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Workshops direct parents to student services

The Parent Institute provides the tools to stay involved in a child's education and find resources.

If you want to help your child succeed, get involved with his school experience. That's the word from education experts and research studies. It's also the word from Susan Roebuck, a Weeki Wachee resident and mother of four, whose children have gone through, or still are in, the Hernando County school system.

"I have seen it work: parents coming together from all backgrounds. And the common thread is caring about how their children are learning," said Roebuck, a member of the Family Involvement Team, a group of parents who work to enhance programs and resources in the school district.

There are all kinds of support systems that parents can take advantage of to help their children achieve, Roebuck said.

She cites the Exceptional Student Education program as an example because of the tools she got for helping her gifted son.

Now parents will be able to see for themselves the opportunities and resources they have, when they attend the school district's first Parent Institute scheduled for Sept. 23.

The evening will be devoted to workshops that will give parents the tools to help their children with a range of issues, from reading to anger management. Parents will also learn behavior and discipline techniques, how to spot signs of drug or alcohol abuse and what resources are available for foreign-speaking families, families dealing with an ADHD child, and more.

Parents will select the workshop sessions they wish to attend, and all sessions will be translated into Spanish. Keynote speaker Jim Atkinson, noted author, trainer and consultant, will offer parents hints on how to use the right "bait" when it comes to the treacherous waters of parent and child relationships.

"This program is designed to promote parental involvement and open the lines of communication between parents and schools, and engaging in a new relationship with teachers," said Ivette Mendoza, family involvement specialist for the Title 1 Program, and coordinator of the Parent Institute.

"In the past, educators looked at programs to help students improve, but they didn't look at parent involvement," she said. "Now we're looking at how parents play a vital role in student achievement."

The Parent Institute grew out of a state Department of Education initiative that asked districts to produce a parent involvement policy. To answer that need, Mendoza spearheaded a collaborative effort with many departments within the school system, including English Speakers of Other Languages, Student Services and Exceptional Student Education, Drug and Alcohol-Free Schools Program, Tech Prep, Foreign Language and the Reading Institute.

Exhibitors and agencies, such as Career Central, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services of Florida, Withlacoochee Technical Institute and others will provide information on their resources and services. Local restaurants will offer sampler foods, and door prizes will be awarded.

Roebuck is excited that such a large endeavor is being launched - the first of its kind for Hernando County schools. She hopes it will make parents aware that they don't have to struggle alone.

"The more you (as a parent) know about what's coming up at school and what's available for you, the more your child will succeed," she said.

A second Parent Institute is scheduled for April 26, 2005.

DATE: Sept. 23

TIME: 5:30 to 6 p.m. Registration; 6 to 8:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Nature Coast High School, 4057 California St., Brooksville

DETAILS: For more information or to register by Monday, call Linda Vagts at 797-7021. Child care for ages 6 months to 13 by YMCA provided upon request at time of registration.