Linn-Benton Community College

Family Fun Day will be held at Linn-Benton Community Saturday, March 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the LBCC Activities Center gym, Albany campus, 6500 Pacific Blvd.  This year marks the 40th year for the event, which provides support to parenting programs and tuition grants for the more than 2,000 parents in Linn and Benton counties who attend LBCC Parenting Education classes each year. Activities for children ages one to six include play dough, an obstacle course, crafts, bounce house, face painting, putt-putt golf, used book and toy sale, and more. Admission is free. Activity tickets are .25 cents each. For more information, contact LBCC Family Connections at 541-917-4897. For special needs and accommodations, call 541‑917‑4789 or Oregon Relay TDD at 1‑800‑735‑2900 at least 72 hours in advance of the event.

Linn-Benton Community College Family Resource and Education Center was one of two Oregon programs chosen to present at the national Early Childhood Funders Collaborative meeting held in Portland last week. LBCC along with the Gladstone Center for Children and Families were chosen to showcase their work on early childhood and family education projects. Recommended by the Oregon Early Learning Department of the Oregon Department of Education, LBCC showcased its regional work to bring the Parenting Education Hub, Early Learning Hub and Coordinated Care Organization in Linn, Benton and Lincoln Counties together to improve outcomes for young children. The national meeting, hosted by the Oregon Community Foundation, included representatives from 21 foundations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  LBCC Family Resource and Education Center staff that presented at the conference included ...

Parenting educators from nine agencies that serve families in Linn and Benton Counties attended a two-day training for the newly released Attentive Parenting curriculum, part of the Incredible Years® training initiative. Taught by Carolyn Webster-Stratton, the developer of The Incredible Years, this was the first training in the United States for Attentive Parenting. Educators who attended the training will be rolling out the Parenting Success Network’s new school readiness initiative, “Ready Together.” The six-session Attentive Parenting program will be taught to parents through schools and other community organizations, with a goal to reach out to families in many settings so all children arrive at school ready to learn. The curriculum teaches parents how to build their child’s academic and social skills to prepare them to succeed in school. Parents learn to coach children in reading readiness skills and strategies to manage their emotions, persist at a task, solve problems and ge...

Success with Support, a breastfeeding and parenting conference, will be held Saturday, August 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Linn-Benton Community College Benton Center, 757 Polk Avenue, Corvallis. Sessions will be held on breastfeeding, childbirth and parenting for mothers, fathers, families and breastfeeding helpers. Breastfeeding help also will be available in Spanish. Sponsored by the LBCC Benton Center, LBCC Parenting Education, the Parenting Success Network and La Leche League of Oregon. Cost is $15 per family. For more information or to register, contact the LBCC Benton Center at 541-757-8944 or register online at www.linnbenton.edu .

Joanne Hunter, left, named Parenting Educator of the Year. Cyrel Gable, Parenting Education, presented the award. The Parenting Success Network and Linn-Benton Community College has named Joanne Hunter as Parenting Educator of the Year. Hunter, from Corvallis, received the award during LBCC’s annual Parenting Educator Celebration held Thursday at the college. Hunter teaches Live and Learn with Your Preschooler classes at LBCC’s Benton Center, and has provided parenting education for more than twenty years. She is known for using a wide variety of techniques to create an environment that meets the needs of diverse families. Hunter says that she works to “awaken a sense of awe and wonder in both parents and children, whereby families can simply ‘be’ and ‘enjoy’ the moment together, and for parents to know that they will always be their primary educator.” There is little formal training available to learn the skills and abilities that make parenting easier and more successful,...

The 36th annual Family Fun Day at Linn-Benton Community College will be held on Saturday, Feb. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the LBCC Activities Center gym, Albany campus, 6500 Pacific Blvd., Albany.  Children ages one to six will enjoy activities such as play dough, an obstacle course, crafts, bounce house, face painting, puppet show, putt putt golf and much more. There will also be a used toy and book sale.  Everyone is invited to attend this inexpensive, fun-filled event. Activity tickets are .25 cents each. All proceeds from this event go to support parenting programs and to provide tuition grants for some of the nearly 2,000 parents in Linn and Benton Counties who are involved in LBCC Parenting Education each year.  For more information, contact LBCC Family Connections at 541-917-4899. For special needs and accommodations, contact the Office of Disability Services at Phone 541‑917‑4690 or via Oregon Relay TDD at 1‑800‑735‑2900 at least 72 hours in advance of ...

The Parenting Success Network website is now available in Spanish as well as English, thanks to the generosity of the Greater Albany Public Schools, which contributed many hours to make the translation possible. The network website is a “one-stop shop” that brings together local information and resources to make parenting easier for families in Linn and Benton counties. The site includes information about parenting education opportunities, a calendar of classes and events, descriptions and links to family serving agencies and a blog where new parenting tips are posted weekly. The site, found at www.parentingsuccessnetwork.org , also includes information for parenting educators. The same information, as well as parenting advice, also is available by calling 541-917-4899. The network is working to boost parents’ awareness of their services this fall through billboards sporting catchy phrases and humorous pictures. Two boards will be displayed for a m...

The class Live and Learn With Your Baby is being offered through a partnership by Linn-Benton Community College and Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital . Live and Learn With Your Baby is for parents of infants to beginning walkers. This 10-week class will meet on Tuesdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Samaritan Community Hospital in Lebanon. Meet other parents and their babies and learn how to support your child's amazing development. Cost is $10. This class is open enrollment. Join anytime. For more information, contact LBCC Family Connections at 541-917-4899 or visit online at www.parentingsucessnetwork.org.

Linn-Benton Community College is offering the class Live and Learn with Your Toddler and Two Year Olds in Sweet Home winter term. Enjoy new songs, games and activities with your child, learn how to support your child's development and meet other parents and children in your community. Class will meet on Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. beginning Jan. 5 at the United Methodist Church in Sweet Home. Cost for this 10-week class is $25. Financial support for the fee is available. Classes are open enrollment. Join anytime. For more information, contact LBCC Sweet Home Center at 541-367-6901 or LBCC Family Connections at 1-800-845-1363.

Linn-Benton Community College is offering two programs for families and their young children in Lebanon this winter. Live and Learn with Your Baby, for parents of infants to beginning walkers, will meet on Tuesdays from 1:30 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. beginning Jan. 4 at Samaritan Community Hospital. Cost for this 10-week class is $10. Live and Learn with Your Toddler and Two Year Old, an active participation class for parents of 1- to 3-year-olds, will meet on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. beginning Jan. 4 at the First Presbyterian Church. Cost for this 10-week class is $25. Financial support for the fee is available. Classes are open enrollment. Join anytime. For more information, contact LBCC Family Connections at 541-917-4899.

Linn-Benton Community College's Parent Cooperative Preschool in Philomath has openings for winter term. Preschool classes will meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings starting Jan. 3. The program incorporates parents as an active part of their child's learning. Parent involvement includes working in the classroom and joining the teacher to plan activities for the children. Financial assistance is available. LBCC's preschool cooperative was previously located in Clemens Elementary, and has moved to a modular located at Philomath Middle School due to the remodeling in the school district. For more information or to register, contact LBCC Family Connections at 541-917-4899.