Parenting Education Week Set for May 20-26

Parenting Education Week, a weeklong celebration on the important work of parents and parenting education programs, will be held May 20-26. 

To kick-off the week, Gov. JohnKitzhaber signed a proclamation in support of the event in the Ceremonial Office at the Capitol May 11.

Local government representatives will sign proclamations as well, including Corvallis mayor Julie Manning, Monday, May 21 at 12 p.m. in the Fire Station meeting room; Benton County Commissioners, Tuesday, May 22 at 12 p.m. in the commissioners meeting room in the Benton Plaza; and Linn County Commissioners, Wednesday, May 23 at 9:35 a.m. in the Linn County Courthouse, room 200.

Coordinated by the Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative, funders of the Parenting Success Network project to coordinate and improve parenting education in Linn and Benton Counties, the week aims to highlight educational programs that help parents learn how to best support their child’s growth and development to promote their child’s success in school and life.

As part of the Parenting Education Collaborative's efforts to support coordination of regional parenting education "hubs" and the delivery of high quality parenting education programs, this year's Parenting Education Week is coordinated by OSU's Hallie Ford Center for HealthyChildren and Families, which provides technical support for the OPEC projects.

According to researchers at the center, studies have shown that effective parenting education programs result in a decrease in the rates of child abuse and neglect, better physical, cognitive and emotional development in children, increased parental knowledge of child development and parenting skills, improved parent-child communication, reduced youth substance abuse and more effective parental monitoring and discipline.

Economic analysis demonstrates that for every dollar invested in early childhood programs, a savings of $3.78 to $17.07 can be expected.

Research also shows that interventions promote school retention, improve the quality of the workplace, help schools to be more productive, raise earnings, strengthen social attachments, and reduce crime, teenage pregnancy and welfare dependency.

The Hallie Ford Center will hold a series of events as part of Parenting Education Week:

• Monday, May 21, 3 p.m.: “Making the Link Between Parenting and Policy: Understanding the Impact of Parenting on Early Childhood Outcomes,” a presentation by Rebecca Parlakian of the Washington, D.C.-based Zero to Three.
• Wednesday, May 23, 2 p.m.: A panel discussion on parenting education in Oregon
• Friday, May 25, noon: “Measuring and Predicting Healthy Development in Young Children,” an analysis by Megan McClelland, associate professor in OSU’s College of Public Health and Human Sciences.

All presentations will take place at the Hallie Ford Center on the OSU Corvallis campus, and will be streamed live on the Web at: http://health.oregonstate.edu/hallie-ford/.

Photo - courtesy of Denise Rennekamp, Outreach Coordinator, OSU Hallie E. Ford Center:  Gov. John Kitzhaber signs the Parenting Education Week proclamation at the State Capitol May 11.