Parent University teaches parents skills for harmonious life, including how to breathe, relax
Parents know that taking care of children doesn't come with instruction books.
Though that is true, a non-profit on the city's West Side offers parents the next best thing, their own university.
"Audrey is 6 years old," parent Sonya Moore said. "Audrey loves bedtime stories, she loves hanging out at the park, and she's really a fast learner.
And Audrey loves being a student at Legacy Charter School in North Lawndale.
Moore describes herself as a pretty hands-on parent to Audrey and her three older siblings—maybe even a little overprotective.
"You don't get a handbook, however, with each year passing, you get experience, you gain experience. You learn your child, your child's learning you," she said.
When Moore wanted to learn more about parenting, she became a student at Parent University, a free program hosted by Illinois Action for Children.
"Parents are learning multiple ways to develop and empower and enhance their skill-building with parenting, and it trickles down to the children. Rarzail Jones with the Illinois Action for Children said. "We try to build workshops that not only just for the parents but for the teens and for the parent-child as well."
There are workshops on everything from art therapy to double-dutch aerobics, even one on breathing and relaxing.
"We also cover topics in financial literacy, healthy meal prepping, how much is too much screen time," Jones said.
The healthy cooking workshop caught Sonya's attention right away.
"Just a moment of transparency," she said. "No one's ever taught me how to prepare healthy meals. I think we just carry on the tradition of the things we were taught as children.
That tradition also made Sonya gravitate to the workshop on re-parenting.
"Really, really insightful for me," she said. "It showed me things about myself, how I was showing up as a parent, and things that I either received as a child or did not receive, and that reflected into how I show up as a parent."
But parents here aren't working by themselves.
"All of the other families, you become like family," Moore said.
"During the first ten minutes before the workshop, we want the parents to be able to introduce themselves, to get to know one another, and to have a little time conversing, building fellowship," Rarzail said.
Moore said for her, Parent University is "money in the bank."
"For the investment is showing up, getting the information, and the return on the investment is how I'm able to implement those things that my everyday life as a parent. I definitely receive a return on investment from my investment of time."
The next Parent University workshop session is June 21. To learn more or sign up, visit .
