There is a true gem for parents and families that happens to be located in our neighborhood--the Parent Encouragement Program, or PEP, as it is commonly called. 

Housed at the Kensington Baptist Church on Connecticut Avenue and Dresden Street, PEP has been helping to build strong, healthy families for over 30 years, based on the positive parenting philosophy of Dr. Alfred Adler and Dr. Rudolf Dreikurs. PEP is an approach that uses Certified Parent Educators to help parents teach their children about personal responsibility, cooperation, mutual respect, social inclusiveness and contributing to their community. 

Parent Educators must complete a 27-week core training course and participate in ongoing training for two to five years to master the information and education techniques to meet PEP's exemplary standards. It is this parent-to-parent instruction that makes PEP so effective. It's one thing to learn from someone who has been educated on a subject but quite another to have someone who has shared the experience and can relate to the challenges and emotions. There are times when all parents wish their children came with an instruction manual, and those lucky enough to have discovered PEP feel like they've found their guide.

PEP programs are available around the DC area. In addition to Kensington, classes are offered in Bethesda at The Landon School, in Rockville at the Jewish Community Center, in McLean at Montessori School of McLean and St. Luke Catholic School, and in Washington, D.C. at Temple Micah.

In an effort to bring parenting education to as many families as possible, PEP is partnering with The Judy Center in Gaithersburg (formally known as The Judith P. Hoyer Early Child Care and Family Education Centers), a state-funded early childhood and family learning center which serves families with children up to five years of age. Funded by donations from PEP members and support from The Judy Center, this four-week program, conducted by two Spanish-speaking Parent Educators, is serving 16 parents and provides on-site child-care during the classes. 

While PEP has offered programs to lower-income and non-English speaking groups for the last six years, this is the first Spanish language class they have offered.  

Cheryl Wieker, PEP's Executive Director, said she is very excited about this new venture, as it is one of PEP's goals to "make parenting education accessible to all families."  She is a big believer in the concept of "paying it forward," as programs such as this cannot exist without the generous support of donors who have benefitted from PEP education and understand the importance of sharing it with underserved populations.

Stacey Fisk started taking classes at PEP when her now-college junior was three years old. She said she was immediately drawn to the calm, respectful and reassuring manner of PEP founder, Linda Jessup. The women in her group were warm, friendly and committed women who shared their personal stories from their own childhoods, helped each other through their various struggles with their children, and after a few years of being together, were all asked to consider becoming Parent Educators. 

While they did not all follow this path, many of them continue to support PEP by volunteering and donating to the organization. The tools Fisk learned were evident when her daughter was small and continue to be relevant now that she is in college.  She recalled that one day they were out shopping and they heard another mother yelling at her kid in the dressing room. Fisk's daughter whispered to her mother, "that mom really needs to go to PEP," according to Fisk. Listening to her child and   empowering her to be self-confident are skills that served their family then and continue to do so as they navigate the college years.  

The current session is in full swing, with course offerings such as "Setting Limits for Young Children," "Morning Mayhem," "Communicating with Teens and Talking about Sensitive Subjects," and "Planning for Safe Teen Driving." One-time workshops include "Why Don't My Kids Listen to Me?" and "Prepare to Launch," for parents of college-bound teens. There are several classes that are still available in November, in addition to a special presentation by bestselling author, Po Bronson, based on his latest book "NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children."  A major fundraiser for PEP, this event is on Thursday, November 18 at the Landon School. More information about PEP can be found on the groups website.