The Parenting Education and Support (PEAS) program announces its schedule of parenting classes beginning January 30th and running through April 16th.  All classes will take place on Tuesday evenings and will include the following programs: 

• Incredible Years, for parents with children ages 3 to 11,
• Staying Connected with Your Kids, a class for parents with children ages 12 to 17,
• Incredible Years for Spanish speaking parents. 

All classes will be held at the Boys & Girls Club at The Simms School, 620 Simms Avenue, Harrisonburg, To register, please call RMH HealthSource at 433 4580 or 800-433-4580.

In 2006, the PEAS program completed its 17th parenting class since its inception in 2001.  During the past year, PEAS offered 3 Incredible Years classes with 66 parents graduating. These parents were given the tools and skills they need to prevent or reduce conduct and behavior problems and promote social, emotional, and academic competence in their children.  Also offered were 3 classes of Staying Connected with Your Teen, formally Parents Who Care, with 32 parents attending and a nearly 90% graduation rate. 

Last year also marked the first Incredible Years program for Spanish speaking parents.  To meet the needs of the Spanish speaking parents, the Incredible Years class and Familias Fuertes class were combined to offer a program for parents with children ages 3 to 17 with 24 parents graduating in 2006. 

While parents attend parenting classes, the PEAS programs provide programs for their children.  In 2006, PEAS was able to positively impact over 100 children ages 3 to 17 while their parents attend PEAS programs.  Each age group of children participates in programs pertinent to their age.  For youth age 6 to 17, they participate in programs based on the Boys and Girls Club’s SMART Moves curriculum.  For children ages 3 to 5 years, they participate in the Ready to Learn program focusing on early literacy education, such as numbers, colors, and shapes.