- Meramec Elementary School
- Overview
Speaker Series Invests in Parent Education
The School District of Clayton recognizes the integral role that parents play in the academic and personal lives of their children. Learning doesn’t stop when school dismisses each day; parents are critical to the continuation of their children’s learning outside of the District’s classrooms.
There are few jobs as challenging as being a parent. To support the needs of Clayton families, the District provides parent educators who have special training in child development, mental health and wellness, brain development, learning styles, temperament issues and much more. These professionals support parents through the Parents As Teachers program when their children are under the age of 5 and for families with older children, through parent coaching and workshops offered by the District’s coordinator of parenting education, Jani Holyan. In addition to being a certified parent educator, Holyan is also a trained family therapist and holds certifications to administer both the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and the Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children.
Through a new component to the parenting education program this school year, parents across the District have been gathering in the evenings to learn how to become better problem solvers with their children, how to help their children safely use social media and how to set boundaries with their children about alcohol. These topics - plus many more - are the centerpiece of the District’s new parent speaker series.
“We launched the speaker series this year because we believe that when parents are invested in their own learning, it impacts children in a positive way,” said Superintendent Dr. Sean Doherty. “We are committed to providing parents with opportunities to strengthen their skills beyond their day-to-day experiential learning as a parent, and we believe the experts included in our speaker series have valuable insights to share with parents.”
Through nine presentations this school year, parents are learning from local, regional and national speakers on a broad range of topics. The lineup of presentations is provided to District parents at no cost and includes partnerships with the District’s PTO Council and All In Clayton Coalition.
To learn more about the four remaining speaker series presentations this school year and to register to attend, click here. For information about the District's parenting education program, click here.