering every aspect of parenting you can imagine.The teaching modules include:
- children’s ages and stages
- positive guidance and discipline
- understanding teenagers
- divorcing families
- children and divorce
- employed parents
- family rituals in remarried families
- raising responsible children
- children’s learning differences
- fathers today
- grandparents raising grandchildren.
The Parent Education Library section provides resources to those of us involved in parent education programs. These resources have been reviewed by qualified individuals approving the materials as educationally sound.
This fall Programs for Parents will be offered in Sullivan County. A coalition will design the five-session series to meet the needs of their community. One size does not fit all and community coalitions who know the people best are able to determine the critical topics to meet their needs. Research has proven one class does not suffice in providing adequate information that will change behaviors. Parent education has taken on many dimensions. University Outreach and Extension provides the instructor and resource materials to the participants in the course. University Outreach and Extension is pleased to provide these new and excellent resources to the communities.
For further information contact Jane Hunter at 660-385-2173 or Leanne Spengler at 573-324-5464.
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Nancy Flood, floodn@missouri.edu Consumer & Family Economics Specialist Putnam County University Outreach and Extension Center Last Update: May 23, 2001 |