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November 2006Vol. 7, No. 8Parent Training for Diverse Families

A new resource is available to help professionals who provide parenting training to families from many cultures. Culture and Parenting: A Guide for Delivering Parenting Curriculums to Diverse Families was written to help practitioners evaluate the cultural sensitivity of their programs. The book covers topics found in parenting education curriculums for which there are significant variations among cultures:

  • Communication
  • Discipline
  • Parent-child emotional bonding
  • Family structures and roles
  • Gender role development
  • Play
  • Sleeping arrangements

For each topic, key research findings, tips for the field, and a checklist to assess the cultural sensitivity of parent training are included. In addition, the book offers some background information on cultural values found in independent versus interdependent cultures.

Culture and Parenting was written by L. L. Ontai, A. M. Mastergeorge, and the Families With Young Children Workgroup at the University of California, Davis. It can be downloaded at the university's website:

http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/filelibrary/5264/20355.pdf (PDF - 289 KB)