Parent-Connect

Parent-Connect is a nationally acclaimed webinar series of online seminars illuminating eight current parenting concerns on safety, health and wellness issues including: high-risk drinking; cyber-safety; bullying; harassment; drug use; over-scheduling, gaming addiction, juuling, healthy relationships, sexual assault, and anxiety.

The series is led by experienced, national experts, including Stacy Andes from the Office of Health Promotion at Villanova University; Ryan Travia from the Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Services at Harvard University; and Katie Koestner, nationally recognized author and expert on cyber-safety and sexual misconduct.

Parents hear the most recent research and pragmatic parenting tips from the foremost experts: respected authors, psychologists, professors and heads of leading organizations.

Selected presenters from our past series include highly sought-after national public speakers like:

[a] Dr. Lawrence Epstein, the Regional Medical Director for the Harvard-Affiliated Sleep Health Centers, who provides professional insight about how sleep influences personal health and stress during our Mental Health and Depression class. Dr. Epstein is an instructor at Harvard Medical School and coauthor of the book The Harvard Medical School Guide to a Good Night’s Sleep.

[b] Dr. Cynthia Kuhn, a professor at Duke University on the subjects of pharmacology and cancer biology, as well as psychiatry and behavioral sciences, analyzes key data about alcohol and the brain during our High-Risk Drinking session. Dr. Kuhn has worked extensively on alcohol’s influence on the brain and has made significant contributions to research in this area.

[c] Deborah Roffman, author of the bestseller Sex and Sensibility: The Thinking Parent’s Guide to Talking Sense about Sex and nationally certified Sexuality and Family Life Educator, details various facets of human sexuality education.

Way’s to use Parent-Connect:

[a] You can invite your friends and neighbors to watch and discuss a session.  Use our Facilitation Guides—complete with thought-provoking questions and entertaining exercises—to hold constructive conversations and maximize retention of the material.

[b] Use Parent-Connect to prepare for tough conversations with your teen.  Watch the class on Healthy Relationships and have your teen view the corresponding Peer-Connect class. Discuss the most important points to promote productive dialogue and improve teen decision making.

Train your Dorm/Residential Faculty!

By asking your residential faculty to watch these 8 sessions (either on their own, or in a large group format with an LCD projector), you are providing essential skill-building for them on how to better address risk issues with the students for which they have the “duty provide care.” One of our clients was able to show “due diligence” in providing this training for their staff in the eyes of a judge this past year!

An “Educational Sanction” for Parent and Student

Use the program as an “Educational Sanction” to be co-viewed by a student in violation of a school policy and his/her parent.

Drive Traffic to Your Website

This is a way to get your own “clients”–your parents to tune in to your own branding and website each month. Parents tune in to the customized, branded Parent-Connect portal for your school, which in turn builds your own “brand” and is an excuse to buy a mug from your online store, sign up for the fund-raiser, etc.!  One client tracked Parent-Connect users this year: they found a number of “Watched the Program . . . Cruised their website . . . Made an online donation!!!”  Proof positive of the good will generated by Parent-Connect and appreciation of your constituents!

Provide “Actual Notice” to your Parents

In another unfortunate legal situation, it was questioned whether parents were being provided with “Actual and Adequate Notice” of school policies. Through Parent-Connect, the school was able to show that they had provided the school policies (and links to the handbook) right on the webpages for each relevant topic.

Never Be Without a Speaker

If you’ve planned a big presenter for Parents’ Weekend or another important Parent Meeting, and inclement weather, illness or travel delays prevent your speaker from providing this important address, you have a host of “famous folks” at the click of a mouse, “on-demand” ready to provide a thought-provoking message and relevant information to your group. The presentations from Harvard, Princeton, Columbia and Penn are sure not to disappoint your crowd!  Plus you have a Facilitation Guide ready to download and use to follow-up each program with guided conversation!