The Dallas County Family Resource Center is giving people in the community an opportunity to become a better parent through a month-long class.

The Whole Parent class will teach parents about feeding, bathing, early brain development, aging and stages of child development, managing emotional responses, transforming difficult behaviors, mastering discipline, overall family wellness, positive coping and nutrition and healthier choices.

“The ultimate goal with this is just to teach parents more effective parenting strategies to ultimately prevent child abuse and neglect and even preventable death,” said Amy Carmichael, program manager for the parenting program.

The program, funded by the Children’s Trust Fund, will take place at the center every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. until noon in February.

“It’s for anybody, any care giver, anybody that wants to take the class can attend,” Carmichael said. “It’s extremely valuable.”

Carmichael said those that attend the class can win door prizes, earn “bucks” to spend at the store at the center and will be provided lunch.

“We tend to default to the way our parents raised us, and a lot of the times, the way our parents raised us we know now isn’t the most effective thing,” Carmichael said. “A lot of people just don’t know the right thing to do, and it becomes really difficult to deal with our children in the right way if we don’t know. So the education is needed.”

Carmichael said those that would like to donate to the center or donate household items, baby, toddler and adult clothes for the store, can do so by calling the center at 874-7785.

Those wanting to participate in the class can also call the center to register.

Along with small door prizes, a Graco Pack ‘N Play and a toddler car bed will be given away for those that attend all of the classes.