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Prenatal and Parenting Education

Coordinates resources and referral services for young families. Facilitates case management services and dedicates its efforts to providing parents with support during their childbearing and child-rearing years to focus on the important of health families. Offers the following prenatal and parenting education classes: Childbirth Class: Provides childbirth information. Topics include warning signs and progression of labor, relaxation breathing and other relaxation techniques, comfort and pain management, and newborn care. This is a 3-hour, in-person session. Breastfeeding Class: Provides education to families on the advantages of breastfeeding, guides them on getting started, addresses common issues, discusses milk storage, and offers tips for returning to work. This is a two-hour, in-person session. Sibling Readiness Class: Provides siblings and their parents or caregivers valuable information about becoming a big brother or sister. Tours of the Avera St. Mary's Women's Center may be available to learn about the place where mom and the new baby will stay. This class is especially appropriate for children 3 years of age and older. Common Sense Parenting Class: Provides parenting education to parents or caregivers with children and adolescents of all ages who want to enhance their parenting skills. Skills learned can be used with any parenting style and with any single parent, two-parent, or multi-parent set of rules. Topis covered include parents as teachers, effective praise, teaching self-control, preventing teaching, and corrective teaching. Participants will learn how to reduce family stress, support success in school, diminish yelling and fighting, reduce problem behavior, increase confidence, and enrich their relationships with their children. SMILE (Start Making it Livable for Everyone) Class: An educational program for separating/divorcing parents with minor children. Helps parents to better understand the effects of separation and divorce, the needs of their children, and the roles in promoting their children's healthy adjustment to separation or divorce. This program is approved by the judicial system for parents involved in custody or visitation cases. Pregnancy Education and Support for Teens: Provides prenatal education about nutrition and exercise, decision making skills, building self-esteem, adoption information, educational planning, Lamaze breathing and relaxation techniques, parenting skills, tour of an Obstetrics Wing, and newborn care. Young women are invited to attend and bring their family supporters to learn more about labor, delivery, and parenting a newborn. Parenting Education and Support for Teens: Provides parenting education about the challenges of parenting, child care, nutrition and medical care, play and discipline, community resources, goal setting, school and/or work, decision making skills, coping skills, communication and relationships, and finance and legal concerns. Young moms, their babies, dads, and family supporters are invited to attend.

Location

800 E. Dakota Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501

Hours

Class times vary. Call for information.

Application process

Call or register online.

Eligibility

Open to all

Agency info

Growing Up Together

Focuses on the importance of healthy families and dedicates its efforts to providing parents with support during their childbearing and child-rearing years.