Parent education programs are offered on a variety of topics and range from one-time workshops to multi-week series. Programs provide parents an opportunity to answer questions and develop new skills in a supportive and confidential environment. Starting in September 2022, classes will be held in a hybrid format, allowing participants to choose between attending classes in-person at our Laconia office or virtually, via Zoom, whichever is more convenient. Click Here for our complete winter schedule. Our classes are offered free of charge. On-going support groups via Zoom are also offered. Please look below for detailed descriptions of current and upcoming classes as well as other past programming that is likely to be offered again in the near future. To register, go to www.lrcs.org/parentedregistration/. To get more information on session dates, please call Tricia T. at (603) 528-0391 or email tricia.tousignant@lrcs.org.
“… I loved every class. I had a safe place to grow.” —Parent Education participant
Parenting Programs
Nurturing Skills
Daytime and Evening Sessions Available!
In this evidence-based program, parents will learn new beliefs, knowledge, and skills that improve their family’s overall level of functioning. The course is made up of four modules—Developing Empathy and Self-Awareness; Positive Discipline Practices and Techniques; Developing Personal Power and Keeping Kids Safe; and Understanding Children’s Growth and Development. Each module is made up of five to six classes, and incoming parents will be asked to participate in an orientation offered at the start of each module. Once orientation is complete, parents and other caregivers can choose to join us for one module or for the entire series.
Current sessions:
Developing Empathy & Self-Awareness
Class meets Thursdays from 10:00-11:30am -OR- 6:30-8:00pm, beginning March 9, 2023 (6 weeks)
*Hybrid Course: Participants can choose to attend in person at our office at 719 North Main St. Laconia OR via Zoom*
This Nurturing Skills Module helps caregivers better understand what empathy is, how it can build connection, and why it is important in nurturing children. Topics covered include recognizing & understanding feelings, helping children learn to cope with uncomfortable feelings, what happens in the brain when it is responding to stress, techniques for expressing anger, and healthy communication.
*For participants who attend in-person, dinner will be served at 6:00pm and on-site childcare may be available if reserved at the time of registration, space is limited.*
Positive Discipline Practices & Techniques
Class meets Thursdays from 10:00-11:30am -OR- 6:30-8:00pm, beginning May 4, 2023 (6 weeks)
*Hybrid Course: Participants can choose to attend in person at our office at 719 North Main St. Laconia OR via Zoom*
This Nurturing Skills Module focuses on discipline which is based on respect, empowerment, caring and cooperation. Learn the power of non-violent discipline practices and techniques including redirection as well as natural & logical consequences.
Developing Personal Power & Keeping Kids Safe
Summer 2023
This Nurturing Skills Module focuses on personal power and making good choices. Attendees will learn positive ways to manage behavior and examine choices that keep all members of the family safe and healthy. Additional topics to be covered will include children’s self-worth and handling power struggles.
Understanding Children’s Growth & Development
Fall 2023
This Nurturing Skills module focuses on creating a nurturing environment that stimulates children’s overall healthy development. Topics covered include brain development, developmental milestones, creating nurturing routines, and encouraging a growth mindset.
Nurture Hope
Class meets Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00pm, beginning February 8, 2023 (8 weeks)
*Hybrid Course: Participants can choose to attend in person at our office at 719 North Main St. Laconia OR via Zoom*
An educational series for parents with children who have special needs and health challenges, this program is designed to help families explore their hopes and fears, develop effective parenting skills, enhance communication, develop strategies for facing challenges and recognize opportunities for celebration. Topics include: appropriate parental expectations, empathic awareness of the feelings & needs of children, effective discipline strategies, family rules, effective communication, stress & coping techniques for parents & children, and personal power & independence.
*For participants who attend in-person, dinner will be served at 6:00pm and on-site childcare may be available if reserved at the time of registration, space is limited.*
Families in Recovery
Class meets Wednesdays from 6:00-7:30pm, beginning March 8, 2023 (17 weeks)
*Hybrid Course: Participants can choose to attend in person at our office at 719 North Main St. Laconia OR via Zoom*
Families in Recovery is a series designed to support parents and caregivers who are in recovery as they rebuild and strengthen their commitments to themselves and their families. Participants will engage in activities intended to heighten self-awareness and self-esteem, strengthen self-confidence, build healthy family relationships, and deepen their understanding of their children’s healthy development. In many cases, additional adults have important caregiving roles in the lives of children who have a parent experiencing Substance Use Disorder. Partners of parents in treatment or recovery, or extended family members who have stepped into a parenting role, for example, may also benefit from Families in Recovery and are welcome to participate. Classes will be facilitated by staff from Archways Community Resource Center and Navigating Recovery of the Lakes Region.
*For participants who attend in-person, dinner will be served at 6:00pm and on-site childcare may be available if reserved at the time of registration, space is limited.*
Tenant 101
Class meets Thursdays from 6:30-8:00pm, beginning March 30, 2023 (4 weeks)
*Hybrid Course: Participants can choose to attend in person at our office at 719 North Main St. Laconia OR via Zoom*
Do you have poor or negative landlord references? Do you want to work on changing them? Come learn how to be the best tenant you can be. Topics include what to look for in an apartment, how to complete a rental application, what to expect in an interview, evaluating whether or not an apartment is affordable, landlord/tenant rights, the eviction process, and being a good neighbor.
Active Parenting for Stepfamilies
Call for next session dates.
Learn how to create harmony & stability in your stepfamily while raising responsible, courageous children. Topics include: blending
family histories, traditions & values, coping with loss and encouraging healthy grieving, establishing parental authority using nonviolent
discipline techniques that work, improving communication and building new relationships based on respect & trust, teaching
responsibility, cooperation & other important values, preventing or stopping problems such as loyalty conflicts & power struggles and
setting boundaries that work for your whole family.
Active Parenting of Teens
Call for next session dates.
Active Parenting of Teens, a six-week series, will give parents of middle and high school students the guidance and support needed to turn the challenges of raising a teenager into opportunities for growth. Topics include: methods of respectful discipline, skills for clear, honest communication, strategies to prevent risky behavior, how to be an encouraging parent, and issues such as teens on-line, bullying and depression.
Cooking Matters for Families (Adults & Children Ages 6 & Up)
Call for next session dates.
Cooking & nutrition class brought to you by the NH Food Bank, UNH Extension Nutrition Connections, & Hannaford. Participants will receive groceries each week to practice their cooking skills. Topics covered will include making meals more nutritious, tips for grocery shopping, healthy & kid-friendly recipes, cooking skills for the family, & much more! Food will be prepared in class each week.
Cooperative Parenting and Divorce
Call for next session dates.
This program helps separated/divorced parents shield their children from parental conflict. Parents learn to guide their children through the process of recovery while establishing a cooperative long-term relationship with the other parent. This program educates parents on the impact their conflict has on their children, and teaches parents the practical skills they need to manage anger, increase impulse control, resolve conflict and talk to each other without arguing. While co-parents are welcome to take this class together, it is not required.
A Book Study of “The Explosive Child” by Ross Greene, PhD.
Call for next session dates.
Do you have a child who responds to routine problems with extreme frustration and outbursts that leave you feeling desperate for help? In his book, “The Explosive Child”, Dr. Ross Greene helps parents to understand why the strategies that work for other kids don’t work for theirs; and what to do instead. His research-based approach to addressing challenging behaviors is grounded in a collaborative and proactive problem-solving framework that gives children a voice and empowers them to be part of the solution rather than merely the recipient of a punishment.
One-Page Profiles
Call for next session dates.
Every child has unique strengths, learning styles, and needs. Help educators uncover what makes your child special by creating a one-page profile. No one knows your child better than you! Highlight what makes him shine and what kind of support is most helpful.
Parenting Journey
Call for next session dates.
A 12-week curriculum designed for parents who want to learn more about themselves, their relationships, and the resources they need to effectively parent their children. In a warm and nurturing environment, parents are supported and encouraged to care for themselves and each other while participating in a series of experiential exercises.
Parenting Journey II
Call for next session dates.
Parenting Journey II is designed for those who want to follow-up on what they learned in Parenting Journey I and/or Sober Parenting Journey. Building on strengths, participants will be guided to identify the steps needed to help them reach their dreams for their family’s future. Through a combination of hands-on activities and guided discussions, participants will learn how to set and achieve personal and family goals, and how to create and maintain positive new behaviors.
Parenting Journey in Recovery
Call for next session dates.
Addiction is complicated and difficult to overcome. Parents and caregivers in recovery face the additional challenge of building strong, positive relationships with their children while maintaining sobriety, which can be both rewarding and daunting. Parenting Journey in Recovery provides a valuable source of fellowship and support and enhances awareness of triggers that may bring about relapse. Personal recovery, accountability, positive actions, and hard work are only some of the topics discussed by group members. Participants in this class should have at least 90 days sobriety prior to the start of the class.
Parenting a Second Time Around
Call for next session dates.
This series is intended to support grandparents and other relatives who are parenting…again! Topics include: child development, discipline & guidance, caring for yourself as a caregiver, rebuilding a family, living with teens, legal issues and advocacy.
Parenting with Resilience
Call for next session dates.
Learn about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) and how trauma can effe
ct children’s development and behavior. Caregivers will learn strategies to build their own ability to persevere through tough times, as well as techniques for encouraging resilience in children.
Positive Solutions for Families
Call for next session dates.
Designed for parents of preschool-aged children (2 and-a-half to 5 years), participants will learn how to promote children’s social & emotional skills, understand children’s problem behavior, and use positive approaches to help children learn appropriate behavior. Topics include: building relationships, play, clear expectations, managing emotions, promoting positive behavior & building routines.
The Right Question
Call for next session dates.
Enhance your ability to partner with educators on your child’s behalf. Sharpen your ability to generate questions and participate effectively in decisions using the “Question Formulation Technique”. These skills will strengthen your ability to support, monitor, and advocate for your child.
A Book Study of “Siblings Without Rivalry” by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish
Call for next session dates.
For many parents, sibling rivalry can be one of the biggest and most continuous challenges we face. Learn more about what leads brothers and sisters to interact in the ways that they do. Get tips for empowering children to change their relationships for the better.
The Whole Brain Child
Call for next session dates.
Based on the New York Times Bestseller by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson, this class will cover twelve revolutionary strategies to nurture your child’s developing mind. Learn the science of how a child’s brain is wired, how it matures and how you can apply this knowledge to everyday parenting. The Whole Brain Child will teach you how to cultivate healthy emotional and intellectual development so that your children can lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives.
Your Money, Your Goals
Call for next session dates.
This 9-week series will help participants learn strategies to better manage their money, increase financial fitness, and meet personal financial goals. Topics covered include: generating and protecting your income, understanding credit, banking basics, smart borrowing, safe debt management, & understanding taxes.
Ongoing Programs & Support Groups
Family Ties Inside Out Support Group for Children with Incarcerated Parents & Their Caregivers
Groups offered at various dates & times, see flyer in link above.
Incarceration affects the whole family. Children of incarcerated parents and their caregivers need support. The Family Ties Inside Out Project is here to help with a number of new virtual support groups. Groups will be offered for preschool-aged children (3-4 years); elementary school children (5-9 years); middle schoolers (10-13 years), high schoolers (14-18 years) and adult caregivers.
Children of incarcerated parents and their caregivers need to know they’re not alone! Join us for a safe place to feel supported, offer understanding to others, process feelings and learn how to cope with them. Children’s groups will do all of this through games, stories & other playful activities appropriate for their developmental level.
All support groups will be held via Zoom. All participants will receive a $20 Walmart Gift Card for each session they attend.
Kinship Caregiver Support Group
Meets on the last Monday of each month from 12:00-1:00pm.
Parenting is tough; parenting a second time can be even harder. This group aims to bring grandparents and other relative caregivers together to celebrate successes, mourn losses, problem solve for the hard times, and give support to one another. We hope you can join us to hear from other kinship caregivers and learn more about resources and opportunities that are available in your community. This program is sponsored by the Family Resource Center of Central NH and the Greater Tilton Area Family Resource Center.
Family Leadership Council
Are you interested in providing valuable input and playing an important role in enhancing the supports offered through the Family Resource Center? Please consider joining the Family Leadership Council. The Council consists of parents, grandparents, and other caregivers that have been or are currently being supported by the FRC. Members are called upon to assist staff with family events, advocacy, and outreach. We look forward to hearing from you.
For more information, call Alyssa at 581-1577 or email alyssa.tandy@lrcs.org.