Ronald Ferguson established Boston Basics Parenting in mid-2015. He wanted a parenting initiative that will guide parents in nurturing their children, which he believed could narrow down the educational achievement gap. What can parents learn from this?
Ferguson, the Achievement Gap Initiative director at Harvard University, studied the educational achievement gap for years in developing his ideas on how to help parents. He also tapped the support of other organizations in the community to share their resources and time to teach mom and dads.
Boston Basics Parenting is basically a short parenting course. Moms, dads, caregivers and educators attend conferences, lectures and learning activities, which the initiative organize.
The lectures center around five Boston Basics Parenting ideals Ferguson developed: maximize love, manage stress; talk, sing and point; count, group and compare; explore through movement and play; read and discuss stories, as per its official site. Ferguson expressed hope that parents can learn to practice these principles as naturally as wearing a seatbelt while driving.
Boston Basic Parenting, however, isn't limited to Boston residents. The lectures, in fact, happen all over America and in different venues like schools, hospitals and health centers, churches and religious organizations, libraries, community centers and daycares.
Participants learn the five principles with the aid books and videos translated in Spanish, and Haitian Creole, aside from English. Parents also share and discuss parenting tips based on these principles. "The Basics really show that children thrive in an environment that is very loving and free of stress," Ferguson said, as per Herald News.
Aura Obando, who shared her time and expertise for Boston Basic Parenting, said many of the participants are parents of kids with special needs or developmental disabilities. In the lectures, they learn what principle works for them best in relating to their children and guiding their learning as well, as per The Atlantic.
Learn more about the education achievement gap and Ferguson's ideas in the video below. To join the conferences, check out the Basics schedules.
