The Human Development Program provides information, skill training and support to parents and others who work with children, youth and families. Human Development information is disseminated through workshops, professional seminars, publications, exhibits, print, radio/television and the Internet. Professional development opportunities are offered to professionals and paraprofessionals, including educators, librarians, youth leaders, and human service personnel who work with families.

CCE offers workshops for parents and professionals at its Education Center on Griffing Avenue in Riverhead, at the Suffolk County Farm and Education Center in Yaphank, and at community sites throughout Suffolk County on a year-round basis.

Our Team Members
Our Human Development Team consists of human development specialists, parent educators and a marketing specialist.

	Nancy Olsen-Harbich is the coordinator for the Human Development Program. She has been a human development specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County since 1985. Nancy has her B.S. from Cornell University and her master’s degree from SUNY Stony Brook. Her area of expertise is early childhood development and education.
	Kerri Kreh Reda is a child development educator specializing in infant-toddler development. Kerri works closely with parents of children three years and younger, focusing on brain development, temperament, language development, discipline and toilet learning. Kerri has a B.A. in human development from Eckerd College, Florida and a master’s degree in maternal and child health from the University of South Florida.
	Maxine Roeper Cohen is a parent educator who specializes in parent/toddler workshops at Suffolk County libraries. Maxine earned a B.S. in human development from Cornell University and a M.S. in education from Syracuse University. Maxine has served as an adjunct assistant professor in psychology at Touro College, and as a career counselor at SUNY Stony Brook.
	Dinah Castro is a family well-being educator whose focus is to provide information on nutrition and parent education to parents of young children. Dinah holds a B.S. from Cornell University and provides programming for both English and Spanish-speaking audiences. Dinah has been working with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s diabetes education program as an outreach worker primarily in Suffolk County Health Centers.

Parenting Tips
Parenting Tips is a compilation of about 100 brief tips for parents of newborns through adolescents covering topics from toilet learning to discipline to communication. To receive parenting tips by email, please contact Donna Kirdahy at dk232@cornell.edu.

Fact Sheets on Teens and Sleep

• Living With Your Teen: Adolescents and Sleep
• Teens and Sleep
• Adolescents and Sleep

Safety First
Here you will find information on how you can help keep your children safe.

Links to Informational Articles
Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills

Parenting Bibliography
A compilation of information and resources on parenting. Click here.

Our Programs
Community groups, including public libraries, childcare centers, parent teacher associations and churches and synagogues, seeking more information about parent education programs can visit our page on Parenting Workshops for Community Groups 2008.

We are also pleased to offer Parent Education Workshops for 2008. Please join us for lively discussions where you will meet other parents with similar concerns. All workshops are from 7:00-9:00 pm at the Kermit W. Graf Building in Riverhead. Call to find out when next series begins.

The Human Development Program at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County is pleased to offer Workshops for Parents for Fall 2008. Please join us for lively discussions where you will meet other parents with similar concerns. All workshops are held from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Media Room in the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge. (Directions) There is a $5 materials fee for each workshop.  Questions? Want to register? Please contact Laurie Wells at 631-727-7850, ext. 340 or lmw12@cornell.edu.

2008 Professional Development Opportunities - The Human Development team at Cornell Cooperative Extension is pleased to offer professional development opportunities for 2008. All seminars are offered at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Riverhead. These workshops are for people who work with children, youth and families. Participants will receive certificates of completion. Call 631-727-7850 for more information.

Parents looking for workshops on parenting issues, including understanding toddler development, talking to teens about difficult topics, and learning how to communicate effectively with children, should visit our Upcoming Events page for listings by the Human Development Program as well as program areas.

Links - To Parent Organizations