Mark Vorreuter, College of Human Ecology

Janis Whitlock, research scientist in the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, presents her findings on the role of parents in teens' mental health.

Nearly 50 Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) parent educators from across New York gathered in Ithaca Jan. 25-26 to hear the latest evidence on effective child-rearing from Cornell professors and extension associates.

At the annual in-service conference, sponsored by the Parenting in Context initiative in the College of Human Ecology, parent educators also shared some of their wisdom for helping families and caregivers, as they traded tips and spoke about their counties' outreach programs to build parenting skills.

Mark Vorreuter, College of Human Ecology

Maria Fitzpatrick, assistant professor of policy analysis and management, discusses her research in the economics of early childhood care and education.

"The parent educators are such a valuable resource," said Rachel Dunifon, associate professor of policy analysis and management and director of Parenting in Context. "The sessions are designed to share our findings with them, but we end up learning just as much from their experiences. Collectively, they have hundreds of years of experience in parent education."

Jennifer Tiffany, director of outreach and community engagement for the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (BCTR), opened with a presentation on translational research. She explained how CCE parent educators could help bring together scientific inquiry and community practice -- key to the BCTR mission of bridging the gap between research and outreach.

Other Cornell presenters included BCTR research scientist Janis Whitlock, sharing her latest findings on treating nonsuicidal self-injury by teens, and Maria Fitzpatrick, assistant professor of policy analysis and management, on the economics of early childhood education and care.

"The educators are on the front lines working every day with families, so it's important for them to know about the most current research findings," Dunifon said.

In Tioga County, family development extension team coordinator Judy Wolf leads a variety of programs -- from parenting skills workshops at two community-based family resource centers to in-home visits -- that reach about 300 families annually.

"All the programs we offer are research-based and linked to the resources of Cornell, so it is really important to be able to hear directly from the researchers," Wolf said. "At the same time, we are all learning from each other, finding out what works in practice and what doesn't."

Parenting in Context researchers, led by Dunifon and extension associate Kimberly Kopko, also presented the results of their annual assessment of CCE parent education programs statewide. More than 800 New Yorkers participated in 19 different programs in 2010-11, with many of them reporting significant improvements in their parenting skills in follow-up surveys.

Organizers also announced a new website for the Parenting in Context initiative.

Ted Boscia is assistant director of communications for the College of Human Ecology.