Are you having difficulty communicating with your child?  Let us help.

The parenting program focuses on improving parent/child relationships.  We conduct parent discussion groups in your school as well as parent/teen nights aimed at helping families "survive" adolescence.  We also create Family Fun Nights, an evening event allowing parents and children to play non-competitive games and work as a team.  Both Brooklyn and Queens host monthly parent support/discussion groups for parenting Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Learning Disabled (LD) children. 

To find out when the next support group meets, visit our calendar.

Assistance with home and school topics
The staff of the parenting program is available to make presentations at parent meetings on a variety of topics: teaching values, learning effective communication skills, family cooperation, drug, alcohol, and tobacco information.

Learn to help other parents, too.
After parents have participated in our groups, they are eligible to participate in a 30-hour training program, which allows them to work as parent facilitators.  These trainings are generally held once a year and are free of charge.  Once trained, facilitators are paid a stipend to lead parent groups.

RESOURCES

Parenting Rules

• Keep a smile on your face, be firm and loving.
• Emphasize the positive.
• Appreciate your children's gifts.
• Make time to play whenever possible.
• Remember, children are not really out to get you--though it does feel like it sometimes.
• Kids can be really funny. Keep up your sense of humor.
• Talk to your children about what they are watching on TV.
• You are the parent.  Make sensible rules. 

Signals for Help

The following is a list of warning signs or signals for parents that their child may need help around drug use or experimentation. No single warning sign is a clue--usually there is a cluster of these behaviors and a change in behavior.

• Withdrawn, depressed, tired or neglected grooming
• Hostile, uncooperative and frequently breaks curfew
• Suffering deteriorating relationships with family members
• Hanging out with a new group of friends and unwilling to introduce them
• Skipping school and experiencing failing grades
• Losing interest in sports, hobbies or other favorite activities
• Exhibiting changes in sleeping patterns (i.e. awake at night, asleep during the day)
• Having a hard time concentrating
• Exhibiting red eyes or runny nose without evidence of allergies or a cold
• Taking household money without permission
• Finding the following items in your home: pipes, rolling papers, small medicine bottles, eye drops, butane lighters, and unidentified pills

Eight Steps to Help Your Child

1. Talk with your child about alcohol and other drugs
2. Learn to really listen to your child
3. Help your child feel good about himself or herself
4. Help your child deal with peer pressure
5. Make family rules
6. Encourage healthy, creative activities
7. Team up with other parents
8. Know what to do if you suspect a problem

Parenting Is Prevention
A comprehensive Web site for parents, complete with tips, information, and resources

Parents. The Anti-Drug.
With descriptions of drugs and a parent-to-parent section, this site is a valuable resource

Partnership for a Drug-Free America
Sections for parents and teens

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
Offers services to strengthen existing drug prevention organizations