Parenting University is a collaboration of community-based organizations, parents, healthcare providers, the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), City of Oakland, and individuals committed to supporting Oakland parents in their roles as their children's teachers. Community-based organizations include the MAFEI (as coordinating partner), Oakland Unified School District, Oakland Ready to Learn, Safe Passages, Oakland Parents Together, Head Start, HEROES/Volunteer Center of Alameda County, Family Resource Network, and Harambe.

Parenting University workshops include free meals, engaging childcare, and incentives to attend.

Goal and Objectives:
The goal of Parenting University is to strengthen the role of parents as their children's first and best teachers and strongest educational advocates. Objectives for the next year include: providing parents with information regarding school readiness; facilitating parents' identification of learning goals specific to their children's needs; supporting the management of challenging behavior; and helping parents understand testing and standards.

Methods:
Parenting University is a dynamic collaborative that continuously assesses its programming to ensure strong relevance to the target communities. Based on participant feedback and involvement of experts in such fields as education and psychology, the collaborative has designed a curriculum that includes such topics as:

• Communicating with Your Child
• Supporting Your Child's Learning
• Managing Challenging Behavior
• Setting Limits with Adolescents
• Understanding Testing Standards
• Asking the Right Questions to Help Your Child in School
• Parents' Rights
• Basic Computer Skills

Parent University ensures accessibility for all Oakland families. For example, interpreters are available at every workshop. Over the past year, the Spanish, Chinese (both Mandarin and Cantonese), and Vietnamese translators were put to work at every session. Another way that Parenting University enables accessibility is by providing childcare during all parent workshops. The childcare programs engage children in a variety of literacy, performing and visual arts, and craft activities.

To make Parenting University even more fun and engaging for Oakland families, the collaborating agencies provide meals and a variety of incentives. For example, MAFEI holds a drawing for a free, refurbished computer at each session. All sessions provide books and other learning materials that parents can use in the home with their children.

To sign up for Parent University, use the registration form below or call (510) 893-4822.

For parents with young children 0 to 5 years of age call (510) 835-0391.