October 2004
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ParentNet: A Community Response to Parenting EducationCathy Malley ParentNet was created in 1997 to meet a community need in Danbury, Connecticut for parenting education that is ongoing, high quality, affordable, and accessible. Past parenting education efforts had not always been effective or consistently available. Progress towards improved parent-child relationships and reunification was inadequate, especially when parent education was court mandated. BackgroundDanbury' s high school has identified more than 40 languages spoken by its students (Images of America, Danbury Museum and Historical Society 2001). This number reflects the rich diversity of a city that has become home to more than 16,000 immigrants in the past decade. This immigration pattern has created cultural and language barrier challenges for families. Families need support related to parenting while adjusting to a new community and culture. The number of parents seeking parenting education has risen due to increases in the following:
Project DesignA community planning team (ParentNet team), comprised of The Regional Child Advocacy Center, Children First, Head Start, The Community Resource Center of Danbury Public Schools, and Danbury Youth Services , created ParentNet. The goal of ParentNet is to enable parents to use better parenting practices. Participating parents learn new information about parenting and child development, practice new parenting skills, and share strategies with a parent educator and other parents. The ParentNet program was designed as an ongoing 10-week series of 2-hour classes taught by area professionals. Experienced facilitators recommend that for optimal interaction class size be 10-15 parents. ParentNet was promoted through family-service agencies, schools, and media, and by referrals. The curriculum, Parenting People, developed by the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System, was selected for use because it is comprehensive, research based, and easy to use. Parenting People has been successfully piloted with parents who are ethnically, educationally, and geographically diverse. It includes information and skill development activities in the following areas: Parenting Styles, Child Development, Communication, and Guidance and Discipline. The curriculum contains forms and instruments helpful in conducting and evaluating workshops. Potential BarriersThe ParentNet team anticipated the following barriers that are common to parenting projects.
The ParentNet team addressed these potential barriers as follows.
Factors Contributing to SuccessThe success of ParentNet can be attributed to the following.
EvaluationA ParentNet evaluation was designed to identify areas needing revision, document the efficacy of the classes, and profile parents. Since 1997, approximately 120 parents have participated in a ParentNet series annually. Typically, about 80% of these parents are Connecticut Department of Children and Family (DCF) referred. According to written evaluations and feedback from agency staff working with these parents:
As part of the evaluation process, ParentNet graduates indicate interest in ongoing parent support groups. Agency staff "volunteer" to facilitate monthly support groups addressing issues that parents identify. ConclusionCooperative Extension educators are in a prime position to provide leadership to community coalitions related to parenting education. In addition to needs assessments and program planning, educators can assist coalitions by providing ongoing training and supportive educational materials. For information about ParentNet or the Parenting People curriculum, contact Cathy Malley at 203-207-3267 or catherine.malley@uconn.edu. This article is online at http://www.joe.org/joe/2004august/iw5.shtml. Copyright © by Extension Journal, Inc. ISSN 1077-5315. Articles appearing in the Journal become the property of the Journal. Single copies of articles may be reproduced in electronic or print form for use in educational or training activities. Inclusion of articles in other publications, electronic sources, or systematic large-scale distribution may be done only with prior electronic or written permission of the Journal Editorial Office, joe-ed@joe.org. If you have difficulties viewing or printing this page, please contact JOE Technical Support. |