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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 9, 2010
CONTACT: Andrea Schuver, Executive Director
561/620-0256 schuver@preparetomorrowsparents.org
Experts and local program contacts thoughout the US & Canada available on request.

EIGHTH ANNUAL "PREPARE TOMORROW'S PARENTS MONTH"
PROMOTES BETTER RELATIONSHIPS TODAY AND
PREPARES CHILDREN & TEENS FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB MOST OF THEM WILL EVER HAVE

Boca Raton, FL - Prepare Tomorrow's Parents announces the eighth national "Prepare Tomorrow's Parents Month" between Mother's Day and Father's Day - a time for teachers, parents and youth group leaders nationwide to introduce Parenting Education to young people. Prepare Tomorrow's Parents is a national, non-profit organization formed in 1995 to promote and facilitate Parenting Education for children and teens. This month continues a campaign to promote the inclusion of Parenting Education in schools and youth programs for all young people.

"Once a year we honor Mom by taking her to a crowded restaurant for brunch, and then we honor Dad by buying him a tie he may never wear," says Suzy Garfinkle, mother of three and Founding President of Prepare Tomorrow's Parents. "Why not honor parents' work by teaching their children and grandchildren what a complex and heroic effort it takes to raise a child? To honor mothers and fathers and celebrate effective parenting, we are asking everyone who has regular contact with a young person to do one activity this month to develop their potential for nurturing. We also urge people who care about children to explore their community's opportunities and potential for children and teens to learn about parenting, and to advocate where needed. Today's families are facing many challenges and increased focus on relationships is the best investment against difficult times."

Eighty percent of all Americans become parents, and parenting is the most important job we do. Changes in American society have made the parenting role more difficult, while offering fewer opportunities for young people to learn good parenting solely by observation at home.

The stakes are high. Just under 80% of perpetrators of child abuse and neglect are parents, and nearly all the rest are relatives or other caregivers. Lack of knowledge of child development and appropriate discipline are significant factors in abuse and neglect. Many other inadequately prepared or supported parents are unable to provide the good parenting that is known to deter teen pregnancy, depression, addictions, academic failure, delinquency and later criminal behavior.

Vice President, Mimi Plevin-Foust, says, "There is nothing that is more cost effective than prevention and no prevention is more cost effective than preparing young people for parenting."

According to a national poll, the vast majority of U.S. adults believe that parenting and relationship skills should be taught in schools, yet few students now receive this instruction. In developing child-rearing curricula there is no need to start from scratch. Some excellent programs exist already. Family and Consumer Science teachers are already qualified and prepared, and there are many ways to integrate this learning into the current school coursework at all grade levels. This learning can also take place in youth groups and other community settings.

Studies have shown that school-based Parenting Education programs help prevent child abuse by building understanding of child development and parenting skills such as empathy, listening, problem-solving, and critical thinking. These skills also promote academic success, as do the more caring, cooperative learning environments this programming fosters. Students who understand the enormous responsibilities of raising a child are also far more motivated to delay parenting until they are ready.

“One of society's deep-seated assumptions,” offers Dr. Myriam Miedzian, social philosopher, author, and Co-Founder of Prepare Tomorrow's Parents, “is that teaching a skill in school is the best way for a child to learn it. Isn't it strange that the most important and difficult task so many people face - raising children - goes untaught? By making both boys and girls aware of the importance and complexity of child rearing, classes could bring down teenage pregnancy rates, reduce the number of deadbeat dads, and promote caring, responsible mothering and fathering. Regardless of how much detail these boys and girls remember by the time they become parents, the class has imbued them with a deep sense of the reality of parenting, of the sacrifices and demands as well as the joys.”

Prepare Tomorrow's Parents invites parents, teachers and all adults who care about children to visit us at www.preparetomorrowsparents.org year-round for ideas for activities that have been posted for Preparing Tomorrow’s Parents month. These include simple and engaging steps to take at home, as well as classroom-ready learning experiences for use by parents, teachers, and youth leaders from Brownies and Boy Scouts to faith-based youth groups. The website also lists Family and Consumer Sciences contact information, and over a dozen flexible independent Parenting Education programs that are already available to schools.

Founder Garfinkle concludes, "Parenting is not a hobby. It’s the most important work most of us will ever do. Let’s not leave our grandchildren’s future to chance."

Return to Prepare Tomorrow's Parents Month Index Page