Parent Education

Parents face multiple challenges today that may inhibit their ability to meet their responsibilities and to raise and support their children. The goal of our parent education department is to reinforce parental practices which promote development and provide alternatives to harmful or nonproductive practices. Parent education and support programming assumes that parents are more likely to provide appropriate nurturing and guidance as they acquire a greater understanding of child development and children’s needs. All parents need support from family, friends and community agencies. 

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Parent education is designed to strengthen and support families and communities to prevent child abuse and neglect. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, as reauthorized by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003, identifies parent education as a core prevention service. A significant number of Community-Based Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention (CBCAP) grants are funding parent education programs as stand-alone efforts or as part of more comprehensive strategies.

Successful parent education programs help parents acquire and internalize parenting and problem-solving skills necessary to build a healthy family. Research has shown that effective parent training and family interventions promote protective factors and lead to positive outcomes for both parents and children (Lundahl & Harris, 2006). Protective factors include nurturing and attachment, knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development, parental resilience, social connections, and concrete supports for parents (Child Welfare Information Gateway, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Children’s Bureau, & FRIENDS National Resource Center For Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention, 2008).

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