Parenting is the most important job we will ever face, yet there is no real training for it. We started Kid-Formation so we could learn the skills necessary to raise healthy, happy children and share our continuing education with other parents in our community.
– Jen O'Brien, co-founder, Kid-Formation
MISSION
The founders of Kid-Formation believe that by raising healthy, happy children, we strengthen families and thus enrich our communities. Kid-Formation is committed to educating and supporting parents through workshops where they can acquire simple, common-sense parenting strategies easily applied at home. These workshops are conducted by the most highly respected professionals in pediatric medicine, child development and family therapy, among other disciplines.
Among the issues addressed are children's eating and sleeping habits; handling aggressive behavior; sibling relationships; structure and positive discipline; fostering self-esteem; toilet training and personal habits; respect, compassion and cooperation; school and social relationships; separation anxiety; prenatal care and caring for a newborn; communicating with teenagers; financial planning for college and other family goals; and the transition of children leaving home.
Kid-Formation's long-term goals include expanding its workshop program to communities throughout the U.S. Moreover, the group seeks to establish meeting places for parents; spearhead community-service projects in which parents and their children participate together; serve as a resource center for parents; and promote the programs of like-minded organizations. As with Kid-Formation's signature workshops, these initiatives will empower parents by providing them with the tools they need to help their children make their way in the world.
"Brains & Behavior: Making Sense Out of Childhood Behavior" (December 2006), featuring "The Parenting Doctor," Ann Corwin, Ph.D., parenting consultant and child-development educator.
"Temperament: Every Child Is Unique" (November 2006), featuring Ani Shabazian, Ph.D., Director of Infant Development, UCLA.
"The Healthiest Kid on the Block" (October 2006), featuring pediatrician Dr. Bob Sears, author of Father's First Steps: 25 Things Every New Dad Should Know.
ABOUT KID-FORMATION
Kid-Formation is a nonprofit* organization that offers parenting workshops to parents with children of all ages. These monthly learning opportunities are conducted by leaders in child development and related fields. Based in Anaheim, Calif., Kid-Formation was founded in 2006 by sisters-in-law Christina Earle and Jen O'Brien, who, after years in the workplace, were looking for a way to stay home with their kids, enhance their parenting skills and contribute to their community. Kid-Formation is Earle and O'Brien's way of educating themselves and their fellow parents in the art and science of parenting.
