Kathy's Page |
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I am a licensed Parent Educator and Elementary Teacher. In addition, I am a certified Parent Coach through Concordia College, and am trained in the following parenting curriculums: Parenting the Love and Logic Way; Circles of Security; Say Yes To No; Incredible Years for Parents. Prior to Hill City I worked as the Childcare Director at the Itasca Family YMCA for 11 years. Being a parent is the most important, and often the most challenging, job you will ever have. As the Hill City Parent Educator I hope to support you in this tremendously important journey!
My experience as a mom, step mom, and now a grandma has provided me many opportunities to practice my parenting skills. It has also helped me realize that no one can be a perfect parent! We all come to parenting with personal experiences and beliefs about what a parent is and "should be". Then the reality of parenting the child you have, versus the child you thought you would have, may change your world. Having support, as a parent, is vital! However, our society has changed so much, people spend more time away from home, and may have little time with extended family. Technology use, safety issues of letting children out to play alone, and working more hours also have changed dramatically over the years. All this affects the way we parent and the support systems we have (or don't have.)
The second piece of my position at Hill City is as the Early Childhood Coordinator. As coordinator I help set up programming, connect parents with programs and services as needed, schedule screenings, enroll children, perform child assessments, write grants and reports to ensure programs are meeting the needs of our children, and work with budgets. If you have any questions I will be glad to answer them, or connect you to someone who can.