My Garden of Thoughts: Reflection #9 -- Getting the Greatest Impact out of Parent Education

 

https://webstockreview.net/explore/parent-clipart-parent-education/

    

    Within the article for today's reading, it illustrates that as the research, studies, and practices surrounding parent education continue to change and progress, it "has become increasingly necessary to identify the most effective programs and tools for supporting parenting skills and promoting positive child development" (pg 520). The majority of literature on this single topic has discussed that the key importance of these types of programs is to make sure it incorporates high-quality techniques parents will need for specific problems they will encounter during their child's life. Not only is parent education one of the most "common approaches to prevent child maltreatment and promote family functioning", but it also is one of the best ways to help equip parents who are seeking to benefit their child's life (pg. 520).

    In the article, the authors outline the most practical ways to develop, execute, and shape programs for parents. Among the research they also include the specific needs of each age group (infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, etc.) and programs that have already had success in training parents who have children in these groups. When looking over all the evidence and techniques provided in their article, the authors state that they found it is important to make sure certain areas in parent education programs are not forgotten. They realized that programs tended to lean towards how to raise children who are older, rather than training parents on how to care for infants--a group that is vulnerable to more maltreatment than other age groups. In addition, they noted that the need for diversity in programs would be of great value, not just for racial inclusion purposes, but also for developmental purposes, like when children are not neurotypical or have a disability that requires more skills on the part of the parents. Research and educational curriculum surrounding the topic of fathers is also lacking in these programs. Studies have found that the more the father is involved in both the programs before a child is born and afterwards in the life of their child, the more the overall family's life is enhanced. It is important, then, to make sure programs benefit both the mother and father to produce the most successful results possible.

    Overall, I think this article was necessary for helping current and future parent educators know exactly how their programs either help or hinder families. Sometimes we don't know how curriculum affects the people who practice it until we gather enough data and research. In the case of these specific programs, it is important that we are aware of how we need to continually adapt and change our educational system for parents so they can have the most relevant and beneficial aid. 

    I sincerely agreed with the discovery the authors pointed out in the final conclusion of their article about the presence of fathers. In my life, I have really only heard this topic addressed in terms of the absence of fathers in the African American community. It is not fair, though, to pick apart one racial group in terms of this issue because White American families also have fathers who leave or remain absent in their children's lives. Therefore, I think it is very pressing that we address the absence of fathers, whether it's during pregnancy planning or after a child is born, in all of our programs for parents. Fathers need to be told how essential they are to the success of their wives' pregnancy, their children's well-being, and the family's success. Without them, the family is missing a key element needed for mental, emotional, and physical health. As the article stated, we needed to find better ways to recruit and give fathers an irreplaceable role in parental educational programs so they feel included and are able to foster a respect for the special position they have as a caregiver for their child.

- E.