The mission of the Parent Education Program is to promote the development of knowledge and skills for strong and healthy families.
Parent education programs help students become more effective and satisfied in their role by helping them understand their child’s behavior, by encouraging them to recognize developmentally appropriate activities, by assisting them in acquiring valuable information in areas which affect the welfare of the “whole child,” and by teaching them methods to help their children develop responsible behavior.
Val Donato graduated from Queens College in New York City with a BA in Education. She moved to Washington DC and then to San Francisco, ending up in Seattle in 1970. She enrolled in Parent Education/Child Study classes at North Seattle Community College and began teaching those classes as a part-timer in 1974. As a student at NSCC, she became active in the leadership of that parent education class, assuming offices of parent coordinator, treasurer, and Advisory Council representative.
When Val first began in the program, only families of children from three to five years old were served. Val expanded the program to include parents of children beginning at birth. She has at various times taught every class offered by the program. The program now serves 42 preschools and 22 local childcare centers serving over 1000 families per quarter through co-operative classes, on-line classes, short-term classes, and lectures.
In 1997, Val earned a Masters in Human Development with an emphasis on Leadership in Education. She is the coordinator for and a full-time instructor in the program. In her spare time she loves to read fiction, garden, and be a grandparent to two wonderful grandchildren.
In September, 2007, the NSCC Health and Human Services Division created the Val Donato Award to recognize dedicated, hardworking, and outstanding parent education faculty members. Depending on the amount of funds obtained (a minimum of $10,000.00 is needed), the annual award will consist of one or more $500 stipends to be used for professional development to improve the Parent Education Program. A committee including the Division Dean, an Education Fund Representative, Parent Advisory Council Representatives, and Parent Education faculty will select recipients based upon the applicants embodiment of Vals and the programs ideals.
Contributions to the award fund are 100% tax-deductible; for further details or to make a donation, contact: