Janis Keyser, MA, co-author of BECOMING THE PARENT YOU WANT TO BE, is available to do keynote addresses, workshops, seminars, in-service trainings and other workshops for parents and professionals. She has spoken on every topic covered in her book, as well as all aspects of professional training for teachers, caregivers and others who work with children. Keyser has been quoted in Redbook Magazine, Working Mother, Today's Child and many other publications, and has appeared on numerous television programs.Listed below are some examples of her workshops and lectures:
The empowerment model assumes that parents need to be equal and respected partners in any successful parent education system. In this model, we view very encounter we have with parents as an opportunity to build partnerships, whether it is discussing child care or child development questions, offering parent education classes, or making referrals.In this workshop, teachers and parent-support professionals will learn how to develop a culturally-responsive approach which welcomes fathers, as well as mothers, and which is inclusive of parents from a diversity of family structures. Participants will learn how to include parents in defining problems and issues, in developing solutions, and in building strong communities of support.
Through small group discussion, role-playing, lecture, and questions and answers, workshop participants will explore their own perspectives on parent-teacher relationships and gain new insights into the unique opportunities and challenges inherent in working with the parents of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.The workshop will include an analysis of the strengths parents and teachers bring to their relationships, and will also examine four potential problem areas in those relationships: communication, cultural differences, parents needs vs. program needs, and a lack of shared child development information. Participants will learn a step-by-step approach to building strong, respectful, mutually beneficial relationships with parents that are culturally responsive and sensitive to the needs of individual families.
Topics to be addressed include: building a parent-friendly child care setting, establishing formal and informal communication systems, supporting parent development, defining and solving problems, and setting up networks of parent-to-parent support. Participants are invited to bring specific problems to this workshop for help in strategizing solutions.
Teachers are often faced with children excluding other children from their play. This workshop will help teachers effectively respond to children who are taunting, "You can't play here! Only girls can play here!" "I don't like you. You're not my friend anymore," or, "You can't play with us. Your skin is dirty!" Workshop leaders will explore the developmental and social reasons for exclusionary play, including exclusions that are based on prejudice and categorical thinking.By understanding the basis for exclusionary play and developing tools to effectively respond to exclusions, participants will learn to teach children cooperative social problem-solving skills, and create a peaceful, egalitarian classroom environment. By teaching children to use active listening, to state their ideas clearly, to brainstorm and use cooperative problem-solving, participants will learn specific techniques for building a sense of community in the classroom.
This workshop looks at the factors that set parents and teachers up for conflict and provides opportunities to learn the tools to solve those conflicts including: active listening, reframing, clarifying and honoring parent's and teacher's goals, finding common ground, creative brainstorming, and developing, implementing and evaluating a mutual plan.
Parent meetings afford parents a chance to meet other parents, to network and build community, to break down feelings of isolation. They also provide opportunities for parents to learn about child development, find out about program information and philosophy, and discover other community resources available for families.In parent meetings, it is important that parents have opportunities to meet and to socialize with other parents, to feel a part of a community of parents, to be acknowledged for the important work they are doing as parents, to share stories, to laugh, to receive information, and to share resources. This workshop will focus on planning, techniques, activities, and strategies for interactive parent meetings which inspire and empower parents.
For the child care or family resource professional, a home visit can be an essential link in building trust and connection with children and their families. This workshop will look at possible barriers to effective home visits and will cover essential elements to consider in setting up respectful and culturally appropriate visits to students' homes.
Young children bite for many reasons. Because they have limited language, biting may be an attempt to communicate -- to express frustration, anger, friendship, an idea, or to get a reaction. They may be teething or just love the feel of sinking their teeth into something. Toddlers and young preschoolers don't have a developed sense of empathy, so they can't understand that biting hurts others. In this workshop we will look at ways to discover the reasons children bite and will talk about strategies for preventing biting and redirecting children to safer alternatives. We will also discuss what to do when children bite and ways to deal with the group dynamic when one or more children is in the biting mode.
Many parents find themselves at a loss when it comes to talking to children about sex. We may be clear that we don't want our children to be shamed or silenced on the subject and yet we may also be uncomfortable and tongue-tied when it comes to talking to them about their bodies and sexual issues.In this workshop, we will explore these and other questions: "How do young children learn about their bodies: what they look like, how they feel, how to read their body's cues?" "When do children discover their genitals?" "What are they trying to figure out as they pull, poke and examine their penises and vulvas?" "How can we best respond to their questions about their bodies and sexuality?" "How can we respond to their explorations of their bodies and other children's bodies?" "How can we support children in developing a healthy, comfortable, and safe relationship to their bodies and themselves?"
This workshop takes a look at some of the typical behaviors of toddlers: where they come from and ways to respond. "Just what is my toddler trying to tell me when he yells, "NO" or "Me do it!" all the time?" "Why does he grab toys and shout 'Mine!'?" "What are tantrums about and how can I handle them?" "Why is she the world's sweetest child one minute and a terror the next?"We will also look at the particular challenges for parents of toddlers: How can we take care of ourselves while also taking care of our toddlers?
Even babies and toddlers enjoy chewing over a good book. At very young ages children are learning about the world through the pictures and stories in books. How can we choose books which teach our children about the richness of diversity in that world? How can we make sure that children aren't learning limiting stereotypes from their first introduction to literature?
In our families, children learn who they are and how to be that way. Because every interaction we have with children is an opportunity to teach something, (and because kids learn from every interaction whether we want them to or not), we need to think about our everyday interactions with children, not only in terms of short-term goals, also in terms of what we want to teach kids in the long run.This workshop helps parents look at values -- where they come from, how they're passed on, how to leave behind values we no longer find useful, how to incorporate and teach newly acquired values. We will look at strategies parents can use when there are conflicts between different parenting styles which are related to differences in values.
We will also help parents clarify which values are the most important for them to pass on to their children. At the core of this workshop is an appreciation for the diversity of values and cultures which exist in any community or group of parents.
A parent's job is to be their child's best cheering section. This workshop helps parents answer the questions, "How can I best show my excitement and appreciation of my children's accomplishments?" "What are the pros and cons of praise?" "What are the ways I can acknowledge my children for who they are without making them too focused on gaining rewards?"
Our children evoke our strongest feelings, from love and protectiveness to frustration and anger. This workshop helps parents answer questions such as, "How can I be honest with children about my anger without scaring or shaming them?" "What are some of the ways I can manage and express the anger and frustration I feel in my day-to-day life as a parent?" "How can I help my children learn healthy ways to express their anger?"
This workshop looks at the needs of parents and children at different ages as they deal with separation. It answers the questions, "What kinds of support, familiarity, information and transition do babies, toddlers, preschoolers and elementary-aged children need when dealing with separation?" "What are appropriate lengths of time for separations?" "How can I help my children with longer separations?" "What can I do to help children when separations are stressful?" "What are the issues that come up for adults as they separate from their children?" "What are the issues for child care providers as they help children with separations?" "What are appropriate ways to help children at different ages express their feelings about saying good-bye?"
This workshop helps parents answer questions such as, "How can I tell if my child is ready to learn to use the toilet?" "What if she seems ready in one way but not in another?" "What is the difference between toilet training and toilet learning?" "What is my role in helping my child learn to use the toilet?" "How can I deal with pressure from friends and family?" and, "Will my child ever learn to use the toilet??"
This workshop helps parents understand the "normal" (though sometimes difficult) behaviors they can expect from children at certain ages. It also helps parents learn to recognize the positive learning impulse that underlies much of children's difficult behavior.This workshop also gives parents ideas for how to create a disciplinary strategy that works for both parent and child and looks at the learning possibilities in each interaction.
Children's conflicts, while challenging for parents, provide children with opportunities to learn empathy and develop competence in solving interpersonal problems. Through teaching, modeling and allowing children to practice communication, negotiation and problem-solving skills, adults can help children discover the joys of cooperation. This workshop will provide parents and caregivers with information and practice using the following problem-solving techniques: active listening, sportscasting, reframing, defining the problem, redirection, facilitation, brainstorming solutions and follow-through. We will also look at conflict resolution as a community building strategy.
With all the progress we have made in broadening roles for men and women, boys and girls, we are still surrounded by messages which subtly or overtly tell boys and girls what they can and can't do. As parents and teachers, we have the opportunity to counter these limiting stereotypes and to help our children recognize them as misinformation. Starting with our babies and toddlers and extending through their teen-age years we owe each of our children the full range of choices about his or her future. In this workshop we will learn to recognize the ways that our children learn stereotypes, and gain techniques for empowering ourselves and our children to advocate for change.
For most of us, television plays a significant role in our families' daily lives. In this workshop, we will look at the impact TV has on children of various ages. We will examine the messages children get from the programming that is directed at them, look at the effect television has on communication within the family, outline ways to use television constructively with children, and explore alternatives to television watching.
There are a few families with babies and young children who blissfully sleep through their early years together, but the rest of us, at one time or another, find ourselves up several times a night with crying, restless or otherwise wide-awake children. In this workshop, we will look at some of the reasons children wake at night: temperament, developmental milestones, sickness, sleep patterns and growth spurts. We will also help individual families choose from a number of possible strategies to help move their family toward more peaceful nights together.
As roles within the family broaden and change, more and more families are finding themselves with two (or more) very involved parents. The good news is that there are more resources and creative thinking going into parenting. The challenging news is that many more decisions need to be negotiated between people who have differing viewpoints.In this workshop, parents will have opportunities to explore the values and beliefs they bring to their families, and will have the chance to think about the ways those beliefs impact their daily parenting decisions. Further, we will discuss and practice communication strategies which will allow us to share our beliefs with our partners, as well as to listen receptively to their ideas.
In this process, we will discover ways to share common philosophies and practices with our partners, while at the same time, appreciating our differences. The workshop will also focus on what kinds of consistency is important for young children. Parents are welcome to come with or without partners.
Janis is available to do one-time events as well as longer classes or workshop series.If you want to set up a workshop with Janis, click here.
To get information about scheduling a workshop, training, or speaking engagement, you can also e-mail her at workshops@becomingtheparent.com or call her at (831) 479-6116.
