Phases in the Community Engaged Parent Education Process
Providing space and opportunity for parents to reflect together on their society and sometimes act to bring about community change requires an intentional education process. There are four important phases in this Community Engaged Parent Education process:
- Planning the discussions and creating an environment conducive to Community Engaged Parent Education
- Surfacing public themes: engaging parents in identifying public issues related to parenting
- Deliberation: group discussions exploring the complexity of public issues
- Planning and carrying out individual or collective actions to address the issues raised.
These phases are not linear and may occur in differing sequences. Not all public issues that are surfaced will move to deliberation, nor will all deliberation lead to action. “Planning & environment” refer to the parent educator’s preparation and setting up of the classroom for Community Engaged Parent Education. “Surfacing public themes” refers to the process through which public dimensions are brought up and woven throughout parent education discussions. “Deliberation” refers to the process of discussing and exploring the complexity of societal impacts. It includes things such as gathering information, defining problems, examining and critiquing points of view, and is the heart of this approach to parent education. Critical reflection, which is part of the parent educator preparation and teaching process, occurs throughout these phases and after each class to ensure follow up on significant issues.
Learning and applying the skills of Community Engaged Parent Education, and internalizing the identity of a citizen professional are best accomplished through ongoing, face-to-face coaching, and small peer support and problem solving groups. Parent educators need ongoing support and training just as parents in parent education classes need ongoing support to develop their civic leadership potential. That is why each intern works with a mentor over a period of time to learn both the principles and skills that define the phases of Community Engaged Parent Education.