My name is Marcia Duval. I was hoping you could spare a minute to share your thoughts on parenting education. Below, I have provided a bit of information about myself and why I am asking for your help. Thank you in advance!
<U>What do think about a program that would offer parents...</U>
1. the most up-to-date, scientifically-based information on CD (Birth-Adolescence) Jargon-free!
(the benefit of scholarly information without having to attend college!)?
2. information that is tailored to your needs, child's age/issues?
3. provides effective strategies for meeting children's needs/dealing with behavior?
4. creative ways of learning, workshops, videos, presentations, guest speakers?
5. interactive learning environment that encourages questions/input?
____________________________
I am the mother of three daughters, ages 28, 26, and 22. I recently (2007) earned a Master's degree in Child and Family Studies (focus on Family Support and Parent Education). I also have a Bachelor's Degree in Education Studies (focus on Human Development). The more I learned about child development (over the sixteen years it took me to complete my studies!), the more I wished I had been more informed about it when I was raising my little ones. I wished I had known why a two year-old is so uncooperative when my daughter was throwing herself on the floor in tantrums! I would have understood that she did not have it "in for me" and been able to respond in ways that would have been more helpful to her and me.
The more I learned, the more I began thinking that knowledge of how children develop should not be reserved for college students; it should be offered to those raising children. What good are theories, I thought, if they are not used to help parents understand their children? This knowledge, in my opinion, is the "manual" we parents think does not exist!
Now that I am searching for employment, I am finding that parenting programs typically available (in my area anyway) to parents are those provided by state-funded agencies. These agencies typically target a specific demographic and use pre-packaged curricula purchased from a for-profit business.
As an educator at, I feel parents should be offered the most up-to-date, scientifically-based information regarding their children's cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development--information that is relevant and useful to their day-to-day lives, from tantrums to teenage moodiness.
My thinking is that parents might want a program that is informative, useful, and dynamic. I realize there are parenting books galore available at bookstores, but I always felt overwhelmed when I sought guidance. I would look through countless books, only to leave empty-handed, because I had no idea how to choose. Now that I am informed, I find that there are many parenting books providing biased rather than evidenced-based information, serving more to further an author's name than provide quality information. How are parents to know what books are credible without having knowledge of child development? Anyway, who has the time to sift through books never mind read them!View attachment profilepic1524_3.gif.png
<U>What do think about a program that would offer parents...</U>
1. the most up-to-date, scientifically-based information on CD (Birth-Adolescence) Jargon-free!
(the benefit of scholarly information without having to attend college!)?
2. information that is tailored to your needs, child's age/issues?
3. provides effective strategies for meeting children's needs/dealing with behavior?
4. creative ways of learning, workshops, videos, presentations, guest speakers?
5. interactive learning environment that encourages questions/input?
____________________________
I am the mother of three daughters, ages 28, 26, and 22. I recently (2007) earned a Master's degree in Child and Family Studies (focus on Family Support and Parent Education). I also have a Bachelor's Degree in Education Studies (focus on Human Development). The more I learned about child development (over the sixteen years it took me to complete my studies!), the more I wished I had been more informed about it when I was raising my little ones. I wished I had known why a two year-old is so uncooperative when my daughter was throwing herself on the floor in tantrums! I would have understood that she did not have it "in for me" and been able to respond in ways that would have been more helpful to her and me.
The more I learned, the more I began thinking that knowledge of how children develop should not be reserved for college students; it should be offered to those raising children. What good are theories, I thought, if they are not used to help parents understand their children? This knowledge, in my opinion, is the "manual" we parents think does not exist!
Now that I am searching for employment, I am finding that parenting programs typically available (in my area anyway) to parents are those provided by state-funded agencies. These agencies typically target a specific demographic and use pre-packaged curricula purchased from a for-profit business.
As an educator at, I feel parents should be offered the most up-to-date, scientifically-based information regarding their children's cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development--information that is relevant and useful to their day-to-day lives, from tantrums to teenage moodiness.
My thinking is that parents might want a program that is informative, useful, and dynamic. I realize there are parenting books galore available at bookstores, but I always felt overwhelmed when I sought guidance. I would look through countless books, only to leave empty-handed, because I had no idea how to choose. Now that I am informed, I find that there are many parenting books providing biased rather than evidenced-based information, serving more to further an author's name than provide quality information. How are parents to know what books are credible without having knowledge of child development? Anyway, who has the time to sift through books never mind read them!View attachment profilepic1524_3.gif.png