Just as today's parents need and deserve the best possible education and support o be effective and humane in raising children, so too do our youth need preparation on how to be the best caregiver of children they can be. The Parents Under Construction program provides youngsters with the types of educational experiences that will help them develop modern-day parenting skills. It also serves to help them make wise decisions about when to become a parent.

The program was originally developed by Houston's Childbuilder's organization in the 1990s after extensive input from a wide range of mental health and educational experts and successsful field testing in public school settings. The program is designed to produce the following results:

• To improve knowledge of parenting responsibilities, demands and costs, and to dispel myths about child development.

• To increase understanding of the realtionship between parenting practices and self-esteem, and the importance of self-esteem to mental well-being.

• To enhance knowledge of positive discipline techniques.

The program is taught in 12 forty-five minute sessions, using such teaching methods as group discussion, role playing, audio and videotapes, in-class activities and homework assignments from a Student Handbook.

The program is respectful of the different aged children. Thus, it has a curriculum for pre- kindergarten children and children in kindergarten through third grade, a curriculum for fourth to sixth graders, and a program version for seventh through twelvth graders.

The program can be taught through schools, as well as through civic, cultural, religious and youth serving organizations. More than 50,000 children and adolescents have participated in the program since its inception.

Research Studies
Since its initial testing in the early 1990s, the Parents Under Construction Program has been extensively evaluated through 15 separate studies. It has genreally been found to be effective in teaching children parenting skills, and in positively influencing their attituds regarding healthy disciplinary practices.

The latest studies indicate (1) knowledge gains remain at one-year follow-up, (2) some students report greater empathic capacity after participating in the program, (3) teachers implementing the program note improved student behavior, and (4) parents participating in parent/child program activities overwhelmingly approved of the Parents Under Construction Program.

To obtain a summary of the results of these 15 studies, click here.

Instructional Kits and Training

Instructional Kits consist of a leader's manual, instructional transparencies, test materials to assess youth learning, audio and/or video tape teaching aids, and a Student Handbook that can be reproduced for free distribution to every person in a class.

By obtaining an Instructional Kit, you become eligible for a free half or full day of training in using the program, if you are in the Houston area. Training can also be arranged at other locations for an additional fee.

• Pre-Kindergarden Program Kit

• Program Kit for Kindergarten to 3rd Graders

• Program Kit for 4th to 6th Graders

• Program Kit for 7th to 12th Graders

Parenting is one of the most important things we do as human beings and as citizens. Eighty percent of Americans become parents, yet far too few are prepared for this awesome task.

This year, go beyond the ties and flowers and chocolates, and participate in the Fourth Annual PREPARE TOMORROW'S PARENTS MONTH, from Mother's Day through Father's Day. Thank parents for what they do and celebrate the importance of quality parenting by helping create a better future for all children. Everyone who has contact with children and teens - at home, at school or elsewhere -- can do at least one activity this month to build skills in empathy, nurturing and communication, and knowledge in child development and appropriate discipline among young people.

Parenting Education is a necessary part of education for all. A growing body of research shows the importance of good parenting, well beyond avoiding the too prevalent tragedies of abuse and neglect. Preparing young people to become caring and competent parents may be the single most effective way to prevent child abuse and other forms of violence and increase the mental health, school preparedness, and academic success of future generations. Students who understand the responsibilities of raising children are also more motivated to delay parenting past their teenage years. Furthermore, these skills for future parenting help create more caring, cooperative and effective classrooms from the day they are taught.

1. Here's a Press Release from the Prepare Tomorrow's Parents organization about the importance and benefits of parenting education for children. You can add your city and state to the Press Release, and fax or email it to your local and regional news outlets.

   You can also use the information in this release to create your own, and send it out under your organization's heading.

2. Here's a sample Op Ed/Letter to the Editor that you can personalize with quotes from local programs, and send to local newspapers.

3. Have elected officials endorse the campaign by issuing a Proclamation, and make mention of this endorsement in your Op Ed/Letter. Or, ask in your Op Ed/Letter that elected officials endorse this effort and draw attention to the availability of this proclamation.

   Contact your Governor, County Board, City Council or Board of Education, and ask them to issue this Proclamation.

4. Bring attention to the numerous, already existing resources for Teaching Children and Youth about Parenting and Nurturing Relationships.

5. Bring attention to a Reading List of books that help children learn about babies, nurturing and parenting, for parents, schools and libraries.

6. Obtain and use the Advocacy chapter from the Guide for Preparing Tomorrow's Parents, which provides guidance on how to advocate for and implement a Parenting Education Program for Children and Teens in Your School or District.