Once again, Mercer Island is the beneficiary of visionary leadership in social and emotional wellness services for skills-building and support with the newly developed website: ParentingMercerIsland.org.
Parenting Mercer Island provides Mercer Island families with the tools to build the skills children need to be confident, resilient, and make healthy choices.
Mercer Island Youth and Family Services (MIYFS) led by Prevention Programs Coordinator, Michelle Ritter, spent years of diligent work, partnering with the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University under the leadership of Annmarie MacMahill with support from Confident Parents, Confident Kids’ authors Jennifer Miller and Shannon Wanless to create a parenting online resource: http://www.ParentingMercerIsland.org, with funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Parents and caregivers can access tools to address everyday parenting challenges by child’s age and issue. Tools are based on an easy-to-use five-step process, including actions to take and the words to say to engage children. Topics include: listening, bullying, confidence, empathy, conflict, child trauma, discipline, empathy, establishing rules about alcohol and more.
The online resource also includes in-depth information on various topics in the “I Want to Know More” resources that focus on communication, development, discipline, parenting process, relationships and risky behavior.
Last year, a small study examined parents who used the tools. It found that children improved in each of the core five social and emotional competencies over a six-month period. Notably, those parents also improved their skills on each of the five social and emotional competency areas during that same six-month period.
MIYFS human services professionals are here to support the social and emotional wellbeing of Islanders of all ages, abilities and backgrounds by providing assistance that is tailored to specific needs and circumstances. Working together, we make it possible for Mercer Island to continue to be a vibrant place to live, work and play.
MIYFS is dedicated to helping Islanders grow, thrive and contribute to community.