Prevention works.
It's working here.
Parent Education Workgroup
 
Co-chairs:
 
Marie Bartlett
413-774-1000, ext 2017
 
Stacey Langknecht
413-367-9408
 
The Parent Education Workgroup meets monthly at Clinical and Support Options, 1 Arch Place in Greenfield. Check the CTC calendar for upcoming meetings.
 
 
What we do
 
The goal of the Parent Education Workgroup is to provide skill building, educational opportunities and social marketing to support parents and guardians in raising healthy drug-free children. Workgroup strategies include:
  • Creating and supporting social marketing campaigns geared to parents.
  • Providing research-based parent education, including the curricula Guiding Good Choices and Parenting Wisely, to parents/caregivers of children aged 9-18 years.
  • Holding an annual celebration of "Family Day" to educate families about the importance of family dinners, which research has linked to young people's resilience and academic performance, as well as reduced rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, eating disorders, and depression.
Minigrants for Parent Education
 
In 2011 and 2012, the Parent Ed Workgroup awarded over $11,000 in minigrants to support workgroup strategies in the community. Awards went to nine organizations to support research-based parent education to parents and caregivers of children age 9 through 18 years, and to fund events that encourage families to connect over shared meals. The workgroup is currently seeking funding to support minigrants for the coming year.
 
Social Marketing
 
The Parent Ed Workgroup is helping to develop and disseminate social norms marketing messages addressed to parents. The current set of messages are drawn from a 2011 survey of parents of Franklin County and North Quabbin teens conducted by the Partnership for Youth, one of CTC's host agencies. The messages highlight positive norms present in the community:
Parent Guide
 
Each year in September, the Parent Ed Workgroup creates a Parent Guide that is published as a supplement to the Recorder and the Athol Daily News. The parent guide includes features on local families, articles on parenting challenges, and lists of resources for local families. In 2012, the Parent Guide focused on healthy eating and forging family connections over the dinner table.