Hundreds Attend Parenting Fair in Spanish Town

Hundreds of parents and guardians from Spanish Town and surrounding communities in St. Catherine participated in the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) fair on August 22.

The event was held at the Spanish Town High School under the theme: ‘Transitioning to High School’.

The parenting fair, which forms part of the NPSC’s Stay Connected Programme, is an initiative designed to promote the increase of parental involvement throughout adolescent years.

Among the topics covered were sex and sexuality; transitioning with your child through high school; and 21st century parenting.

Director of the Parenting Support and Behaviour Change Division at the NPSC, Peta Gay Waugh, told JIS News that the Stay Connected Programme encourages partnership among the home, school and community.

She explained that as part of the programme, parents have a responsibility to become involved in the school’s activities, including the parent-teachers association (PTA) meetings.

The school will also have a responsibility to cater to the needs of parents, while the PTA is expected to address the burning issues or concerns affecting both parents and the school administration.

Meanwhile, Counsellor at the Counselling Centre, Slipe Pen Road, Alafea Tomlinson, who addressed the more than 400 parents, dealt with the issue of sex and sexuality.

She encouraged them to lead their children by example and urged them to “desist from exposing their children to inappropriate sexual practices and behaviour, because early exposure to sexually explicit content often creates a risk to the well-being and safety”.

For her part, Information Technology Consultant at Sagicor Jamaica Limited, Kimberley Skyers, encouraged parents to be very vigilant in monitoring how their children use social media.

“Parents have a responsibility to educate their children about the dangers of posting personal information online, as social media sites are usually a haven for sexual predators,” she said.

The NPSC, in initiating the programme, has partnered with the Child Development Agency (CDA), Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR), E-Learning Jamaica, and the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP).

Other parenting fairs are scheduled for Dinthill Technical in St. Catherine and Papine High in Kingston on September 5; Holy Trinity High in Kingston on September 6, and Norman Manley High on September 7.