Parent University

By Justin B. Duke • jbduke@nky.com           Classes help parents with child’s education

Parents are getting new options to help with their children’s education.

Boone County Schools has started its Parent University, which offers a range of courses tailored to their needs.

“My hope is that this provides an opportunity and a forum for parents to understand education,” said Anna Marie Tracy, the district’s No Child Left Behind supervisor.

Courses include topics like ADHD, scholarship hunting and others.

Parents have a wide variety of needs depending on the age of their children, disabilities, giftedness and many other factors. That’s why there are classes to help as many parents as possible, Tracy said.

“It’s kind of a one stop shop,” she said.

In the past, courses offered in the Parent University may have been offered at a particular school, but the rest of the district was unaware of them. By combining under the Parent University, parents can be more aware of the resources available, Tracy said.

Courses are taught by experts in the respective fields, Boone County Schools staff and community members.

While the goal is to help parents, Tracy is particularly proud that parents in the community will get an opportunity to hear from district staff that tends to teach mostly in the classroom, she said.

Tracy is planning to run a Parent University in the fall and the spring and adjust course availability based on demand.

All the courses in the Parent University are available to parents for free.

“I’ve tried to eliminate the barriers to parent participation,” Tracy said.

The fall courses will run through early November.

A full list of courses is available at http://tinyurl.com/booneparent.