Parent Education

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Parent Education

Program Overview

  • Classes for families in North Seattle Cooperative Schools and other community partner organizations
  • Family Connectors University Class for families with children in Seattle Public Schools

Classes for Parents with Children in North Seattle Cooperative Preschools and other community organizations

Each quarter there are about 70 Parent Education classes in Cooperative Preschools, several childcare centers, and local services for those experiencing homelessness. Families involved in these programs receive information about how to sign up for the parenting education class at their site. Parent education classes at co-ops are exclusively for parents or parenting figures (grandparent, caregiver, or guardian) who have a child currently enrolled in a North Seattle Cooperative Preschool - https://northseattlecoops.org/

How Parent Cooperative Preschool Works

Parents are actively involved in their child’s educational experience by participating once a week in a non-profit cooperative preschool laboratory where their child is enrolled. Crucial to the program is participation one evening per month in the adult-only instructional part of the class — an engaging parent discussion group, led by a professional adult educator, where parents process what is learned from the preschool “laboratory” experience and explore parenting resources & tools within a supportive, diverse community.

In this course, the parent educator is the parent’s “instructor,” the monthly parent education meeting is the “class,” and the preschool is the “class laboratory.”

Course Content

Topics for discussion include guidance and discipline, stages of child development, inclusive learning environments/ anti-bias approaches, the needs of family members, and use of culturally responsive community resources. Diverse perspectives are honored, and the atmosphere is accepting and supportive with a focus on creating caring, equitable communities.

Registration

Parent education students apply to and enroll as students at North Seattle College. To start the registration process, please fill out this form

The Parent Education program operates on the Seattle Public School schedule rather than North's quarterly schedule and has earlier timelines for applying/registering.

For more information regarding cooperative preschools (locations, openings, etc.), visit North Seattle Cooperative Preschools or call (206) 934-3790 for information about registering for a Parent Ed class.

Family Connectors University Class (online)

Thanks to the partnership with Seattle Public Schools, Family Connectors University class is a family-focused online course designed for parents to support their child’s learning and growth, and engagement in their child’s school experience.

For more information about this two-credit class, please visit our website or email Parent Ed Instructor Lea Evans – Lea.Evans@seattlecolleges.edu

More Information about the Parent Education Program:

The mission of the Parent Education program at North Seattle College is to promote the development of knowledge and skills for strong and healthy families.

Being a parent is one of life’s most significant tasks, yet most parents receive minimal training to handle the challenges of raising a family. Meeting this need, North Seattle College offers a long-standing, successful program that educates parents for their important role while providing strong preschool experiences for youngsters.

Benefits for Parents
Parent Education classes help adult students become more effective and satisfied in their roles by helping them understand child behavior, by encouraging the recognition of developmentally appropriate activities, by assisting in acquiring valuable information in areas which affect the welfare of the “whole child,” and by teaching methods that help children develop responsibility.

Coop Preschool Parent Education
North Seattle College Cooperative Preschool Parent Education classes provide a shared learning experience for parents and their children from birth through five years of age. North Seattle College cooperative preschools operate from 16 neighborhood locations in North and Central Seattle. Each school is an independent, non-profit entity run by a board and includes a skilled preschool teacher, the children’s parents and a parent education instructor.

Parents are involved in their child's early education experience by participating once a week in the parent-operated cooperative preschool laboratory where their child is enrolled and at a monthly evening parent-only class taught by the parent education instructor — an NSC faculty member. The instructor also advises and supports the lab experience of adult students as they practice the skills they are learning while being assistant teachers in their child’s preschool.

North Seattle College parent education classes focus on early learning education and community building/resource sharing for families. Most parent-students continue on, sometimes for many years, with multiple children from a single family enrolled in the system. The program reflects the ethnic and cultural diversity of the North Seattle area.

Please see the North Seattle College Preschool Web pages for details about the cooperative preschool program.