https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tjQBO0Li_7oGffeG2vNGueoAcclp5LsD/edit#slide=id.p6

After completing the Stress and Family Crisis class, I learned essential knowledge and many beneficial techniques. A project in the class that helped me do so was our Parenting Toolkit support booklet. As a class, we developed a coiled booklet called “The Parent Toolkit: Practical Tips and Strategies for Parenting Preschoolers. We began working on this project in August at the beginning of the semester, hoping to deliver it to the Head Start program in December. And yes, we did maintain our goal. This booklet has six pages filled with information, a title page, and a page explaining the booklet’s purpose. We provide information on fun and free activities with your child, the everyday challenges of parenting preschoolers, the importance of mental health, and some self-care tips.

I learned many different ways to develop resources for parents. As we began to create this booklet, we used many strategies to ensure we had the proper information. We used many research skills and worked together as a team. This resource had to be appropriate for the parents it was being given to and the age of the parent’s children receiving the booklet. It was for parents at Head Start. The parents at Head Start are parents and children from low-income households, so we had to consider this. Another class sent surveys to the parents at Head Start before we started our project. This was very beneficial as it provided specific tasks and childcare actions that these parents struggled with. Therefore, we could make our booklet solely based on this sample of people. We did not want to make a support booklet that was not specifically directed to these parents and children. In this booklet, we also wanted to make it clear that we wanted to assist, not tell families they need help and change. Since our class is called “Stress and Crisis in Families” we decided to leave this out of the booklet so parents would not be alarmed.

In today’s world, not everyone has access to the mental health tips and the support that they deserve. I learned that something simple, such as a small booklet, can benefit parents. Not even the information inside, but the acknowledgment that they are supported by others in the community. Many parents who are struggling with childcare or their mental health do not take the time to help themselves. They may not believe they are valued, and many think caring for themselves is not as essential as caring for their child. Providing the information and support may help individuals realize they are struggling and need some assistance. It is a small way to say you are not alone and we have your back. As well it provides information that some people really need to hear. 

Even though things turned out great, almost anything has room for improvement. The idea of working in groups was perfect. This allowed everyone to contribute and share their ideas to the project. Working on a project like this can sometimes be challenging for a large class. As a class, we had some issues deciding on certain things for the project, although, for the most part, the class did a great job making decisions together. As a class I think we also did an excellent job problem solving. At the beginning we did know where to start, as we continued we solved problems and came up with so many different ideas. I believe that we could have got this to Head Start even sooner.

In this parent support booklet, I learned how to communicate effectively in a group where we aim for the same goal. As well I learned leadership. Some people in my group sometimes needed to do their share or contribute to the project. I found leadership in my words when we could not decide who should do what. I also held my groupmates accountable for not picking up their end of the share. I learned much more about critical thinking and problem-solving. Instead of asking other groups or our professor, I could solve problems independently or with my group. Lastly, I also learned more research, computer, and AI skills. I had never worked with AI images before this project, but now I can use them often and teach others to build their images. Lastly, I gained public speaking skills. I volunteered to present two slides on behalf of my group, I feel it gained my experience in public speaking. 

In my group, I did a great job contributing ideas to the booklet. Our group was often stuck on where to start or where to go next in our research or designs. I was very beneficial in these situations with suggestions and sharing new ideas and perspectives. I provided strong teamwork in our group. I listened to others, but I also contributed ideas of my own. I never found myself lacking in the work that needed to be done for this project. I also provided my AI skills to develop photographs for the booklet. I spent much time testing AI and the different kinds of images it could make. Designing our pages for the booklet was one of my favorite parts. It was so fun to see the various types of designs and decide what would look best for the information we provided as a team.