Parents Urged to Support and Guide their Children

Children’s Advocate, Mary Clarke, is urging parents and caregivers to provide their children with the necessary support and guidance to enable them to benefit fully from available educational opportunities.
“As parents and guardians, our children depend on us therefore, we have to help guide them so that they can benefit from their education in light of the numerous distractions out there,” Mrs. Clarke said in an interview with JIS News.
In highlighting basic tips for back to school, Mrs. Clarke noted that parents should not only ensure that they provide books, uniforms and other school supplies, but also help their children with homework and encourage them to take part in extra curricular activities.
Parents, she said, should develop a relationship with the school that their children attend, by becoming active participants in Parent Teachers Association meetings and making frequent inquiries about their children’s performance.
Mrs. Clarke pointed out that parents have a role to play in helping to protect their children and to teach them how to protect themselves. To this end, she implored parents to ensure that they know where their children are at all times.
“Know how they get to school and how they will get home. Know where they are if they are not at home at the expected time,” the Children’s Advocate advised.
“We have to give them signs to look for and ensure that they know where they live, their names, as well as your name and phone number, so that you may be contacted if necessary,” she added.
The Children’s Advocate also cautioned parents to be more vigilant about what their children are allowed to watch on television.
“You need to monitor how many hours they spend watching TV as well as what they are viewing. Restrict their television viewing during school days so that they can concentrate on their school work,” she noted further.