“In Practice”: How the Conscious Parenting Program Works in Schools

At the “Women’s Initiatives” Resource Center, we have summarized the results of the psychological and educational program “Conscious Parenting: Psychological and Educational Support for Families in an Educational Setting.”

Experts from the Ministry of Education and the Tiraspol City Education Department joined the discussion, along with 18 practicing school psychologists and social educators from the city who participated in the program’s pilot season. These experts have already had the opportunity to test the program in their own workplaces.

Key Findings Based on the Results of the Work:

Our program is not limited to group parent meetings. Many of the instructional tools have proven to be highly effective in one-on-one consultations.

The proposed interactive methods truly motivate parents to engage with the topic of mindfulness. This strengthens cooperation between families and schools.

In their feedback at the end of the class, the high school students noted that the topic of parental scripts had proven to be more useful than expected, and they expressed their appreciation for the lack of moralizing.

To ensure that education yields the best possible results, experts recommend establishing this system from the moment a child enters first grade.

Among the proposals and recommendations made by experts were the following: reinstate the “Ethics and Psychology of Family Life” course in schools; organize preliminary outreach to parents (short videos, personal invitations); conduct classes in a hybrid format (online and in-person); introduce psychology classes for upper-grade students, as well as classes for parents, at least once a month or 2–3 times per quarter (similar to parent-teacher conferences).

Of course, we analyzed not only the strengths but also the challenges faced by educators. We are currently preparing recommendations for revising the materials to make the program even more user-friendly for school professionals.

We would like to thank all participants for the lively discussion, the open exchange of experiences, and their willingness to foster a caring and supportive environment for families.