Focus on parenting
By Jennifer Colton - Argus Observer
Friday, June 8, 2007 1:51 PM PDT
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| Lifeways Prevention Coordinator Andrea Lockner (right) delivers curriculum materials to The Family Place employees (from left) Isabel Davila, Heidi Moyes, Jeanie Hershey and Tess Shellenbarger Thursday at The Family Place in Ontario. Lifeways purchased the ‘Parenting Wisely’ Young Children program and a variety of brochures and posters with a state grant to raise awareness regarding Oregon’s programs. |
Ontario - It’s a common scene: A parent and child are shopping at a grocery store when the child begins to throw a temper tantrum.
How does the parent react?
Teaching skills and plans for just this type of situation is the main focus of the “Parenting Wisely” Young Children program, a curriculum now available at Lifeways and The Family Place in Ontario.
“The families really love it because it’s interactive,” Isabel Davila, therapist at The Family Place, said Thursday. “Families get to see different scenarios. If they were to choose a wrong option, it shows them why that was wrong and gives them the option to try it again. We generally try to have the family do it together because it keeps the parents honest about how they react in situations.”
The program, available in English and Spanish, also records scores and time length, Davila said. The Family Place has worked with the Parenting Wisely American Teen program since January, and this week, Andrea Lockner, prevention coordinator at Lifeways, delivered the Youth Children program.
One important aspect of the program is that it is evidence-based, Lockner said.
“Evidence or research based means this curriculum is proven by evaluation to work,” she said. “They (state officials) want to be able to say, ‘we’re purchasing this program because it’s been tested that it works.’”
Lifeways purchased the curriculum with funding from a mini-grant from the Addictions and Mental Health (AMH) division of the Oregon Department of Human Services and the Social Services Partnership Activity Associate Center.
“This AMH mini-grant was awarded to Lifeways to help bring awareness about state resources available via the state,” Lockner said, noting that Lifeways is an Oregon State Associate (Resource) Center, which means it partners with organizations, like The Family Place, to address problems related to addiction and mental health. The mini-grant is also providing other resources like posters, pamphlets and brochures.
Many of the materials will be distributed around the community, but materials are always available through Lifeways.
“What I do is I find what I can that is free so that I have it to distribute to our community. I’m the start point, then if I don’t have it, I can help them find it,” Lockner said. “If you’re looking for something, even if it’s just for yourself, you can give us a call and we might be able to help you, or if you’re having a training, I can give you some information about what I have.”
For more information, interested individuals can contact Lifeways at (541) 889-9168.
