Parenting Young Children
The Up Center has several programs that help parents mold the rapid growth and development that occurs in a child’s earliest years, greatly improving the child’s chance of success.

• Resource Mothers – A program that helps teenage parents by providing health and wellness education and parental support. (make titles link to the subject in the Early Childhood page)
  
• Healthy Families - A program designed for first-time parents that teaches about child development and connects parents with important community resources such as job training programs.
  
• Parents As Teachers - A program for parents with children three years of age and younger, including newborns. It uses home visits and group meetings to help parents ensure their children reach their full potential.
  
• Systematic Training For Effective Parenting (STEP) - A seven-week program for parents of children ages one to six. It teaches parents how to boost their child’s self-esteem, open the lines of communication and implement effective discipline techniques.
  

Improving School Performance
Families and Schools Together (FAST) strengthens family bonds and improves parents’ relationships with their child’s school. Once per week for eight weeks, families gather at preschools and elementary schools to play games and share experiences with other families over dinner. FAST is free and is especially beneficial to children at risk for school drop-out or substance abuse. To learn more about this national model program, contact us or visit www.fastnational.org

Avoiding Drugs and Alcohol
Through family communication, improved resistance skills (“just saying no”), and parental involvement, Creating Lasting Family Connections (CLFC) gives children and adolescents the tools they need to avoid drugs, tobacco and alcohol. This program is free and is offered to children and their parents at selected public schools.