by Rebecca Shrestha
Recently Purnaa Human Resources staff, Anu and I, attended an International Child Development Program (ICDP) to get trained in facilitating a parenting class. As a part of the 12 week program, we concurrently ran a parenting class for Purnaa staff. Here are some of my favorite parts of the course I attended and the group Anu and I facilitated.
What is the ICDP?
Well, it is the desire to develop communication between the child and his/her caregivers; and that the process is based on the child’s cultural resources.
The main elements of the ICDP program boil down to the 8 interaction themes (listed below) that describe how through three dialogues adults can optimize their ability to support children’s development. (Theme 1-4) The emotional dialogue helps establish, maintain and develop the adult’s contact with the child. (Theme 5-7) The meaning and expanding dialogue increases the child’s opportunities to learn. (Theme 8)
The regulative dialogue helps the child to control his impulses and to learn to plan”
8 Key Themes on How to Have Positive Interactions With a Child:
Express positive feelings
Follow the child’s lead
Talk to the child about things that interest him/her and try to establish an emotional communication
Give praise when the child does something well, and show him/her recognition
Help the child to focus his/her attention so that you can enjoy the experience of your surroundings together
Give meaning to the child’s experience – describe what you experience together with enthusiasm
Go into detail and give explanations when you experience something with the child
Help the child to learn self-control by planning together, by showing leadership and by setting limits in a positive way.
The overall experience of ICDP as a facilitator has changed me into a whole new person. I have changed my perspective, seeing every child as a person, putting myself in their shoes, having equal empathy to each child no matter where they have come from or who they are. I have become more sensitive towards them and I have learned to become available. My listening skills have improved a lot and I have started to apply the love languages more often.
A few things stood out to me during this program. The first was the conception of the child: having a positive concept towards the child, respecting their personal and cultural values and seeing the child as a person. This topic was one of my favorites because this doesn’t just apply to children but to all generations. This helped me to respect and love people as an individual, not for what they have achieved but for who they are, created in the image of God.
Another topic that stood out to me was an emotional dialogue with guidelines, expressing positive feelings and showing the child love. This has been my favorite part of ICDP training because I was able to connect with those I was teaching and find out what their and their children’s love languages are. Love languages are different ways that people express and feel love. The love languages include words of affirmation, physical touch, acts of service, quality time and gifts. They were able to improve their relationships not just with their child but with their spouse, family and friends as well.
The ICDP program was a lot of fun and a great success. They taught us many new concepts and practical ways of implementing those concepts in day-to-day life. I’m happy to have taken this training and to have become a facilitator of the program at Purnaa.