Schools
Classes for Parents of Troubled Teens Have Spots Available
The Parent Project classes in San Lorenzo provide parents with specific strategies to combat the destructive behavior of difficult or out-of-control teens.
The San Lorenzo Unified School District will host two courses in October aimed at empowering parents of problem teens.
The national organization The Parent Project created the courses and has been instructing parents for 13 years. Parents with children 11 to 19-years-old can take part in the Parent Project Senior classes to learn effective prevention, identification and intervention techniques.
Some of the topics discussed during the classes are poor school attendance and performance, gangs, runaways, violent teens, alcohol and other drug use.
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This is the third year the district has offered the 10-week Parent Project courses. The courses are offered in both English and Spanish and will begin on Oct. 4 and 5 (please scroll down for more details).
Linda Freccero, student support services counselor for San Lorenzo Unified School District, researched the Parent Project classes taught in Fremont and Castro Valley and underwent a 40-hour certification course in order to start instructing parents in San Lorenzo. Now, the district has six certified trainers.
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Initially, Classes were only taught in English. But with nearly 40 percent of Spanish-speaking students in the district, Spanish classes were added.
As a result, Spanish-speaking parents travel to San Lorenzo from as far as Pittsburg, said Laura Low, the district's translator/interpreter.
Low said that parents have thanked her after the completion of previous classes because their families have made drastic positive changes.
“Kids notice the difference in their parents,” Low said. “Parents on the verge of violence turned the situation around to a caring home. By the end of the course the child would go home after school and prepare dinner to help their parent [so they could go to] class.”
There is a one-time fee of $25 for San Lorenzo Unified School District residents and $50 for non-residents. Both Freccero and Low said the fees are low compared to nearby communities that charge $50 to $200 per parent. The fees help pay for materials that parents will be given and will be able to keep.
From the first day of class, the group of usually 15 to 20 parents will learn techniques and be given homework to try over the next week. At the next class the parents will discuss how the techniques worked.
Freccero and Low said the program can help parents if they are consistent in using the techniques learned in class. For maximum benefit, the instructors urge that both mother and father and sometimes grandparents be enrolled in the course.
“If parents do it, it works.” Freccero said. “If they don’t, nothing is going to change.”
Sometimes during a class, questions and situations emerge that require additional outside help. Freccero said she would like to hear from any community organizations that offer counseling and could assist in these situations.
Low said using the tools from the Parent Project will only take parents so far. The most important component parents need in order to succeed in the program is something she cannot teach.
“You must love your children,” she said.
Parent Project Sr. Classes (English)
When: Oct. 5 to Dec. 14 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: 15510 Usher St., San Lorenzo.
Fee: $25 for San Lorenzo Unified School District residents, $50 for non-residents
Details: Light dinner provided
Contact: Linda Freccero, lfreccero@slzusd.org, at 510-317-4763.
Pre-register at parentproject.com
Parent Project Sr. Classes (Spanish)
When: Oct. 4 to Dec. 13 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: 15510 Usher St., San Lorenzo.
Fee: $25 for San Lorenzo Unified School District residents, $50 for non-residents
Details: Dinner provided
Contact: Laura Low, llow@slzusd.org, 510-317-4740
Pre-register at parentproject.com
Parent Project Jr., Loving Solutions classes also offered
Parents of 5- to 10-year-olds can take part in the Parent Project Jr., Loving Solutions classes. This program offers special applications for parents of a child with attention deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD). For more information, see parentproject.com
Languages spoken in the San Lorenzo Unified School District
Total number of students in San Lorenzo Unified School District: 11,324
English speakers: 44 percent
Spanish speakers: 39 percent
Cantonese speakers: 6 percent
Tagalog: 5 percent
Vietnamese: 2 percent
+ 32 other languages not statistically significant (< 1 percent)