Parenting Mercer Island – Online Tool for ALL Parents

ParentingMercerIsland.org is a new online tool that was recently launched by the Mercer Island Healthy Youth Initiative prevention coalition, part of the City of Mercer Island’s Youth and Family Services (MIYFS) with grant funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA).

The Parenting Mercer Island tool is available to all WA parents at no cost and is intentional in promoting the healthy mental, emotional, and behavioral development of children and youth by actively growing their social and emotional skills. The project provides tools and information for parents and those in a parenting role to bolster their parenting skills in growing the social and emotional skills of children - ultimately decreasing risk factors and increasing protective factors.

The tools are tailored to the age of the child and are based on an easy-to-use five-step process. Specifics include actions to take and the words to say to engage children either proactively or when in crisis. The content is for parents of children ages 5-19, with information for ages 0-4 to be added soon.

The tools address everyday parenting challenges such as routines, stress and anxiety, empathy, conflict, peer pressure, and more. Tools help parents initiate important conversations around risky behaviors such as substance use and other topics including: establishing rules about alcohol/cannabis, how to handle bullying, and what to do when dysregulated or in emotional crisis.

The online resource also includes more in-depth information on various parenting topics in the “I Want to Know More” section. Topics include: Intentional Communication, Guidance and Discipline for Skill Building, Logical Consequences, Intentional Ways to Grow a Healthy Parenting Relationship. Prevention topics include: Alcohol/Cannabis and the Teenage Brain, Healthy Risk Taking, Prevent Substance Use at Every Age, and more.

Parenting Mercer Island users can read the tools, listen to the information via podcast format or print out a summary of the information. The site also includes videos that explain how to utilize the tool and the five-step parenting process.

This online tool was created through a partnership with Mercer Island Youth and Family Services and the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University.

For more information, visit www.ParentingMercerIsland.org or contact Derek Franklin, MIYFS Administrator, derek.franklin@mercergov.org.