Free online education offered on parenting

ALBANY COUNTY — Cornell Cooperative Extension is offering researched-based parent education programs designed to support parents and caregivers and provide strategies that have the best outcomes for babies through teenagers.

All programs are provided free of charge through Zoom. Advance registration is required with Maria DeLucia-Evans, human ecology resource educator, at or flyers with registration links may be found at https://albany.cce.cornell.edu/home-family/positive-parenting. Certificates of completion will be awarded to those who attend all sessions.

Each of the three programs is for a different age group:

— The Magic Years

For parents and caregivers of babies through 4-year-old children, from noon to 1:15 p.m on Tuesdays, Jan. 9, 16, 23, 30, and Feb. 6.

Topics include strategies on how to manage parent and child stress while understanding and supporting the stages of child development. We will discuss how to create nurturing routines for bedtime, bathing, family meals, and toilet training. We will also better understand parenting styles and learn strategies for positive discipline tools that really work;

— The Middle Years

For parents and caregivers of children ages 5 to 10, from noon to 1:15 p.m on Thursdays, Jan 11, 18, 15 and Feb. 1 and 8.

Topics include managing parent and child stress, understanding parenting styles, raising responsible children, improving family communication, and strengthening family relationships; and

— The Tween/Teen Years

For parents and caregivers of children age 11 and older, from noon to 1:15 p.m on Fridays, Jan. 12, 19, and 26, and Feb. 2 and 9.

Topics include understanding parenting styles, tween and teen development, discipline strategies and managing stress. We will also discuss how to improve family communication and create a better understanding of tween and teen challenges.