Program Descriptions
Educational Workshops
Educational workshops are structured programs that provide parents with information on specific topics and skills of emotionally healthy parenting. Parents become familiar with the use of helpful tips and tools which are consistent with meeting their children's and family's needs as well as with the foundational information which underlies the effective use of these skills.
Each workshop includes formal presentation and interactive exercises and is led by two trained Certified Parenting Educators. There are opportunities for parents to share their stories and hear other parents' perspectives as well as to gain an understanding about the principles and skills related to the workshop topic.
Some of the workshop topics we offer include Tools for Effective Discipline, Hear and Be Heard: Skills for Healthy Communication, “You’re so Mean; I Hate Your” – Taming the Anger Monster in Children, Building Character, Confidence and Self-Esteem in Your Children, Understanding Your Teen and Limit Setting for Toddlers.
Here is what parents who attend our workshops have to say:
“The Parenting Center is a great resource for parents. The workshops give up-to-date quality information on positive parenting methods that really work.”
“Bring it on! I'm always looking for practical, quick parenting tips. These kids grow fast and what works at age 2 doesn't work at age 5, etc. Even if it's to hear I'm doing the right thing, I would always be interested in productive parenting workshops.”
“I learned the importance of staying calm when I discipline and that there are many ways to handle situations besides negative punishment. I now have a wider repertoire of responses when I have to discipline my children that I can feel good about using.”
“I loved the idea of visualizing how I would like my children to eventually be and visualizing their future abilities. I learned specific ways to help them feel good about themselves and at the same time behave better – the idea of ‘catching them being good’ and highlighting the good stuff – I love that idea!!!”
We would like to thank the following organizations for their financial support of our Educational Workshops:
The Teleflex Foundation
We would also like to thank Rachel Beck Photography for the pictures featured on our website.
For our current workshop schedule, click here.
To read details about specific workshops, click here.
Discussion Groups
Play 'n Share
Play 'n Share provides a place for parents of infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers to come together in a supportive environment to discuss their parenting experiences and issues.
Children play in the room while parents share stories, concerns, questions and successes with other parents.
Play ‘n Share is more than a mom’s chat group. It is a program lead by experienced facilitators, trained in child development, listening skills, parenting approaches and principles of healthy family relationships.
The groups meet on a weekly basis. This continuity produces a sense of security, provides for learning and practice of skills, as well as the opportunity for parents to make meaningful connections with each other and with the facilitators.
We would like to thank State Representative Josh Shapiro for his help in obtaining a Department of Community and Economic Development Grant as partial funding for Play 'n Share.
Here is what parents who attend this program have to say:
"It's so nice to have met such great people who continue to be a support in my life. The parenting center was such a tremendous help to me for the first year of my baby’s life."
"I can share the tough parts of being a mom and not feel like I am a failure."
"Thank you for being the best part of my week!"
"I’m not sure how I would have faced all the initial challenges of parenting without the support of Play ‘n Share."
We would like to thank Rachel Beck Photography for the pictures featured on our website.
For our current Play 'n Share schedule, click here.
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Welcome to Parenthood
Join The Center for Parenting Education and Abington Memorial Hospital's Childbirth Education Department for a morning of fun as we share experiences, learn about parenthood, and make friends. Starting with your birthing experience and continuing on to your new role as a parent, we will share the expectations we have for ourselves as well as the realities of giving birth and being a parent.
The beginning of this journey is a precious period in your life that deserves your attention. Make time for you and your baby by attending this group. Get the support to make the transition into parenthood as smooth as possible, learn the skills to increase your confidence, and make connections with other new parents.
Welcome to Parenthood is held four times a year. Please check our schedule to find the next date this program will be held.
We would like to thank Rachel Beck Photography for the pictures featured on our website.
For our current Welcome to Parenthood schedule, click here.
Parent/Child Activities
Toddler Activity Time
Toddler Activity Time is designed for parents and toddlers age 24 months to 3½ years. Each weekly session includes circle time, crafts, snacks, music and movement. This class provides children with the experience of a pre-school-like atmosphere without the stress of having to separate from their parents. A parent or caregiver must attend each session with their children and is encouraged to participate in the activities.
Toddler Activity Time is lead by two Certified Parenting Educators who model healthy interactions with children and share information on child development and parenting tips and tools.
Here is what parents who attend Toddler Activity Time have to say:
"I just love this program. It is such a great experience to prepare kids for preschool."
"I have been so impressed with the teachers’ knowledge; they are incredible."
We would like to thank Rachel Beck Photography for the pictures featured on our website.
For our current Toddler Activity Time schedule, click here.
Personal Parenting Coaching
Personal parenting coaches respond to each family's unique needs with custom designed Parenting Education. A Certified Parenting Educator will meet with you on a one-to-one basis to provide the information, skills and principles of emotionally healthy parenting. Each coach will support and guide you as you learn about ways to parent and to communicate more effectively with your children. You will become more prepared and confident as a parent.
Personal parenting coaching is for parents of children from newborn through the teen years. You can benefit from personal coaching if you:
- want to better understand your child's behavior:
- sometimes feel out of control, or unsure of healthy ways to respond
- want to learn about setting reasonable expectations and effective limits
- are a parent of a child with a challenging temperament
- feel that you need help with your discipline of your children
- want to increase your confidence and your parenting skills
A parent who has participated in the Personal Parenting Coaching program had this to say about it:
"I appreciate the instructors who provide practical advice for today's busy parents. While many books provide helpful information, they don't recognize how a parent being tired or stressed impacts the situation nor do books provide "real life" ideas in the way the parenting educators do."
Please call The Center for Parenting Education to schedule your one hour session.
Specialty Programs
The Center for Parenting Education proudly sponsors various special programs for parents. The offerings are selected to meet our community’s wide and varied interests. Previous classes include:
- Mommy and Baby Yoga Series
- Discussion Groups for Fathers
- Discussion Groups for Grandparents
- Discussing Groups for Parents of Children with Special Needs
- Book Preview Discussion Groups
- Guest Speakers:
- Dr. Joel Schwartz on "Humor as a Parenting Tool"
- Diana Rosenstein, PhD on "Building Healthy Connections – Holding On and Letting Go", "Tweens and Mothers: The Bond between Preteen and Adolescent
Girls and their Mothers",, "Parents and Teens: Bridging the Divide"
- Lynn Benjamin, M.ED. on "Teens and Sexuality: What is Happening and What can Parents do about it?"
- Carolyn DuBois, Abington Township Library on "Raising a Reader from Birth through Age 5"
- Robert Hafetz, "What Your Adopted Child Would Want You to Know"
- Danie Greenwell from A Chance to Heal: Parent Talk: Raising Kids in a Body-Conscious World
For our current schedule, click here.
Guest Speaking and
Off Site Educational Workshops
The Center for Parenting Education is available to conduct workshops at your place of business, parent- teacher association or school. These programs are interactive and combine group participation with formal presentation. The Center for Parenting Education can tailor any of the workshop topics to fit your group’s needs. Contact us for information.
To see what other community organizations have to say about
The Center for Parenting Education, click here.
Following is a partial list of workshop topics from which you can choose:
- Building Character, Confidence and Self-Esteem in Your Children
- Hear and Be Heard: Skills for Healthy Communication
- Limit Setting - Skills for Dealing with Young Children
- When to Say No, When to Say Yes - Setting Limits Without Curbing Creativity
- Tools for Effective Discipline
- Turning Down the Heat in Your Home - How to Keep from Boiling Over
with Anger
- "You're So Mean - I Hate You!" - Taming the Anger Monster in Children
- Promoting Responsibility: A Key to Success
- Coping with Sibling Rivalry
- Parenting the Temperamentally Challenging Child
- Partners in Parenting - Working Together as a Team
- It's OK to Sit Down - Getting Your Needs Met as a Parent
- Turning Conflict into Cooperation - The Skill of Problem Exploration
- From "Gimmee" to Grateful - Shifting our Children from Greed to
Appreciation
- Truths about Consequences
- The Myth of the Perfect Parent
- Raising Strong, Confident Daughters
- "But I Don't Want to go to School" - Issues in School Refusal
- Teasing and Bullying Survival Tips
- Tackling Temper Tantrums in Young Children
- Helping Your Child Succeed in School
- One Size Doesn't Fit All - What Makes a Child Tick?
- How Consequences Can Work for You and Your Preschooler
- Help for Parents Whose Teens Want to Fire Them - Understanding
Your Adolescent
Some of our previous speaking engagements include:
Business Lunch and Learns:
- Abington Memorial Hospital
- Fox Chase Cancer Center
- Glaxo – SmithKline
- Music Choice
- WorldGate Communications
- Vanguard Group
- EMCCC Women’s Networking Luncheon
- Whole Foods Lunch and Learns
Community Organizations:
- Abington Free Library
- Abington Police Department’s – DARE parent program
- Abington YMCA
- Abington Junior High School Guidance Dept.
- Bryn Athyn's Focus on Marriage Conference
- Child, Home and Community Teen Parent Program
- Cradle of Hope
- Foster Care Association of Montgomery County
- Hatboro- Horsham YMCA
- Horsham Township Library
- Liberty Mothers of Multiples
- Mary Mother of Redeemer Preschool Parents
- Moms Club of Buckingham
- Mothers of Preschoolers
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society
- Penn State Abington
- Safe Harbor Grief Center
- Union Library of Hatboro
- Willow Grove Park’s Morning Club
Pre-schools/ Nursery Schools/Daycare Centers:
- Abington Friends School
- Abington Presbyterian Church
- Beth Shalom Preschool
- Gloria Dei Preschool
- Goddard School
- Jenkintown Day Nursery
- Keneseth Israel Preschool
- Lehman Methodist Preschool
- Montessori Children's House - Blue Bell
- Saint Matthews Preschool
- Step by Step Preschool
- Supplee Preschool
School Organizations:
- Abington School District elementary schools
- Abington Junior High School
- Ancillae Assumpta Academy
- Bishop McDevitt High School
- Cheltenham High School
- Hatboro-Horsham School District elementary schools
- Mary, Mother of Redeemer
- North Penn School District Parent Community Involvement Committee
- St. David’s School
- St. Philip of the Field
- Upper Dublin School District
- Wordsworth Academy
Please contact The Center for Parenting Education for more details about having us speak at your next meeting.
Preschool and Daycare Teacher Training Workshops
The Center for Parenting Education conducts Teacher Training at preschools and daycare centers. Our Parenting Educators are PQAS certified, through the PA Pathways program.
In these workshops, you can learn how to create a warm atmosphere in your classroom that is conducive to learning. You will also become more aware of how to meet the individual needs of each child and to encourage each child to reach his/her potential.
Our Teacher Training programs include formal presentations as well as interactive activities and allow ample time for questions. Our goal is to not only teach the material, but for teachers to be able to implement the ideas presented.
To see what other preschool and day care center directors have to say about
The Center for Parenting Education, click here.
Some of our previous Teacher Trainings have been conducted at:
- Blue Bell Montessori Children's House
- Gloria Dei Preschool
- Honeyland Nursery School
- Horsham Montessori Children's House
- Jenkintown Day Nursery
- New Life Nursery School
- Play ‘n Learn
- School House Learning Center
- Terri Lynne Lokoff Early Learning Center
- Kneseth Israel Preschool
Our TeacherTraining topics include:
- How to Get the Best Out of Children – What Makes Children Tick?
- Building Character, Confidence and Self-Esteem in Children:
- Communicating in the Classroom - The Impact of What We Say & How We Say It
- Communicating in the Classroom - Turning Conflict Into Cooperation
- Coping with Anger in the Classroom
- How Many Times Do I Have to Tell You: Promoting Responsibility in the Classroom
- Listening Beyond the Words
- Managing Teasing in the Classroom
- Teacher - Parent Communication: Developing a Teacher – Parent Partnership
- Teaching the Temperamentally Challenging Child
- The Nature of Families
- Tools for Effective Discipline in the Classroom
Please contact The Center for Parenting Education for more details about having us speak at your next in-service.
