The parent education program at Horizon Hills is in danger of closing due to budget cuts. I’m writing to explain why we desperately need this unique, valuable program to remain open in Conejo Valley.

One specific reason is the importance of parent education. About 700 families have babies and children at Horizon Hills (HH). You can start by taking a weekly class with your baby and learn about breast-feeding, sibling rivalry, coping as a new parent and using a baby carrier safely. It’s also a unique place for parents to share ideas and offer support to each other.

HH has classes for you and your child at every stage through age 5. As your infant becomes a toddler, you can take a new weekly class where you learn how to handle the challenges and joys of that stage in your child’s life. Next comes the “Parenting the 2-year-old” class, and after that you choose one of many play-based parent participation preschool classes. Many HH families form close friendships that last for years.

Parent education is vital. We all want to be great parents!

But we have no experience in parenting until our children are already grown.

With parental education in schools, however, teachers and experts teach us skills to use right away with our children. At HH, parents attend small group discussions led by teachers, observe students in classrooms and attend lectures in the program’s “Parent Talk” series. The result is parents who are confident and educated in understanding their children’s behavior.

We, as parents, are the role models who most strongly influence our children’s behavior. When we’re directly taught by experts how to parent successfully, we can, in turn, produce children who are polite, respectful, calm, patient and emotionally intelligent.

Daily, successful interactions with our children add up until we start to see our children mirroring these behaviors. Our children grow up and model these behaviors for their spouses, managers and their own children.

Let’s keep educating these parents and keep this cycle going. Conejo Valley Unified School District board members should keep this program alive.
Jennifer Jones
Newbury Park