The Curriculum
Housed in two three-ring binders, the user-friendly materials can be used by teachers and non-teachers alike. Each complete lesson plan is laid out step-by-step, including questions for students, teaching strategies, and evaluation tools.
Student materials are provided in both English and Spanish. The 23 lessons can form the curriculum for a separate class, or teachers can select individual lessons to incorporate into existing parenting classes.
Settings
Parents and the Law can be implemented in a variety of settings.
- Court-mandated parenting classes: Parents and the Law lessons can be used as a component of court-ordered parenting classes for parents who have or are in danger of abusing or neglecting their children.
- Community partnerships: Groups like the Child Welfare League of America, Communities in Schools, and Healthy Teen Network that serve young parents see the value in teaching practical law to their clients. Community sites have taught Parents and the Law as part of parent education courses at a child development center, as a Street Law series at a transitional living center, or as a special workshop at a community event.
- Faith-based organizations: Parents and the Law lessons offer faith-based organizations an opportunity to provide a vital educational offering for young adults and link to members of the legal community.
- Fatherhood programs: Fathers, especially non-custodial fathers, need to know about their legal rights and corresponding responsibilities. Parents and the Law tackles important issues - paternity, child support, custody - impacting non-custodial parents that can pave the way for more involvement in a child's life.
- Hospitals: Prenatal hospital visits are critical to delivering a healthy baby. To attract young parents to hospitals, many host baby showers, give-aways, and a range of educational classes. Hospital staff, sometimes partnered with law students, have taught a series of Parents and the Law lessons to the pregnant teens they serve - bringing practical law lessons to where teens need to go!
- Housing centers: Parents and the Law lessons provide tenants with critical information on their rights and responsibilities as tenants. Beyond this topical information, tenants can learn how to be good neighbors and parents, respect the rule of law, and identify legal information to solve their problems.
- Juvenile justice facilities: Increasingly females are incarcerated as teens. Many incarcerated youth are parents or at-risk of becoming young parents. To help address the needs of this population, Street Law has brought Parents and the Law to teens in these facilities.
- Schools: Schools must address the needs of pregnant and parenting teens and the needs of future parents by teaching about the legal responsibilities and rights of parents. Parents and the Law classes are offered in schools using different approaches to reach all types of students. Schools offer Parents and the Law lessons in:
- Child development classes
- Health classes
- Pregnant and parenting teen classes
- Special educational programming in conjunction with a special event like teen pregnancy prevention day, a health fair, or law day
Training and Professional Development
Street Law staff can provide customized training and technical assistance to support the implementation of a Street Law program in your facility. To learn more about customized PAL trainings, please contact Lena Morreale Scott.