SANTA CLARITA PROGRAMS TO OFFER PARENTS POINTERS ON FAMILY LIFE.

Byline: Laurence Darmiento Daily News Staff Writer

When parents are told they are going to have a child, many don't think twice about taking a Lamaze class and learning how to ease the pain of childbirth.

It has become standard fare. And Santa Clarita officials think parental education shouldn't stop there. What mother or father couldn't use a few pointers, for example, as a child prepares to enter kindergarten?

Enter Parent Academies, the city's attempt to expand and put a positive spin on formal parental education at a time when many experts believe the American family could use a little help.

``Everybody's saying it: It all goes back to the parents. If kids feel neglected, alone or insecure at home, that is when the problems start,'' said Heather Tolen, a city recreation specialist.

``The problem is parent education classes have a stigma that you are a failed parent. We are creating a less threatening, positive environment.''

The free Parent Academies, funded by the city under its program to promote the family and lessen gang influences, are planned as half-day affairs at local elementary schools.

The first one is set for May 4 at Old Orchard Elementary School in Newhall and is aimed at valley parents who have children about to start kindergarten in the fall.

Called ``Starting School,'' the program will feature several workshops covering topics such as ``Taming the TV Monster,'' expected behavioral changes in children, and tips on packing a nutritious brown bag lunch.

By focusing the academies on practical issues in parenting - as opposed to such general topics as ``discipline'' - Tolen said she is hopeful any stigma will be erased.

Laurie Adachi, a licensed educational psychologist, has volunteered to host a workshop on helping develop a child's study habits and skills.

``I don't know where we ever got the idea that parents are supposed to know these things,'' said Adachi, who has a private practice in Newhall. ``It's time to take the blame away from parents and give them some help.''

Adachi said she believes today's mobile society accounts for much of the problem, separating extended families and breaking the chain of knowledge, depriving many adults of their own parents' hard-won wisdom.

She said the city is one of the few that is taking such an active role in assisting parents, including sponsoring a 12-week program she taught last fall for parents of strong-willed teen-agers.

Tolen said more half-day academies are planned, but city officials are waiting to see the turnout before making bigger plans. About 150 participants are expected. Other workshops will be held at different schools.

For more information, call the city's Parenting Resource and Referral Service at [phone].