How is this different than a good parenting book?
While I love reading great parenting books, this is not really meant to be like a book that a parent or teacher reads and simply puts back on the shelf. Make Words Matter is a comprehensive program aimed to go beyond just the reading of material. My vision is to really engage parents and teachers in the process of change, starting with mindfulness of your current perspective, then re-connection with your child, and the development of new skills. In this process, I challenge parents with thoughtful reflective exercises, quizzes to check for knowledge gaps, and recommendations for daily practice. Another big difference between this program and a book is the opportunity for parents to upload videos of themselves engaging in the new skills we teach and then getting individualized feedback on their performance. This ensures you are taking what you are learning and applying it to your life. It helps hold you accountable to what you are learning. And finally, at the end of the program, you receive a .pdf file of YOUR personalized training manual. As you upload your reflections throughout the training program, our team will combine your reflections with the rest of the material from the training so you can have the materials as a resource to use for as long as you wish!
I have a child who isn’t horribly behaved; just a few minor issues here and there. Is this program for me?
YES! This program is intended for any parent or teacher who wishes to be more intentional about his or her communication to be a better parent or caregiver. While most of the Make Words Matter content is universal, there will be some things that only apply to certain situations. But what I have found in practice is that if it doesn’t apply to you now, it might in the future!
How long will this take?
The program is available to you for 60 days. I recommend working through it over the course of the 2 months, engaging in the material once or twice a week for 6-8 weeks.
I am a foster parent or court-ordered parent. How many hours of credit will I receive?
At the completion of training, all participants will get a certificate of completion (including your proficiency level on quizzes and video uploads if applicable) for 20 hours.
Will I receive a certificate?
YES! At the completion of training, all participants will get a certificate of completion (including your proficiency level on quizzes and video uploads if applicable) for 20 hours.
What kind of feedback will I get on the videos I upload? Will you be judging the cleanliness of my house?
No. We will not be judging the cleanliness of your home! We all have children of our own and understand the difficulty of managing household chores! The feedback you get will be specifically related to the skills you are practicing. For each video upload (there are 6 essential skills that include the opportunity for video upload), you will receive very specific instructions and a rubric that will be used for giving feedback. Prior to uploading, you will also do a self-assessment with that same rubric to give you a good idea of what the feedback will be.
**As an aside, we are mandatory reporters of any type of abuse or neglect. Should any abuse or neglect come forth in videos, it is our job to make sure all children are safe and a report to the appropriate authorities will be made if abuse is observed on videos.
Will you come to my city to do a training?
Beth does travel to do local training for organizations who are interested. Please contact us with the “Contact us” page for more information. Make Words Matter is also offered twice a year in Muncie, IN; once in the summer and once in the winter. Please see our “Upcoming Events” page for more information about local training opportunities.