11 Graduate from Parenting Programme in Manchester

The Early Childhood Resource Centre, of the Ministry of Education, recently saw 11 persons in Manchester, graduating from a one-year training programme, on parenting.
The programme, which started in November of 2007, saw 35 persons enrolled, but reduced to 11 for various reasons. Parents were exposed to workshops to improve their academic levels, seminars on the role of parents, and skills training.
Manager of the Resource Centre, Suzette Smith, reported that the programme has proven to have met its objectives. “The education and care of their children have been impacted positively. Parents are using the skills learned to make themselves more financially viable, and there is evidence of growth in their self esteem, and improvement in their academic performance,” Mrs. Smith informed.
She said that some of the objectives of the programme are: to increase parents’ knowledge of effective writing, build positive self concept, increase parents’ employability, and improve partnership with home and school.
For one day of each month, the parents were engaged in discussions on topics, such as: the home as the first school for a child; how to punish a child; human sexuality; hand writing; effective communication; keeping children safe; marketing strategies; and other important areas of child/parent developmental skills. The Resource Centre is located at Churches Teacher’s College, in Mandeville.