All families experience problems and stressful situations at times. Effective communication strategies can help families navigate problems and identify potential solutions with less conflict and more support. The Advance Parenting Program for Building Relationships is designed to help families learn to listen to each other, speak up about difficulties, manage stress, reach out for support, and problem-solve parenting and personal issues. Parents of older children (aged 8-12) learn how to set up family meetings where children and parents can talk about a problem, work together to discuss solutions, and set up a family team plan.
The Advance Parenting Program builds on the Preschool and School Age Basic Programs by promoting parents’ interpersonal skills such as effective communication and problem solving skills, depression and conflict management, and ways to give and get support. Parents learn to partner with teachers in problem-solving and developing child behavior plans.
Goals of the Advance Parenting Program:
Supporting Family Relationships, Building Support Networks and Problem-Solving
• Improve parents’ conflict management and communication skills.
• Help parents learn how to cope with depression and life stress.
• Help parents learn how to build support networks.
• Help parents learn how to problem-solve related to children’s problems.
• Help parents learn how to problem-solve their own interpersonal problems.
• Help parents learn how to problem solve with teachers.
• Help parents learn how to teach their children to problem solve.
• Help parents of children (ages 8-12) learn how to set up family meetings.
Problem Solving Meeting: In this clip, parents begin their problem-solving meeting by defining the problem they are having with their child’s behavior.
A Supportive Friend Helps Find Solutions: In this clip, a mom has been brainstorming solutions focused on meeting her son’s needs. A supportive friend helps this mom remember that it is important for her to take time for self-care. Together, they brainstorm ways to get support.
Family Meeting About Household Chores: In this clip we see a father defining the problem and inviting his sons’ ideas for solutions.
Contact us for more information about the Advance Parenting Program curriculum: incredibleyears@incredibleyears.com
