[Archived] Innovative Parent Leadership Program Aims To Empower Alexandria Families

City Press Release


	For Immediate Release	For More Information, Contact
	September 19, 2006 PIO# 212-06/jbh	Brian Hannigan, Director of Communications, or Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300 Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300

Innovative Parent Leadership Program
Aims To Empower Alexandria Families
Partnership to Replicate Successful Connecticut Effort

An intensive, twenty-week “civics lesson” course that has won widespread praise for empowering Connecticut parents to become effective advocates for their children and families will begin its first session in Alexandria this fall under the leadership of former City Council member Joyce Woodson.

Enrollment is now underway for Alexandria’s first Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI), a partnership between the City of Alexandria and Hopkins House, the Alexandria nonprofit agency that has provided educational programs and services to disadvantaged children and families since 1939. The program is open to all regardless of familial status, with registration limited to 25 participants.

Tuition for the program is free and dinner will be served to participants prior to each week’s evening session. All sessions will take place at Minnie Howard School, 3801 West Braddock Road. Spanish translation and childcare will also be provided. The Alexandria Department of Human Services is coordinating the City’s involvement in the program.

The Alexandria PLTI program, modeled after the successful Connecticut Commission on Children program, is a direct result of Woodson’s efforts to bring the program to Alexandria. She first heard about the program at a 2003 National League of Cities seminar presented by the Connecticut Commission on Children.

“Knowledge is power,” said Woodson, “and for too long, many parents have lacked the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective advocates for children. The Parent Leadership Training Initiative will empower motivated parents to become effective change agents in Alexandria. The PLTI course will graduate informed parents who will use democracy tools to participate more fully in community and school life.”

Woodson retired from City Council in July after serving two-three-year terms. She and her husband, attorney S. Howard Woodson, III, are longtime community advocates. Howard Woodson currently serves as president of the Alexandria NAACP.

Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille supports Woodson’s effort and believes Alexandria is ready for such a program. “All parents want to be good parents”, said Mayor Euille, “and they are deeply concerned about the impact the schools and other community institutions and programs have on their children. Many want to participate, but are held back by a basic lack of understanding about how these institutions work and how to be effective within them. The Parent Leadership Training Institute is exactly what Alexandria needs for our community to reach a new level of productive family involvement.”

The 20-week series of programs includes such topics as:
� Social and Economic Trends Affecting Children and Families
� Parents as Change Agents
� Learning How a City and State Works
� The Life Cycle of the Child and Functions of the Family, and
� Using Your Voice

“We know that children learn best when their parents are able to play four key roles in the learning process,” said Woodson. “As teachers, they help their children at home. As supporters, they contribute their skills to schools and other community groups. As advocates, they ensure their children receive fair treatment. And as decision-makers, they participate in problem solving at every level. PTLI will empower more Alexandria parents to succeed in these important ways.”

While PLTI’s primary focus is on developing parents’ abilities to advocate effectively for children, previous programs in Connecticut have also resulted in the creation of new generations of activists who continue on in leadership roles in their own neighborhoods and communities – even running for local elective office. “The Parent Leadership Training Institute will create a lasting legacy of productive involvement for the City of Alexandria,” said Woodson.

For application and other information, contact PLTI program coordinator, Fay Slotnick, at 703-739-0233 or info@plti-alex.org or visit the website at www.plti-alex.org.

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