In this county, education doesn’t end with school

This program helps parents learn valuable skills which help their children be more successful in school too. DP

Adults and parents find variety of life-skills programs for self-improvement through college, rec department

by Kristina Gawrgy | Staff Writer

gazette.net: Adults are discovering that furthering their education can also have positive effects on children, families and the overall community, say county officials and parents who have become involved in a host of activities sponsored by schools, colleges and nonprofits.

‘Whatever gets parents involved in the community is a good thing,” said Jackie Dean, president of the PTSA at Wheaton High School, who attended Monday night’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration and parent resource night at Wheaton High School.

The parent resource night is one of several methods of outreach. Individual schools offer programs for parents such as literacy nights to teach parents the importance of reading to their children. The school system offers the Parent Academy, a series of workshops on topics that range from school psychology to establishing good credit, and even county centers like the Charles W. Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity work in partnerships with nonprofits and corporations to offer afternoon and evening classes for immigrants and their families.

During Wheaton’s parent resource night, parents could get information and ask questions of representatives from organizations including the county’s Department of Health and Human Services, nonprofit groups, Latino Economic Development Corp., and even Bank of America and The Catholic University of America School of Nursing.
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