Effective Black Parenting Program
By Kerby T. Alvy, PhD
A History-Making Program
Until the Center for the Improvement of
Child Caring created the Effective Black Parenting Program in the late
1970s, there were no programs widely available that addressed the unique
issues of raising African-American children head on. There were also no
programs that taught parenting skills in a manner that was respectful of
African-American patterns of communication and which recognized the
African roots of the Extended Black Family. Thus, the program occupies a
very special place in the history of parenting education in the United
States.
CICC's Effective Black Parenting Program,
which is based on an achievement orientation of African-American
parenting, provides an excellent learning and relearning context to help
parents of African-American children do the best job possible. Its basic
ideas are derived from the writing of African-American parenting
scholars, from research with African-American parents, and from
adaptations of parenting skills that have been found helpful in raising
children of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Each of the parenting strategies and skills
in CICC's Effective Black Parenting Program is taught by making
reference to African proverbs like "Children are the reward of life" or
"A Shepherd does not strike his sheep." The systematic use of these
proverbs help to ground the teaching of the program in wisdom and
skillfulness of the ancestors, and is an example of one of the many ways
that the program promotes cultural pride.
Two Versions of the Program
There are now two versions of this
empowering program. There is the complete program that is taught as a
class that meets for 15 three-hour sessions. This class version is for
groups of 10 to 25 parents. It teaches all of the program's strategies,
skills and topics. A Briefer version for much larger numbers of parents
is also available. This one-day seminar version can be taught to 50 to
500 parents at a time.
Learn More About this Program
A visit to CICC's website -
www.ciccparenting.org - will provide additional information about the
effective Black Parenting Program. There you will find the books that
have been written about the program and its supportive research (Black
Parenting: Strategies for Parenting, and Parent Training Today: A Social
Necessity). You will find all of the materials that are needed to run
the program including The Complete Instructor's Kit, a schedule upcoming
parenting instructor-training workshops and enrollment information.
While you visit the CICC website, you - and
all of the parents of young children in your parish and community can
take the new CICC Discovery Tool, a questionnaire that lets you know how
a child is developing in comparison to his or her age mates. Taking the
CICC Discovery Tool also helps detect whether a child (birth to five
years of age) may have special needs that require professional
attention. If so, the Tool alerts you where to turn in your community
for such help.
Taking the CICC Discovery Tool is another
way to be an Effective Black Parent. Encouraging parents to "Take the
Tool" is another way to be an Effective Black Community Leader!
Dr. Alvy is a Clinical Child Psychologist.
He is the President of the public benefit Center for the Improvement of
Child Care in California, which he founded in 1974 and which has grown
to be one of the nation's largest and most influential parenting
education organizations. He previously was head of the Children's
Services at Kedren Community Mental Health Center in South Central, Los
Angeles where the ideas for the Effective Black Parenting Program
initially emerged. He lives with his wife, Mary, a Special Education
Teacher, and their daughters, Lisa and Brittany, in Sherman Oaks,
California.
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