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Show introduced next fall, with the blessing of the Federal Government, into some 500 public schools throughout the U.S. under the title "Education for Parent- hood." In the words of Marilyn Clayton, one of the developers of the program's curriculum: "The little kids are learning about reading. But Tony and the other teen-ag- e students in the course are learning something about love and sharing." Education for Parenthood aims at reaching adolescents like Tony Rein before they become parents. The need is urgent because youth marriages have become a commonplace in American divorce rate is three life. The teen-ag- e national the times average. Last year and under gave 17 210,000 girls aged birth. One of every 10 school-ag- e girls is a mother, and 17 percent of these have two children. Few have had any preparation for their responsibilities. Plumbers, not parents Comments U.S. Commissioner of Education Sidney P. Marland Jr.: "We s insist plumbers have four-t- o before a wrench to a they put training have we all no at pipe, yet system for the single most important role of five-year- parenthood." The Office of Education and the Office of Child Development, both of which are agencies of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, are cooperating in launching the program. In part, they have modeled it on already existing school courses, such as that at Rockville High. They've also been running pilot programs of their own for the last year in schools in Boston and Houston. A model curriculum created by the Education Development Center in Cambridge, Mass., has undergone field-testin- There will be no marks given, and school administrators will be free to blend the program into their curriculum however they think best. Judging by the experience of Tony Rein and his classmates, Education for Parenthood is likely to meet the approval of parents, teen-ageand school officials wherever it is introduced. Actually the schools of Montogomery County, Md., have been pioneering in the parenthood-educatio- n concept for a number of years which is one reason the Office of Education has taken many of their operations as a basic pattern. have encountered no difficulty in inducing parents to send their 3- 4- -, and to the high schools daily, to serve as "guinea pigs" for teen-ageand pastudying rental responsibilities. In fact, parents pay $20 a semester for the privilege and provide their own transportation. Applications outnumber vacancies 3 -, rs nt rs tol. The small children themselves seem to be enjoying their early school exposure thoroughly. Classrooms are They call him 'Dave' At Rockville High School, Jacques Feuillet, a runner on the track team, says his experjences in class have already taught him to tolerate his little sister. "I think I expected too much of her before," he explains. "In fact, I understand everyone better, including myself. If you think about it, most people are like kids. Kids are easier to understand because they're not as inhibited." At Gaithersburg High, blond football player Dave Richardson agrees. "Children accept each other for what they are," he says. "They're open to everyone in the group. It's the most satisfying course I've ever taken. The kids call everyone, 'Hey, teacher!,' but they call me Dave. Somehow they've given me a father role in the class. That's a big responsibility to live up to!" Several teen-ag- e girls enrolled in the program report that their work with the young children adds to their own and purposefulness. a student at Landown, Says Harolyn Walt Whitman High School in "The children like me for what I am. Any problem I have here when Hand in hand: High school pupils and find "a lot in common." nt come in that door disappears. I can be myself here." Comments teacher Gaithersburg Mary Ann Davis: "Teen-ager- s respond to the increased responsibility. I am constantly surprised by the amount of research students undertake on their own, and the understanding they gain from it. On the personal level, kids who don't relate easily to their peers have no difficulty communicating with Another teacher, Jean Ray of Walt Whitman High, says that teen-ageat first are sometimes hesitant to touch, hold or comfort small children. "But youngsters are hard to resist," she notes. "Teen-ager- s have a and lot in common. The two ages attract emoeach other. They're short-fuse- d tionally either really happy, or really I th rs a: down." Montgomery County school officials g. For boys, too With all these elements fed into it, the Education for Parenthood program has been designed to operate along these lines: Both boys and girls will learn how to become better parents, not by memorizing rules and techniques, but by actually learning to see the world through a child's eyes. Students will explore various asphysical, psypects ofchild-rearin- g as well as emotional and chological the role a parent plays in the child's development. Students will gain practical experience by caring for children 3 to 5 years old. Field sites will include child development labs set up within the schools, as well as child care centers, pediatricians' offices, Head Start programs and others. credit course in The one-yewill combine 12 Grades 7 through classroom activities and field work. T"r L. YY. ,v v .J&s.L f, :M Y iH: n l v " V -Wf fi 9 r .v 4 A i t i ar " Teacher " Kathy Litton shows a youngster how to handle a saw. Teen-ag- e boys and girls learn the art of keeping children busy and happy in various home activities. sometimes like a three-rin- g circus, with decorations and devices they nay never see again in a school. Many of these are designed by the teen-ag- e "parents" themselves posters, mobiles, and even improvised "books" that teach the youngsters to zip, fold, button and tie. A house that lasts Two boys at Gaithersburg are building an electric board that lights up when words are matched with colors. At Walt Whitman a cardboard house built by students is leaning at a angle, but it is so loved by the children that they won't allow it to leave. Although the government is solidly behind the Education for Parenthood program, it isn't bankrolling the whole thing. Altogether, about $2.25 millions have been earmarked over the next four years. But schools won't receive direct grants. Most of the money will be spent in helping schools to set up the programs, by finding expert personnel, providing materials, locating daycare sites, giving technical advice and other assistance. Finding the means 1(3 implement the actual programs will be up to the schools themselves. "We want to be an equal partner with the school systems in the dissemination, utilization and growth of the program," says Frank Ferro, deputy associate chief of the Children's Bureau of the Office of Child Development. Try own programs Of the 500 schools that are introducing the program in the fall, 200 will follow the model curriculum of Education Development Center, called "Exploring Childhood," while 300 will be encouraged to create their own programs modeled on those of Montgomery County and elsewhere. If all works out as expected, parenthood training may eventually become an integral part of the American school system. Sums up Dr. Edward Zigler of Yale University, former director of the Office of Child Development, under whose guidance the program began: "We're not trying to shape a child into a model American. Nor are we trying to preempt the family. Education for Paren.nood is designed to support the family. It's a step in the right direction." long-overd- 17 |