Discover Parenting 2022 Student Project Awards

Ohio Family and Consumer Sciences educators are among the many teaching groups who have shared personal stories about their own heartbreaking and frustrating experiences: Students who became addicted, and simply “dropped out” in every way;

Parents of their students – who are addicts, and neglect their children, in every realm (emotionally, physically, socially) leaving them to survive on their own; Parents who have died of overdoses and the enormity of the impact on our students and their siblings, family members, friends, school districts, courts, law enforcement, and all of us struggling to keep up with the constant impact of these complex crises and the lifelong results.

Student photos are on display at the Statehouse Complex Riffe Center and will be displayed at the Ohio Association of Teachers of Family and Consumer Sciences conference, and other conferences as available.

        Enroll Now

• April 15 is the deadline for entry into the annual Discover Parenting project.
• Contact Pat Fountain [email protected] to enroll and for more information.
• The statewide exhibit will be on display in the lobby of the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, at the Statehouse complex in Columbus and at other conferences as possible.
• Content Standards for Career and Technical Education intersect with Discover Parenting tasks.
• Winning photos are announced to teachers during the annual conference of OATFACS, the Ohio Association of Teachers of Family and Consumer Science in Columbus and winners are recognized at the annual conference of the National Association of Women Highway Safety Leaders (NAWHSL) at their national conference and the Ohio Early Childhood Education Conference in Sandusky, each spring.

USEP-OHIO materials available (but not required to teach Discover Parenting) “Kids in the Car with Grandparents and Others Who Care”. Teachers involved in Discover Parenting often use the USEP-OHIO materials provided in a teaching kit written by Cindy McKay. “Kids in the Car” is a NAWHSL publication developed through a safety grant to USEP-OHIO. It can be used to make video presentations to schools and in a variety of group settings.

“Discover Parenting Classroom Manual” original is available from the USEP-OHIO office [email protected]; and is presently being updated with new resources and information.  “Discover Parenting Classroom Manual” was printed with support from the Ohio Department of Education includes tools which augment Ohio curriculum and was originally developed by USEP-OHIO with the support of many partners to reach teachers and their students. The Family and Consumer Sciences teachers in Ohio comprise the largest group of participants in the program, but its application could be used in student groups and organizations of all kinds.

Cindy McKay, Executive Director of USEP-OHIO said of Discover Parenting, “These students are likely to be parents in the next few years. I wish every student in Ohio had time during the high school years to think through and experience what these kids have in their class work. We are very excited about Discover Parenting and the great teachers who use it as a tool.”

Discover Parenting Guidelines

Teacher Registration Form

Photo Entry Form

For more information contact: Pat Fountain, Project Manager, [email protected]