Detroit Public Schools is taking its nine-month-old Parent University on the road to bring even more classes to the district’s parents and guardians.
The new “Parent University on the Go” courses include Frozen-themed STEM activities for parents to do with their children, capitalizing on the popularity of the Disney hit movie, as well as Spelling Bee-themed literacy courses to improve students’ vocabulary, reading and writing. The coursework will allow parents and guardians to earn credits toward their “Parent Leader” certification.
All classes, which are free and open to any parent/guardian with a child in Detroit Public Schools, will be taught by educational experts in DPS.
Additional classes will be offered in the district’s eight parent resource centers, including courses on developing customer service skills, parenting with the experts, health and much more. A total of 54 free classes are being offered in February and March.
Registration is occurring now at the district’s eight Parent Resource Centers for classes that begin February 9.
The DPS Parent University, which kicked off in Spring 2014, offers a semester of coursework for parents and guardians in four subject areas:
- Track 1: Academic Success: Helping children succeed in school and in life
- Track 2: Life Skills: Maximizing your potential
- Track 3: Parenting: Effectively raising children
- Track 4: Professional Development: Gaining skills to advance your career
To graduate with a “Parent Leader” certificate, participants must complete 10 classes over the course of the year.
New this winter, parents were able to take “Accelerated Courses” in which multiple courses were offered on select days. Participants had the opportunity to partake in interactive activities that engaged parents and children in learning together.
Parent University is one strand of DPS’ multi-faceted Parent and Community Engagement program, which is geared toward helping the district increase parent involvement. Programs include training camps that focus on parenting, fun and engaging workshops and much more.
Through a performance-driven partnership with Detroit Parent Network, DPS operates eight parent resource centers that are comfortable spaces for parents and guardians to meet. The centers, which are geographically placed across the city, provide training and resources to parents of DPS students, helping them to be more involved in their children’s education.
Providing parenting skills and increasing parent involvement are major elements of Detroit Public Schools’ five-year Strategic Plan. Through the Strategic Plan, the district launched the first phase of another nationally modeled program: Home-School Teacher Visitations. The visitations add to ongoing robust parenting programs throughout DPS, including workshops at Parent Resource Centers.
For more information, call (313) 240-4377.
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