Information for Interested Participants
Benefits for Participating Parent Educators:
A substitute teacher will be paid for by the grant, to allow attendance at monthly regional group meetings when needed. A letter of agreement will be signed by each ECFE program (school district) to release the assigned parent educator to attend Community Engaged Parent Education meetings.
Continuing education units will be provided by the University of Minnesota for the time spent in training and monthly continuing education meetings.
No tuition cost to participate in mentoring. Project parent educators should expect to pay for individual incidental expenses such as the cost of travel to and from the meetings and parking.
Requirements for Participating Parent Educators:
Participating parent educators will be expected to receiving mentoring for
one year in Community Engaged Parent Education skills and to practice those
skills in their parent parent education groups.
This requires:
Attending a preliminary training day on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota to prepare to implement Community Engaged Parent Education.
A monthly personal contact with a mentor by phone, email, or in person.
Attending 2 small group regional meetings with other parent educators each semester.
Participating in two teaching observation sessions by the mentor during the year.
Attending two half-day continuing education meetings with parent educators across the state each year at the University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus.
Long-Term Goals for Participating Parent Educators
Once parent educators are thoroughly trained in Community Engaged Parent Education, we expect that they will help others in their local settings to understand this philosophy and learn these facilitation skills.
In addition, the scope of the McKnight grant includes the development of a parent network of parent leaders working on public dialogue and public action related to child and family well being. Project parent educators will be key resources in identifying these parent leaders. In sum, this project will provide parent educators with new professional skills that we hope will renew and strengthen family life and our communities.