Learn and Grow with Your Child

Deepen connections with the children in your life, learn additional parenting skills, and raise children who thrive.

Parents laughing together in an in-person Love and Logic® class meeting.

NOCE’s tuition-free parenting classes bring parents and children together to support social, emotional, and creative growth. Parents, grandparents, foster parents, and guardians can learn positive parenting techniques in a friendly and safe environment. Courses cover various topics and are for adults whose children are of any age (birth to young adulthood). Register today!

Parenting Class Focus Areas

  • Parenting Courses taken with Children

    Parenting Courses with Children: Enjoy classes that promote bonding, develop knowledge, and support the physical and social-emotional development of the child through music, movement, arts, crafts, and more!

    • Developmental Movement Classes (Parent/adult and child attend; the adult is the registered student). Learn to encourage development in large motor skills, coordinated body movements, and expressions of self-esteem in your child. Developmental movement classes are offered for parents with children in the age ranges of 1-2 years, 2-3 years, and 3-4.5 years.
    • Joyful Parenting Classes (Parent/adult and child attend; the adult is the registered student). Help build your child’s self-esteem with class activities and quality time together to support child development. You’ll also get the latest parenting skills through lecture, discussion, observation, and hands-on learning. Prepare children for preschool or kindergarten through interactive play, learning expectations, and following directions. Joyful Parenting classes are offered for parents with children in the age ranges of 1.5-2.5 years and 2.5-5 years.
    • The Thoughtful Child. (For adults to take with a child ages 1.5 to 5 years of age).  Adults participate with a child to support social-emotional development, guide their child to build awareness of self, family, community, and the world. The class uses developmentally appropriate activities that emphasize building a growth mindset and thoughtfulness toward themselves and others.

    Important Details About Joyful Parenting and Developmental Movement Courses

    These courses can be attended by a parent, grandparent, nanny or other adults who caretakes a child in their life.   For more details about these courses, please review important information on the parenting program registration info page.

  • Child and Family Wellness (Building Trauma-Informed Communities)

    Child and Family Wellness

    Building Trauma-Informed Communities (BTIC)

    With the information provided by these classes, parents, family members, and other adults will learn ways to develop trust, build healthy relationships, and communicate with children to increase resiliency. Students who enroll learn methods to help enhance the lifelong well-being of the children in their lives.

    For more information on the new courses being offered, visit the Child and Family Wellness page!

    A conference is also held each year with keynote speakers focusing on reducing the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). This conference is attended by preschool teachers, K-12 teachers, administrators, counselors, social workers, therapists, non-profit and social services agencies, aftercare programs, higher education staff and counselors, and parents.

  • Connected Parenting

    Connected Parenting

    PARN 102

    Designed to lend support and provide some realistic parenting techniques that can be used in the parent’s day-to-day life. The course includes lectures, reading, videos, discussions to share best practices, and more.

  • Practical Parenting (Love and Logic® Courses)

    Raise self-confident, motivated children who are ready for the real world. Love and Logic® classes provide loving, yet powerful tools for parenting children and teens. For more information, view the Love and Logic® page.

    • Love & Logic® Classes (Adults Only). The Love & Logic® approach teaches six groups of skills to help parents reinforce behavior expectations for their children at home and in school. Love & Logic® classes are available for parents, foster parents, grandparents, and caregivers of school-age and teen children, as well as social workers, teachers, or anyone interested in learning techniques for creating positive relationships with children/teens.

No-Cost and Convenient Parenting Courses

NOCE Parenting Courses are free and are for any adult who loves or cares for children, including caregivers and any adult family member. Parenting Courses are conveniently available at all three NOCE centers, community locations, and online. 

View the current NOCE Course Schedule to browse currently available Parenting Program courses. Start dates vary and offer open enrollment so you can join a class already in session.


headshot of Erin Sherard
Thriving children are built through thousands of little moments of connection. Erin Sherard
NOCE Professor, Parenting Program

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