A child’s gratitude naturally grows from a loving, mindful connection to their parents. When you listen and actively engage with your kids, you are planting the seeds of gratitude. The message is that they matter and that you are grateful for the love and time that you share.
The Character Effect™ is a flexible, new developmental framework launched in seven schools throughout Greater Cincinnati during the 2017-2018 school year. Working together, Beech Acres Parenting Center, Children, Inc. and Mayerson Academy are bringing this powerful and effective framework to Frederick Douglass Elementary, Whitaker Elementary, Holy Family, LEAP Academy, Sands Montessori, Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students and Warren County Learning Center. The Character Effect™ is designed to improve student’s self-control, increase their classroom participation, cultivate an atmosphere of respect for others, and boost their overall self-acceptance. The goal is to equip the school’s community with specific tools & materials to nurture individual strengths. Ultimately, our hope is to help the entire school community have the opportunity to be healthy, happy, form positive relationships and achieve their goals. At the core of The Character Effect™ is providing research informed tools to students, teachers, and parents so they can collectively develop a “growth mindset.” A growth mindset promotes the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and focusing on effort. Students, teachers and support staff have taken the fundamentals of The Character Effect™ and run with them! Check out the photos below to see how The Character Effect™ has come to life at Leap Academy.
Today, Beech Acres Parenting Center President and CEO Jim Mason, Vice President of New Business Development Jill Huynh and School-based Services Supervisor Cheryl Riley joined Mark Heyne on WVXU Cincinnati to discuss the results of our Cincinnati Parenting Survey. In the survey, 44% of parents identified Understanding kids’ mental health issues as extremely or very concerning. This was the single biggest concern identified. Here are some highlights from the show: “Our goal at Beech Acres Parenting Center is to shift the stigma from ‘I have to go to Beech Acres’, to ‘I get to go to Beech Acres.’ We are delighted parents want to get help with their children’s mental health.” -Jim Mason “Parenting is one of the most rewarding and challenging jobs we take on in our lives.” -Jill Huynh “We customize our care to our clients and meet them where they are.” -Cheryl Riley “Everyone has innate strengths they were born with; in knowing those strengths parents can understand their kids better, but also understand their own parenting.” -Jill Huynh “Let’s look at the strengths and resiliency of the family and focus on amplifying that.” -Cheryl Riley “If we can intervene early enough we can build a positive foundation. Our approach is to promote what we want to see, not what we don’t want to see.” -Jill Huynh “Let’s look at the strengths and resiliency of the family and focus on amplifying that.” -Cheryl Riley “We have a saying. Hurt kids hurt kids. We have compassion for people doing the bullying because they are a hurt person.” -Jim Mason “Beech Acres will work with the parents to remove barriers to get them the help they need.” -Cheryl Riley Parents who participated in our survey also identified discipline, drug use and bullying among other top concerns. What parenting concerns do you have? Discover your strengths and unlock your power as a parent today with Natural Strength Parenting™, our unique strengths-based approach to intentional parenting. Call today to learn more. 513-231-6630. http://wvxu.org/post/top-parenting-concerns-among-cincinnati-families#stream/0
Tune in this Thursday as Jim Mason, President and CEO, Jaimi Cabrera, Director of New Business Development and, Cheryl Riley, a Supervisor from our School-based Services team join Mark Heyne live on 91.7 WVXU Cincinnati to discuss top parenting concerns uncovered by our Cincinnati Parenting Survey. Stream or tune in this Thursday, November 9th, at 1:00! http://wvxu.org/post/top-parenting-concerns-among-cincinnati-families
Starting today, you can visit Busken Bakery at 7756 Beechmont Ave. in Anderson Township to support “Pies for a Purpose”! “Pies for a Purpose” is a way for you to share a delicious pumpkin pie with another Greater Cincinnati family this holiday season. A $1.00 donation buys a “slice” of pie. Six slices earn a real pie for us to share with one of the families we serve. It’s a great opportunity for your family to build on the strengths of kindness, love, hope, and gratitude while helping another family this holiday. For full details click here or call 231-6630. For more opportunities to support parents, kids and families visit our donation page. Thank you!
Bullying can be very serious and can affect your child’s mood, self-esteem, and academic performance. But there is hope… What will you say? If your child is suffering, let them know they are not alone. Tell them that bullying is unfortunately not uncommon and that it is not their fault. Children can feel helpless when being bullied so it is important to point out their strengths and how they’ve used them successfully in other situations. To help keep their confidence from diminishing, brainstorm some ways that they can use one of their strengths effectively in this situation. You can discover your child’s strengths (as yours too!) at http://www.viacharacter.org If necessary seek help from their school, pediatrician or a mental health professional. We’re here to help as well. To speak with a parenting coach please call 513-231-6630 today.
Hurt kids hurt kids. Our vision is a world where all children are nurtured to discover, cultivate and apply their natural gifts. Get inspired and equipped to raise capable, caring, contributing children or support our vision with a contribution to our mission today. https://beechacres.org/our-story/our-mission-vision/
You’ve recently discovered inappropriate treatment directed at other children on your child’s phone. What will you say? Cyberbullying, a form of bullying or harassment using digital contacts such as texts, email, or social media, is a growing concern for parents. The influence of technology on our culture has never been greater. Kids are using digital devices at an earlier age and are spending much more time in front of them. The ubiquitous use of digital technologies has made them an easy platform for bullying to thrive. According to Stopbullying.org, 15% of all U.S. high school students were cyberbullied last year. Sadly, that number is dramatically higher, a staggering 55%, among LGBTQ students. We’ve recently explored ways to address bullying when your child is the victim, but what if your child is the bully? Here are some things to ask if you have discovered inappropriate treatment of other children on one of your child’s devices. Ask your child if she knows what can happen to kids that are cyberbullied. They can get depressed, become anxious, or worse. Ask your child what her intention was. What were they hoping to accomplish? Ask your child what the other child did to prompt their behavior. Ask your child how else she can manage her feelings towards other children in acceptable ways. Listening to your child and understanding their behavior and their motivations are key to addressing this issue. Working through intention and consequences can lead to better decision making in the future.
Listen. 28% of U.S. students in grades 6-12 experience bullying. Listening to your child is an important step in addressing and preventing bullying. Listen with empathy and give your child your undivided attention. Offer reassurance, acknowledge the situation and assure them you are taking them seriously. Ask your child how they see you helping the situation. This gives them some control over something they feel they have no control over. Try saying something like this: “I cannot imagine how difficult it is to worry about what they might say or do next. I have an idea about how I will take action, but I’d like to hear from you about what you would like for me to do”. By taking this approach you are modeling how to stand up for yourself in a proactive and confident way. Dealing with a bully is a delicate and difficult situation for your daughter or son. Simply listening to them is a great way to begin to empower them to address the problem.
Partnering with your child’s teacher can offer critical insight in cases of bullying. Ask their teacher How does my child get along with other students? With whom does he or she spend their free time at school? Have you ever suspected my child is being bullied by other students? Work with the teacher and with the school to create a plan for your child. Make sure you know the school’s policy on bullying, bring it to the Administration’s (principal and school counselor) attention and ask what their intention is regarding your child. Let them know you have a plan in place with your child’s teacher and that you want the Administration involved in the solution. Ensure that the plan includes protecting your child from the situation worsening as a result of them bringing it to the school’s attention. Finally, you should meet with the school throughout the process, not just once, until there is a resolution.
