Research centre broadcasts parenting seminar online

The Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research is putting child-rearing experts in the homes of parents across the province.

From 7 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 2, the centre will host a seminar regarding television, computers and outdoor play at the Calgary Coast Plaza, that will be broadcast live online as well. Online viewers will be invited to participate by submitting questions to the experts via the internet. 

Communications director Aimee Caster said the centre often hosts seminars, but this will be the first  live broadcast. “Since more and more families have their own computer and more and more have high speed internet access, we decided to make it accessible to all parents, not just in Calgary,” she said. “And this way parents don’t have to worry about finding a babysitter or even leaving their house.”

David Bickham, from the Harvard Medical School, will discuss the effects of television viewing and video games on children’s emotional development. “He goes in to talking about how much is too much and what are the effects of background noise,” she said. “He’s actually done studies that show that if there’s violent programming on in the background, it can still have an effect on a child and it can even lead to nightmares.”

Andrea Faber-Taylor, from the University of Illinois, will present her research on the benefits of outdoor play. “Children that have access to green spaces have higher brain development than those who live in concrete jungles,” Caster said. “So there are other advantages other than wearing your kid out playing outside.”

Tanya Beran, from the University of Calgary, will talk about the “ever-evolving” issue of cyber-bullying. “She’ll talk about what parents can look for,” Caster said. “What to do if your child’s being bullied, or what to do if your child is the bully.”

Kathleen Waxer, director of community and family services in Jasper, said increasing screen time for children is becoming a big concern, especially as it relates to obesity and nature deficit disorder. “You might think if you live in Jasper you couldn’t have that, but think of kids who go from their heated garage to the car, get driven to school and go inside, it’s not all that far-fetched,” she said. 

That’s why the municipality is working towards putting out-of-school care in Centennial Park as well as building a more engaging playground. “It’s a topic that should be of concern to parents,” Waxer said. Lee Ann Cross, Parent Link Programmer for Jasper, was thrilled to learn of the seminar and posted the information and said she would spread the word to parents about it.

Though it’s not absolutely necessary to register in advance, it’s a good idea as signing in may require computer updates, Caster said, so setting up early will eliminate delays getting started the night of the seminar. For more information visit www.research4children.com.

The Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research aims to find relevant research and to bring experts and knowledge to the province. “This is one of our knowledge mobilization techniques,” Caster said, adding that all parents can learn from events like this. 

“It just shows they’re like all of us, we don’t know everything,” she said. “You’re not born with a manual in your head that knows all the answers.”