Parenting is not easy. It is one of the greatest joys that we can experience as adults—but no one hands you a full proof manual when you have children. We learn, grow, and become better parents with every passing day. The first scraped knee offers a chance to practice our nursing skills—and a few years later, we realize that Band-Aids won’t work on our teen’s broken heart, or help them deal with tough times at school. But the good news is that we are all in it together! And the Prevention Council is here to help bring all of the best ideas and best parenting practices into one, easy to find place.
What we know is that children are exposed to risks in their schools, and communities, and sometimes in their families or among their peers. At a time when children begin to grow up, develop their own personalities, and sometimes begin to deal with tough situations, we need to be able to protect them. More importantly, we need to be able to teach them skills that they can use to avoid making the risky choices.
Around the time of middle school, children may start using alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. Sometimes it is their way of experimenting in the world—sometimes it is a way to make their pain or their confusion about growing up easier to bear. Some teens go on to drop out of school, have sex (and risk pregnancy), or become involved in delinquency or violence. Other, while exposed to similar risks, do not develop these adolescent health and behavior problems because they are protected by factors like strong family bonds and healthy beliefs and clear standards for behavior. (Guiding Good Choices, 2003)
Guiding Good Choices is a science based evidence based parenting program that targets parents of 3rd to 8th grade. This is a strong curriculum that assists parents in helping their children through those tween years. The Guiding Good Choices program has been shown to produce significant, sustained improvements in parenting skills and parent-child relationships. The curriculum looks at parenting from a number of angles, and uses many different teaching tools, including: facts about the extent of drug use among adolescents, identification of risk and protective factors, and how to set guidelines and standards, practice refusal skills, and to manage conflict.
The curriculum takes a close look at behaviors associated with internet and smart phones. And it really emphasizes how to strengthen family bonds. One of the developers, David Hawkins, PhD. says, “Poor family management practices predict substance abuse, delinquency and school drop-out in adolescents. The Guiding Good Choices program teaches parents how to set clear expectations, how to monitor, how to avoid excessive discipline, and how to reward and recognize their youth. Active engagement with children allows them to respond. When children are engaged with the parent and receive recognition and reinforcement, bonding between child and parents is strengthened. All parents should learn these skills.”
What we know is that children are exposed to risks in their schools, and communities, and sometimes in their families or among their peers. At a time when children begin to grow up, develop their own personalities, and sometimes begin to deal with tough situations, we need to be able to protect them. More importantly, we need to be able to teach them skills that they can use to avoid making the risky choices.
Around the time of middle school, children may start using alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. Sometimes it is their way of experimenting in the world—sometimes it is a way to make their pain or their confusion about growing up easier to bear. Some teens go on to drop out of school, have sex (and risk pregnancy), or become involved in delinquency or violence. Other, while exposed to similar risks, do not develop these adolescent health and behavior problems because they are protected by factors like strong family bonds and healthy beliefs and clear standards for behavior. (Guiding Good Choices, 2003)
Guiding Good Choices is a science based evidence based parenting program that targets parents of 3rd to 8th grade. This is a strong curriculum that assists parents in helping their children through those tween years. The Guiding Good Choices program has been shown to produce significant, sustained improvements in parenting skills and parent-child relationships. The curriculum looks at parenting from a number of angles, and uses many different teaching tools, including: facts about the extent of drug use among adolescents, identification of risk and protective factors, and how to set guidelines and standards, practice refusal skills, and to manage conflict.
The curriculum takes a close look at behaviors associated with internet and smart phones. And it really emphasizes how to strengthen family bonds. One of the developers, David Hawkins, PhD. says, “Poor family management practices predict substance abuse, delinquency and school drop-out in adolescents. The Guiding Good Choices program teaches parents how to set clear expectations, how to monitor, how to avoid excessive discipline, and how to reward and recognize their youth. Active engagement with children allows them to respond. When children are engaged with the parent and receive recognition and reinforcement, bonding between child and parents is strengthened. All parents should learn these skills.”
Since 2001, the Prevention Council of Roanoke County has been teaching the Guiding Good Choices parenting program. It is one of our longest running programs. To date, the program’s Social Development Model has reached approximately 2,500 parents and adults through formal presentations, resource sharing, special events, and training courses provide by the Council. We can customize the program and bring it to you via churches, school, YMCA’s, PTA’s and civic organizations. In 2006, for example, we adapted our services to accommodate the non-English speaking Bantu tribal women, at the request of Refugee Immigration Services. In 2012, the Prevention Council Education Coordinator and her volunteer staff began offering a female-inmate parenting program inside the Western Virginia Regional Jail. This program has been so popular that there is now a 52 person waiting list! We also conduct Workshop Leader’s Training so you can be a workshop leader and pass along this valuable information to any groups you are connected with.
Guiding Good Choices™ Parenting Program
Brooks Michael is the workshop facilitator and is the Parent Education Coordinator with the Prevention Council. She teaches the Guiding Good Choices and Staying Connected with your Teens Parenting Programs around the valley. Brooks is also the Adolescent Health Educator with Carilion Clinic Children’s Hospital. She comes from a grant-writing and health education background and enjoys working with children, teens, and their families to help them make the transition from childhood to adulthood as safely and productively as possible. The program consists of 4 two hour sessions and does not provide childcare or meals. To access more information including workshop fees and possible dates please send an e-mail or call Brooks at bmichael@pc4y.org or call 540 314-5030.
