In an effort to provide support to parents in the South Region of San Diego County, the Sweetwater Union High School District and Community Outreach at UC San Diego Extension are offering “Parent University”, a certification program made up of a series of free workshops for parents and caregivers focused on navigating the challenges of learning at home during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
With more than 200 participants attending the first workshop, “Fundamentals of Brain-Compatible Learning for Parents”, Griselda Delgado, Director of State and Federal Programs says there’s one commonality parents attending these workshops have. “I’ve spoken to so many parents in our community whose dreams and aspirations went unfulfilled. Many of them have sacrificed their career dreams for their children for various reasons,” said Delgado. “I believe this is something that’s not only honorable, but inspiring. With that, I felt the need to help develop this program for parents, to focus on themselves for once.”
Sweetwater District Interim Superintendent and UCSD Alumni Dr. Moises Aguirre opened the inaugural event, welcoming participants and expressing his appreciation on the significance of this partnership. “I wanted to take a moment to welcome and encourage everyone to strengthen this partnership, to ensure that our community down here in the South Bay knows that the university is accessible and it is here to provide education, service and research to our entire community,” said Dr. Aguirre.
The Parent University concept stems from the districts State and Federal Programs annual Parent Symposium that launched three years ago. Due to the pandemic, Delgado and her team developed Parent University, for district parents to have an opportunity to earn a unique certification to gain 21st century skills in a competitive job market.
Dr. Morgan Appel, Assistant Dean of Education and Community Outreach UCSD served as the keynote for the “Fundamentals of Brain-Compatible Learning for Parents” workshop. According to Delgado, parents posed nearly fifty questions during the webinar and Dr. Appel answered each question individually.
In addition, the webinar was open to parents from in neighboring elementary school districts. According to Delgado, she believes parents begin educating their children early, and they begin to model to their children the importance of education. “I believe extending this invitation to our feeder districts helps parents build more confidence at home, but also in their future,” said Delgado.
The next three Parent University Webinar Workshops include:
- Social and Emotional Learning and Stress Reduction
- Creating and Maintaining an Effective Environment for Learning at Home
- Supporting Essential Skills for the 21st Century: A Guide for Parents
For more information and to register, visit: ola.sweetwaterschools.org