After several years of hard work, Mercer Island Youth and Family Services (MIYFS) lead by Michelle Ritter has partnered with the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University under the leadership of Annmarie MacMahill with support from Confident Parents, Confident Kids’ authors Jennifer Miller and Shannon Wanless to create a parenting online resource called http://www.ParentingMercerIsland.org.

The project provides tools and information for parents and caregivers to find age-appropriate supports and a process to build life skills when responding to some of their greatest parenting challenges. The tools span the ages of birth through the teen years.

Parents and caregivers can access tools to address everyday parenting challenges by age and issue. Tools are based on an easy-to-use five-step process, including actions to take and the words to say to engage children. Topics include: listening, bullying, confidence, empathy, conflict, child trauma, discipline, empathy, establishing rules about alcohol and more.

The online resource also includes in-depth information on various topics in the “I Want to Know More” resources that focus on communication, development, discipline, parenting process, relationships and risky behavior.

Last year, a small study examined parents who used the tools. It found that children improved in each of the core five social and emotional competencies over a six month period. Notably, those parents also improved their skills on each of the five social and emotional competency areas during that same six month period. We hope this will be the first of many communities to replicate this model as we create more opportunities for states, cities, and communities to adopt and adapt these resources. Check out https://toolsforyourchildssuccess.org for more! Congratulations Mercer Island!

Check it out…