Conscious Discipline training available for parents, caregivers

By Jenna Wilson

The United Way Success by 6 team is offering new tools to parents and caregivers with a set of monthly sessions centered around a specific type of discipline.

Success by 6 is a year-round program that aims to prepare children to be successful before they get to kindergarten. The new series, “Raising Children with Conscious Discipline,” will cover topics like cooperation, creating healthy habits and consequences.

The sessions in January, February and March will provide primary caregivers, as well as teachers, guidance on ways to properly implement Conscious Discipline in their homes and classrooms.

“The philosophy we’re focusing on is a bit of a different shift,” said Bobbie Cronk, director of children’s initiatives for the United Way. “It takes a shift in how you’re thinking about discipline to help caregivers realize that discipline is not something that we do to a child, it’s something we create within a child. The idea is that when your child is not in your presence, they’re able to make good decisions, regulate their emotions and set firm boundaries.”

Leaders want to emphasize the importance of this program for parents, as it can play a key role in shaping the next generation.

“This is about the community coming together to make a difference in the lives of young kids,” Cronk said. “We know that if we invest in someone when they’re very young, like even before birth, they’re going to have a much higher chance of being successful later in life and being able to reach their full potential. Not only are we building better people, better children and better adults, but we’re making our day-to-day life more comfortable.”

Registration is open for the first session, which will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at Wyatt Park Christian Church.

For more information on the Success by 6 program, visit the United Way’s website at www.stjosephunitedway.org/.