Understanding the obstacles that parents face and arming them with the tools to deal with these obstacles, is an objective of the parent workshop.  Today, with availability of mass communications like the internet and cellular phones, disparity of white collar and blue collar work, and issues facing destitute areas of our country like Los Angeles, parents need understanding and not persecution. 

In addition to radio and television, the internet and cellular phones have brought the world to the households of many Americans.  There are great opportunities with these mass communications like global news, education, and correspondence.  Unfortunately, there are also dangers that bring harm to our children like child predators, misguided philosophies of cults, and small individuals with mental disorders communicating through chat groups.  It is a goal of our program to help parents understand and deal with these issues, which are unique to the new generations.

The disparity of white collar and blue collar work is also growing.  In the United States a high school degree with experience was once comparable to a college degree leading to equal incomes.  Within the past forty years, this equality has become less equal.  Today, a high school degree with experience is not likely to average more than $15.00 per hour compared to $30.00 or more per hour average for a four year degree.  This extends the need for a college degree and for low-income children to spend more time at home for support during their college years.  Therefore, parents need more than ever to adopt a cooperative parenting style—another purpose of our workshops.

With prices of transportation, housing, and costs of foods facing our nation, low-income families are hit hardest by these economic lows.  Not only does it make providing for the basic needs of family more difficult, it also brings on stresses that onset mental disorders too familiar with destitute families, which contribute to broken homes, drop out rates, unplanned pregnancies, juvenile delinquencies, and abuses to name a few.  Helping parents understand how to identify and cope with these issues is also a target of the parent workshops.

To help us compliment the structure of our program, we have adapted the “Systematic Training for Effective Parenting” (STEP) by Don Dinkmeyer Sr., Gary D. McKay and Don Dinkmeyer Jr.  The STEP program is a wonderful compliment, which helps parents continue the structure of our program in their homes and leads to cooperative/democratic parenting style.  STEP is based on the psychoanalytical theories of Adler, which help us bring a systematic approach to aid parents with tools in coping with today’s child rearing issues in inner cities like Los Angeles.

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Last modified: 12/23/08