ACT in the Communities

From the ACT Program in Union County, OH:

The Union County (Ohio) Parent Education Committee recently partnered with the local Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Program to present a baby shower for expectant moms. With a grant made available from the Center for Effective Discipline to promote Spank-Out Day, the theme of this baby shower was entitled RETHINK, (based on the ACT Against Violence Program). Interactive educational presentations were included with information on topics related to discipline alternatives, abuse prevention and positive parenting.

RETHINK was presented as an anagram throughout the shower with each speaker presenting a letter of the word and its' corresponding strategy, (i.e., "R" for Recognize when you are angry) before each of their presentations. The letters were posted on the wall, in no particular order, and at the end of the presentations the moms were given some time to unscramble the word. The first person to shout out RETHINK won the prize. The prize was a "Time Out" timer.

The RETHINK Shower was presented to both community WIC moms and to moms in the Ohio Reformatory for Women's ABC nursery program. Shower participants expressed overwhelming positive response with almost all saying they would be more likely to use non-physical discipline as a result of what they learned at the event! RETHINK will be incorporated in future community WIC showers on a regular basis.

If you have questions about the RETHINK Baby Shower, contact Liz Fries or Mindy Stice at the Union County Health Department by calling 1(888) 333-9461.