Effective parenting is substance abuse prevention.
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About Us
Who We Are Our Purpose Programs Advisory Board Board Members Schools
Who We Are
NYC-Parents in Action is a non-profit, volunteer organization founded in 1980 to serve parents of New York City independent schools -- a group of over 26,000 families. We're committed to the belief that communication between parent and child is the most effective tool in producing a healthy environment in which our children can develop into mature and responsible young adults. We also believe that working together with other parents bolsters our confidence in our ability to make a difference.
Our Purpose
NYC-Parents in Action, Inc. recognizes that effective parenting in early childhood is a primary form of substance abuse prevention for children and teenagers. We provide parenting education, information and a communications network to help parents prepare their children and teenagers to cope with social pressures and make sound choices towards a future free of alcohol and drug abuse.
Our programs are designed to promote:
  • Awareness of the commercial and social pressures that encourage the use of alcohol and drugs by children and teenagers.
  • Knowledge of the social, psychological and physiological consequences of drug and alcohol use.
NYC-Parents in Action serves as an information resource and explores and expands ways in which parents, students and schools can better communicate with each other.
Programs
This year, NYC-Parents in Action will offer three seminars, a luncheon speaker series, over 250 facilitated discussion groups in member schools and more. Our programs are designed to inform parents about alcohol and drug abuse and to facilitate communication among parents, young people and schools.
PUBLICATIONS
Newsletters
Newsletters
Our Newsletter is published three times a year and has a print and email circulation of over 26,000 families. It covers our seminars, featuring information on child and adolescent development, health, and the effects of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs on children and adolescents.

To download a copy of our latest newsletter, click here.
FOCUS: A Practical Parenting Guide
"FOCUS: A Practical Parenting Guide" is designed to help parents communicate more effectively with their children and to prepare families to cope with critical issues facing children and adolescents in New York City today. This publication provides information on a variety of topics, including health and safety, media influences and substance abuse. NYC-PIA now offers a revised and expanded edition of FOCUS to participating independent schools in New York City. For a copy, please contact your NYC-PIA School Rep.
Online Exclusives
From time to time, NYC-PIA will put helpful information from psychologists, educators and physicians up on our web site as an "online exclusive."
FACILITATED PARENT DISCUSSION GROUPS
Our Parent Discussion Groups help in the development of parent-parent and parent-child communication. Parents are encouraged to share their parenting strategies, experiences, and concerns with other parents in their grade in a facilitated meeting. These meetings are designed to promote better understanding and awareness of social, developmental and parenting issues. Facilitated Parent Discussion Groups are scheduled at the request of New York City independent schools.

We are always looking for talented volunteers to go through our facilitator training. If you are interested, please e-mail us at facilitation@parentsinaction.org.
SEMINARS
Our Seminars are held as an educational service for parents and educators. Seminars discuss such topics as adolescent alcohol and drug abuse, parent-child relationships, parent communications, and social and learning issues. Due to the generosity of our donors, we offer these seminars FREE OF CHARGE. Due to the high profile nature of our speakers these events can be very popular. Our seminar on Life Skills 101 had over 300 parents.

To see our upcoming events, click here.

To download a pdf of our calendar for this year, click here. 		Dr. Mel Levine
TEEN SCENE
Teen Scene is our yearly event offering a moderated panel of teenagers (9-12th grade) who discuss social issues in the high school years. Teen Scene takes an in-depth look at what teens think, where they go, how they handle life. This is always one of our most popular events of the year and we encourage parents to attend and be informed about what our teens have to say. Teen Scene
Advisory Board 2007-2008
NYC-PIA is grateful for the support and expertise of our Advisory Board. We thank the following Advisory Board members serving for the 2007-2008 school year. Below is a list of our distinguished Advisory Board members for this year:
  • George Davison, M.A. (Head of Grace Church School, NYC)
  • Ernesto Ferran, JR. M.D. (Psychiatrist)
  • Jeanette Friedman, C.S.W. (Therapist specializing in family counseling)
  • Charlene Giannetti (Author and Parenting Educator)
  • Edes Gilbert, Consultant and former Head of School, Spence School
  • Harold Koplewicz, M.D. (Psychiatrist, Author, and Director of the NYU Child Study Center)
  • George Lazarus, M.D. (Specialist in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine)
  • Thomas Lickona, Ph.D. (Developmental Psychologist and Professor of Education at SUNY Cortland, NY)
  • Ralph Lopez, M.D. (Doctor of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine and Author)
  • Jean Mandelbaum, Ph.D. (Doctor of Sociology, Psychology, and Early Childhood Education, Head, All Souls School, NYC)
  • Bruce Polsky, M.D. (Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital Center)
  • Julie Ross, M.A. (Counselor, Author and Parent Educator)
  • Charlotte Weber (Founding Member)
  • Sophocles N. Zoullas, IMD (Business Advisor)
Board Members
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chairman Emeritus: Lynn Manger
Chairman: Celeste Rault
President: Aimee Garn
Secretary: Nicky Grant
Vice President School Relations: Kathleen Harper
Vice President Publications: Veronica Bennett
Vice President Seminars: Margot Ziegler
Vice President Public Relations and Outreach: Mary Beth Harvey
Vice President Development: Fran Poole
Nominating Chair: Debbie Feller
BOARD MEMBERS 2007-2008
Ana-Rosa Aboitiz, Elena Atkin, Lisa Levaggi Borter, Barbara Brennan, Carolyn Cohen, Peggy Ellis, Phyllis Emanuel, Susan Fisher, Laurie Freeman, Lucy Martin Gianino, Lib Goss, Barbara Greene, Nancy Hebert, Carmen Knoepffler, Beth Lee, Martha Leitner, Stacy Lippin, Marie Marolda, Tessa Namuth, Amelia Ogunlesi, Ani Bedrossian Omer, Nancy Orenstein, Carol Papper, Kathy Posner, Wendy Schwarz, Randy Smolian, Robin Straus, Pamela Weinberg, Melanie Wells, Merle Wolff
PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL
Chair: Sacha MacNaughton
Polly Carpenter, Linda Fraser, Fran Laserson, Erna O'Shea
Schools
Participating Schools 2007-2008
Alexander Robertson School
Allen-Stevenson School
Berkeley Carroll School
Birch Wathen Lenox
Brearley School
Browning School
Buckley School
Caedmon School
Calhoun School
Chapin School
Claremont Preparatory School
Collegiate School
Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School
The Convent of the Sacred Heart
Dalton School
Dwight School
Ethical Culture Fieldston School
Fieldston Schools
Friends Seminary
Gateway School
Grace Church School
Abraham Joshua Heschel School
Hewitt School
Horace Mann School
Loyola School
Little Red Schoolhouse and Elisabeth Irwin High School
Marymount School
Nightingale-Bamford School
Packer Collegiate Institute
Poly Prep Country Day School
Professional Children's School
Ramaz School
Riverdale Country School
Rodeph Sholom School
Saint Ann's School
Saint David's School
Spence School
St. Bernard's School
Town School
Trevor Day School
Trinity School
United Nations International School
Winston Prep
York Preparatory School
NYC-Parents in Action, Inc. | P.O. Box 287451 -- Yorkville Station | New York, NY 10128-0025 | 212-987-9629
©2008 NYC-Parents In Action, Inc. All rights reserved.
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