Parents’ School: Strengthening Parenting and Family Communication

Asociación CasaSito – Guatemala

The Parents’ School, led by our partner Asociación CasaSito in Alta Verapaz and Sacatepéquez, is a training and support space designed for parents and caregivers. Its purpose is to provide tools, resources, and knowledge to strengthen family life, parenting skills, communication, and conflict resolution at home.

The program promotes clear boundaries and consistent consequences, moving away from authoritarian or permissive parenting models and encouraging responsibility, respect, and autonomy in adolescents. Workshops cover topics such as communication and active listening, mental health and emotional management, setting limits as children grow more independent, self-esteem and identity in the face of social pressure and technology, and self-care for parents as a path toward building resilient families.

The impact comes through in the words of participants: “My communication with my children has improved so much since I heard these topics. I make a point to pay attention to what they’re doing, ask them how school went, and show them more affection with kind words,” shares one participant from Alta Verapaz. Another from Sacatepéquez adds: “Now I have more patience, and above all, better communication with my children and my husband.” A third puts it simply: “My kids have told me I’ve changed a lot… We make time to share and do things together as a family.”