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Ad Council Report Suggests Resources for Parenting Support

Changes in modern society have made parenting more challenging than ever. In our increasingly mobile society, for example, most people live far away from immediate family members--such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and others--with the result that children have fewer trustworthy adults they can turn to when they seek help and advice. Rising living costs and other economic factors have caused many caregivers to work longer and harder hours. These and other changes in society have served to distance children from traditional support mechanisms, and created new and more complex challenges for parents and other caregivers.

Where can caregivers turn for parenting support? Prevention Alert Volume 2, Number 6 highlighted the Ad Council Report, The Greatest Gifts We Can Give Our Children (which appeared as an insert in the June 1998 issue of Reader’s Digest). The Ad Council Report also provided many valuable suggestions about where caregivers can turn for support, information, and other resources. Below is a partial list of some parenting resources.

Books on Parenting. Parents and other caregivers may find helpful advice in the following books by parenting experts:

The War against Parents: What We Can Do for America’s Beleaguered Moms and Dads, by Sylvia Ann Hewlett, founder of the National Parenting Association, and Cornel West, professor of Afro-American Studies at Princeton University

The New Father Book: What Every Man Needs to Know to Be a Good Dad, by Wade F. Horn, president of the National Fatherhood Initiative

The Answer Is No: Saying It and Sticking to It, by Cynthia Whitham, MSW, a therapist at the UCLA Parent Training and Children’s Social Skills Program

The Preschool Years: Family Strategies That Work--From Experts and Parents, by Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of the Families and Work Institute

Planning: The Key to Meeting the Challenge of Parenting, by Harriet Heath, Ph.D.

The Intentional Family: How to Build Family Ties in Our Modern World, by William J. Doherty, Ph.D.

Educational resources. Parents can draw on a number of resources to help their children get a head start in school. In addition to reading with their children daily, they can look into free reading programs that may be offered at local libraries and schools. Other organizations can help as well. The Education Excellence Partnership, at 1-800-38-BE-SMART, offers a range of information on academic issues, including the brochure, "Strengthening Your Child’s Academic Future." Gender Equity in Education/Women’s College Coalition, at 1-800-WCC-4GIRLS or www.academic.org, offers a handbook on supporting girls’ academic achievement. The United Negro College Fund, at 1-800-331-2244, helps fulfill the dreams of deserving students by closing the gap between the cost of college and what caregivers can afford.

Community service. By volunteering with children, or at least encouraging children to volunteer, caregivers can help foster a sense of responsibility and concern for others. For more information on connecting children and teens to appropriate volunteer programs, contact the National 4-H Club at 1-888-77-YOUTH and the Points of Light Foundation at 1-800-VOLUNTEER or www.pointsoflight.org.

Parenting education programs. Parents and caregivers who want more formal training should check to see whether any local community organizations sponsor free parenting classes. They can find programs in their area by contacting the Family Resource Coalition of America at 20 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 1100, Chicago, IL 60606 or by calling 1-312-338-0900. They can get a state-by-state list of available programs, as well as 10 tips for promoting children’s healthy development, by calling the organization I Am Your Child at 1-888-447-3400 or visiting www.iamyourchild.org.

For reprints of the entire insert, contact Reader’s Digest Special Services at 1-800-840-9020 or visit their Web site at http://www.readersdigest.com/custserv/MagazinInq/BackIssu.aspx. For more information about the Ad Council’s family-focused initiatives, contact them at (212) 922-1500 or visit them online at www.adcouncil.org. The SAMHSA-sponsored National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-729-6686 (TDD: 1-800-487-4889) or http://ncadi.samhsa.gov also offers information on effective parenting that can help prevent youth substance abuse.

To receive a complimentary copy of this PreventionAlert, call SAMSHA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) @ 1-800-729-6686, TDD 1-800-487-4889 (for the hearing impaired.) PREVENTIONAlert is supported by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and may be copied without permission with appropriate citation. For information about PREVENTIONAlert, please contact CSAP by phone (301) 443-0581 or e-mail gensley@samhsa.gov

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