What is the Parenting Success Institute (PSI)?
The Parenting Success Institute is a 6-8 week class series that is designed to help low-income caregivers better meet their child's educational and developmental needs.
To help guide enrolled parents in the parenting process, the interactive workshops cover:
- Love & Respect
- Patience & Good Attention
- School Readiness
- Navigating the School System
- Supporting your child’s education
- Respectful & Effective Discipline Strategies
Parents are incentivized to attend with United Way's Home Play Learning Kits.
Why provide the PSI Program?
Many low-income parents, who are mostly monolingual and may have limited educational backgrounds, do not know the resources available to their families and may feel incapable of influencing their children’s education. These families depend heavily on schools and school teachers as the sole providers of their children’s education. The combination of the above factors, results in these disadvantaged children missing early education opportunities and starting kindergarten several months, and sometimes years, behind their middle/upper income peers. This gap tends to widen as they progress through elementary school.
Who attends the program?
Classes are geared to low-income parents/caregivers of young children, particularly entering kindergartners. Each workshop series is strategically located at neighborhood centers that are easily accessible for local families (i.e., schools, parks, and even participants' front yards).
Who are the instructors?
Classes are taught by bilingual and bicultural certified instructors.