Dr. Kirby T. Alvy, founder of the Center for the Improvement of Child Caring and
Author of
The Positive Parent, gives us the scoop on everything we need to know about NEPI
~ the National Effective Parenting Initiative. Let’s hear what he has to
say!
Just Mommies: Thanks for joining us today. When did you first
get involved with children and parenting programs?
Dr. Alvy: I’ve always loved children, even as a child.
I was actually an uncle at 9 years old! I was so excited that I gave out bubble
gum cigars to the kids at my elementary school. After I got my undergraduate
degree, I was working at Juvenile Hall for many years and I was just struck
by how many kids were abused and hurt by their parents. I couldn’t sleep
for weeks, trying to figure out how that could happen. How could some parents
be so abusive and cruel to their children? That started me thinking about how
we should be doing more for parents, so this doesn’t continue to happen.
One of the things that I did at that time, was I went back to school and ended
up getting a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and started to do therapy. And
then it dawned on me ~ why weren’t we training parents to be better at
raising their kids? I had just been trained on how to relate to children in
very productive ways, so why weren’t we training the parents, themselves?
That’s how I started to get into the whole area of parenting education
and training. It just seemed foolish that the people who are with children and
have so much impact on their development, are not getting trained and educated.
All of that led me to create the Center for the Improvement of Child Caring,
about 3 decades ago… and then more recently, I started the National Effective
Parenting Initiative (NEPI). It’s my way of helping all kids get the gift
of effective parenting.
Just Mommies: That sounds like an amazing organization. Tell
us more about NEPI.
Dr. Alvy: We strive to prevent the abuse and neglect of all
children. NEPI is a membership organization for parents, professionals who help
train parents, and for organizations that are involved in educating and supporting
parents. It’s time in this country for all parents to get the type of
education and support that they need and deserve because they are doing the
most important job in any society- raising the young. And it’s much easier
to do that job when you have the proper training and resources. NEPI is designed
to give parents that support and make our entire society aware that it is in
our best interest to educate the parents of America.
Just Mommies: How do we get involved?
Dr. Alvy: NEPI has different membership
programs, each with its own set of benefits and responsibilities.
The programs for parents, provide moms and dads with
free parenting guides, written by the foremost parenting
authorities in America. It gives them regular online
ideas on how to be positive parents. There is a newsletter
that parents get, discounts on the latest parenting
education books, DVDs, seminars and classes. It’s
a terrific program! Parents should be flocking to be
members of NEPI, because they are going to get so many
valuable resources that help them be better moms and
dads. Now, the professionals who help parents, and the
organizations that become members will also learn how
they can be more effective in promoting positive parenting
practices. With NEPI, everybody is working together
to make it the right of every child to be raised by
effective and sensitive parents, who receive the best
possible parenting education and support. Please visit
www.ciccparenting.org
for more info.
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