CONSTRUCTIVE PARENTING: RAISING CHILDREN TO BECOME RESPONSIBLE ADULTS

This program combines a varied methods and approaches in teaching parenting education based on the participants learning style. The sessions for the programs included below such a "Family First", Parents Under Construction™”, "On Children",  "Child Development", "Parents and Re-Enforcers©”,  the Rudiments of Time Management, Nutrition Planning, and Financial Literacy that includes “Fundamentals of Household Budgeting©”.  The Time & Personal Management using MS Outlook.  Basic nutrition session to teach parents healthy food choices to reduce health disparities such as diabetes, hypertension and are economical. The cohorts are conducted with 28 sessions over a period of 15-20 weeks depending on holidays, inclement weather, or other programmatic variables.

 

Click HERE to contact BVF staff regarding tihs program. Include "Constructive Parenting Program" in the e-mail subject area.

 

FAMILY FIRST
This program session utilizes and is modeled after Dr. Phil McGraw’s program with book and accompanying workbook, "Family First" that includes two parts: “Creating Your Phenomenal Family” and “Tools for Purposeful Parenting”. BVF supplements the sessions with MS PowerPoint presentation to provide the hands-on, lecture and writing exercises that allows parent to delve into such topic areas as Family Matters, Special Strategies for Divorce and Blended Families, Your Family Legacy, Parenting with Purpose, Parenting with Clarity, Parenting through Change, and Parenting by Example.  Based on a five-star system, 58 out of 83 gave the book a 5-star rating, and 17 gave it a 4-star rating giving it a 90% 5-4 star rating. Reviewers stated it was a ‘common sense book that pulls no punches” and placed emphasis on focus of strengthening the family. BVF includes video presentations to supplement and provide a mixture to keep parent engaged and to strengthen the areas of the book that received comments identified weak points. This was particular to blended families which included step-parenting issues.

PARENTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION (PUC)

BVF utilized Parents Under Construction™ (PUC) the program to enhance what is being taught to the parents of participating families. This is necessary since the children, who are also, in many cases, the primary care providers mimic what they observe from the parents. Therefore, the whole family needs to learn the new approach to parenting. Although PUC is school-based, BVF uses the program in the after-school setting since the heads of households are also participating in the program. PUC is composed of four age-appropriate curricula: 1) Preschool, 2) Kindergarten-3rd Grade, 3) 4th-6th Grade and 7th-12th Grade. The curricula basics: parent involvement activities and homework in every 30-60 minute session. Each curriculum is composed of four units: Unit One: Building a Foundation for Mental Health, Unit Two: Self-Esteem; Unit Three: Raising Children (Parenting Styles, Communication Skills, Positive Discipline Techniques, and Unit Four: The Mentally Healthy Family (The Role of Humor in Parenting, and Solving Problems and Getting Help). PUC has won many awards for its program from such organizations as Prevent Child Abuse Texas, Corporate Fund for Children, Character Education Partnership, and Center for Parent Education and Family Support, Mental Health Association of Greater Houston.

 HEALTHY LIFESTYLES
Many families who live in poverty do not provide a well-balanced meal for their children. This may be based on the financial costs of foods or not having the information on providing healthy and balanced meals. Many families who are poor purchase and prepare foods based on convenience and less time-consuming, thereby sacrificing the nutritional needs of their children and themselves. Many families now face many health disparities including obesity and diabetes due to high fat food and high salt food contents. The part of the program shows how families can fix quick meals using natural fruits and vegetables that are tasty, visually pleasing, and healthy.

 RIPPLE EFFECTS
Ripple Effects software is a resource for use as positive, targeted intervention with individual students in a variety of learning, healthy and corrections settings. Since many of the families are high school drop-outs, the developers of Ripple Effects’ curricula for teens will be appropriate for participating head of households. This will complement the other strategies and interventions being used. The combined elementary and teen products have more than 500 inter-linking tutorials that address social, emotional, behavioral and academic issues that can interfere with school and life success. The program will be used in 15-minute segments prior to individual counseling sessions to measure 1) independent problem-solving ability, 2) prompt disclosure and catalyze communication; 3) changes in favorable opinion of substance abuse, and 4) respect, and other associated behaviors.

 

PERSONAL MANAGEMENT
 The workshop utilizes a "grassroots" approach to looking at how a family household looks at their monthly and annual spending plan through changing or adapting a new "mindset".  The presentation provides helpful tips that helps family reduce their time and money while instilling healthy eating habits, consumption and selection of healthy food choices.

 

The workshop will result in the following deliverables for the participants:

  • Developing a daily/weekly schedule
  • Developing a one year action plan with goal setting
  • Developing a monthly annual budget
  • Learning techniques and strategies for time and money management

 

The presentation also includes a simple budget format that includes a pie chart showing how the family's budget categories are allocated or distributed.  Also include is an amortization sample that explains how interest rates for mortgages and credit cards are financed.