Program Goals

The goals of Parenting A Second Time Around (PASTA) are:

• Acknowledge the ambivalent feelings that may accompany changing roles as grandparents (or other relatives) assume parenting responsibilities and children adjust to their new living arrangements
• Help those who have moved into a parenting role feel more confident, comfortable, and informed about community resources available to them
• Provide a forum for discussion about sensitive issues (for example, explaining to children why parents are unable to care for them), including the practice of effective communication skills and information about mental health resources
• Provide an overview of child development, including information about temperament, as a reminder or "brush" up for caregivers
• Offer information and practical tips about authoritative (loving and firm) discipline
• Encourage caregivers to see themselves as advocates for the children in their care, particularly in accessing legal, medical, social, and education services
• Review key points about adolescent development in order to establish realistic expectations for teen behavior, and explore changing relationships within the family
• Introduce indicators of high-risk adolescent behaviors and discuss strategies and resources to help caregivers keep teen children safe

Logic Model

The program representative did not provide information about a Logic Model for Parenting a Second Time Around (PASTA).

Essential Components

The essential components of Parenting A Second Time Around (PASTA) include:

• Eight workshops on the following topics:
• Identifying and reflecting ambivalent feelings about changing roles, identifying helpful community resources
• Child development and individual differences
• Adult-child interactions, grief and loss, relating to your adult child, and solution-focused problem solving
• Characteristics of effective discipline, establishing a discipline style, and addressing high-risk behaviors
• Legal issues including custody, visitation, and child support
• Advocacy, negotiating systems, and connecting with community programs
• Key points in adolescent development and realistic expectations for behavior
• Indications of high-risk behavior and strategies and resources to help
• Workshop Handouts to distribute throughout each session
• Evaluation tools to assess the effectiveness of the course (pretests and posttests)
• Supplemental materials
• Workshop outlines (including suggested prompts for program facilitators and directions for activities)

Program Delivery

Parent/Caregiver Services

Parenting a Second Time Around (PASTA) directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:

• Parenting grandchildren or other relatives, lack of tools on how to parent these children, lack of tools on how to care for oneself while parenting, difficult or complex family relationships with the parents of the children in their care

Recommended Intensity:

Eight two-hour sessions, but two sessions (one for an introduction and one for a graduation session at the end of the course) can be added as desired

Recommended Duration:

8-10 weeks (one session per week, lasting ten weeks if an introduction and graduation session is offered)

Delivery Setting

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Community-based Agency / Organization / Provider

Homework

Parenting a Second Time Around (PASTA) includes a homework component:

After each session, participants receive handouts and they are encouraged to practice elements from the class at home and report back how it went in the next session.

Languages

Parenting a Second Time Around (PASTA) has materials available in a language other than English:

Spanish

For information on which materials are available in this language, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed at the bottom of this page).

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

Parent educator to teach the course, space for a class, handouts for each session, whiteboard or poster paper and markers, pencils for each participant, and tape

Manuals and Training

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

This curriculum is designed as a training module for educators with a strong background in human development and family sciences. It is also appropriate for allied health and mental health professionals, providing a strong concentration in the above. There is no specific license required.

Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Training Contact:

• Denyse Variano
  dav4@cornell.edu

Training Type/Location:

Dependent on needs, by request

Number of days/hours:

Dependent on needs, by request

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

Currently, there are no published, peer-reviewed research studies for Parenting a Second Time Around (PASTA).

Additional References