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FAQ: Parenting Coaching - Foundations Program

• Why is the Foundations program important to the SelfDesign model?
  
  
• What are the primary differences between Foundations and the other programs in SelfDesign Global?
  
  
• Will the Learning Consultant be working directly with my child?
  
  
• What is my role as parent in the Foundations program?
  
  
• What is the Family Vision?
  
  

Q. Why is the Foundations program important to the SelfDesign model?

Because SelfDesign is fundamentally about creating environments where children can feel passionate and successful as learners, parents play a huge part in designing those environments. Specific languaging, as well as shifts in perspectives that are commonly held toward parenting, are a significant part of the process, and we have found that parents can begin exploring these issues very early in their child's life - even while their baby is still in utero! The Foundations years, with the support and guidance of your LC, can set the stage for developing a strong model of the SelfDesigning family, as well as for an easy transition into the SelfDesign Learning Systems programs available to learners in grades K-8.

Q. What are the primary differences between Foundations and the other programs in SelfDesign Global?

For families with learners ages 6 and up, the focus is primarily on supporting the child's desires toward becoming an excellent learner who loves the learning process. While the parent plays a very important role in that effort, the child is at center.

During the Foundations years, however, we in SelfDesign believe that the focus is on parenting, and we help parents develop the skills and get the support they need to truly be advocates in their child's life. We also stress the importance of mutuality, where parents learn valuable ways to speak and meet their personal needs in respectful communication with their young children.

Q. Will the Learning Consultant be working directly with my child?

LCs may or may not have direct contact with children whose parents are in the Foundations program, depending on the desires of the parents. While the LC will help parents explore ways to maximize their child's love of learning, the focus will be primarily one of support for developing a strong SelfDesign family model.

Q. What is my role as parent in the Foundations program?

Your primary role will be to work closely with your dedicated LC to understand the framework elements of SelfDesign. By working with languaging techniques and by understanding the models and theories of SelfDesign, parents can exponentially increase their ability to create a strongly bonded relationship and a home environment that supports engaged and inspired relationships and learning.

Q. What is the Family Vision?

In our programs for children ages 6 and up, the Learning Plan is the year's vision for an individual child's learning. For Foundations parents of young children, we find that the discussion of family values, dreams and desires with the Learning Consultant can emerge into a written document that becomes, in essence, a learning plan for the family itself. The Foundations program's Family Vision is a dynamic document that changes over time, and the concretizing into written form helps legitimize its importance and also assists in bringing the dreams into reality through ongoing discussion and re-evaluation.