IS THIS YOU?
The people who attend our classes:

√	are ready to improve their relationships with the children in their lives
√	are open to learning new ideas and enhancing skills they already have
√	understand that how they respond to their children has a direct impact on their children’s behavior

We don’t have to teach you how to love your kids, we just show you how to get that message of love through without being a dictator or a doormat.

Parent Education Registration Form

A success Story:

A veteran facilitator with Family Education Center shares the following
One of the women in the [Family Education Center parenting] group at the homeless shelter was complaining that her six-year-old son was headstrong and "oppositional defiant" - whatever she said, no matter what tone of voice she used, he'd argue and say he didn't want to do it. We talked about his need for power in his life and I suggested giving him limited choices instead of orders (no matter how pleasantly she expressed them).

After the class, he came running into our meeting room, and she told him he needed to return to their room so she could make dinner for the family in the community kitchen. He said "No! I want to stay here!" and began to run around the room, clearly expecting her to chase him.

I saw her take a deep breath, and respond, "I need to cook now. Would you like to color with crayons, or would you like to paint when you get back to our room?" He stopped running, turned, and said "I want to color." She said, "Okay, you can do that; let's go to the room and you can color" and she was able to take him to their room and come back to cook dinner without any further hassles.

Are you looking for a better way?
At Family Education Center, what we love to see are the people who come to us feeling discouraged and dissatisfied, because we know they’re in for a delicious surprise. When they apply our principles in their classrooms and homes they almost immediately find ways to appreciate and enjoy their children again. From the very first class you attend (links to Services-Classes page) you’ll learn solutions and answers you can use right away. We offer manageable strategies that produce positive, long-lasting results.

Our programs are rooted in the work of Dr. Alfred Adler, a psychiatrist and contemporary of Freud, who was one of the first to bring psychological concepts to public awareness. Adler defined feelings of belonging (to family, classroom, neighborhood, etc.) and of making a contribution to the group welfare as essential for mental health. Adler’s "positive psychology" was further refined by Rudolf Dreikurs as the firm-and-kind discipline approach, often called Positive Discipline, which has been validated by the latest scientific research.

Let us show you how!
We know that children who are raised in respectful homes grow up to be strong, flexible, positive adults who make a contribution to the world they live in. Their confidence and sense of responsibility allows them to bring out the best in themselves and those around them. At FEC, we give you the tools you need to create a home that fosters these qualities in your children.

Our experiential classes help prevent behavior problems, conflict and stress through discussion, demonstrations, role plays and real-life problem-solving. Designed to assist parents and teachers of every status and means, FEC programs are offered at schools, community facilities, and in participants’ homes.

 

About Our Staff:
Margie Vondrak, Program Director, Facilitator

707-568-2300 x 19   fec@lifeworkssc.org

• Formerly acted as the regional director for the Professional Association for Childhood Education
• A current member of the Childcare Planning Council
• Is a mother of four and has been parenting for 30 years.

Helen Graves, Parent Educator, Facilitator

• Came to FEC looking for a better way after several discouraging years teaching in an elementary classroom
• Is passionate about showing parents and teachers how to enhance their ability to raise creative, confident, capable children
• Can’t stop teaching (even when you ask her to!)
• Adores toddlers, tantrums and all
• “I love to help people value the uniqueness of their children.”

• Started attending FEC classes when her children were 3 and 1, went through the Parent Educator Training program (links to Services-Facilitator Training page) and has been teaching classes since 1993
• Loves to teach and make her classes fun, entertaining and humorous
• Considers herself a lifelong learner
• Has been through all the ages and stages of childhood with her spirited boys, now 16 and 18
• “I want to make a difference in other people’s lives so they can enjoy their children as much as I enjoy mine.”

• First attended FEC classes when her daughter was 9 months old and her husband was doing doctoral research on family systems--and they both got hooked!
• FEC helped them understand what they really wanted to accomplish as parents, and gave them a clear vocabulary for expressing it to each other and to their daughter
• After her husband died when their daughter was 12, Marsha was terrified at the prospect of being a single parent through her daughter's teen years. She thought, "This stuff had better work" - and eight years later, she can say that it did
• Teaches lively classes, and finds that everyone has something important to contribute
• "Teaching what I've learned is especially gratifying because I've 'been there' and I know that FEC principles work."

• Sought help from FEC when she and her husband needed help parenting their two young daughters
• As a preschool director, used FEC's positive discipline philosophy in designing the preschool classroom policy
• Believes children's behavior is guided by a desire to belong and to feel needed
• Enjoys being a grandparent to four beautiful children

• Found FEC gave her the tools and the confidence of dealing with children in a way that wouldn't shame and humiliate them
• Was compelled to become an FEC trainer by a strong need to help more people discover the power of encouragement
• Knows that if more parents and teachers could encourage their children, and treat them with kindness as well as firmness, the world would be a better place, one child at a time
• Uses FEC teachings everyday as a school secretary
• "I can truly say that FEC has helped me in my dealings with adults as well as children.
  I have been able to face my parents and supervisors in a kind and respectful way
  and let them know when I am feeling wronged."