The Chautauqua Alcoholicism and Substance Abuse Council will offer Active Parenting Now, a free parenting class, starting today.

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation has provided a grant to CASAC to help those who want to better their parenting skills.

The six-session video and discussion program is being offered without charge at the CASAC Jamestown office, 501 W. Third St., Suites 3 & 4, in the Springhorn Building. The session dates are Nov. 6, 18 and 25 and Dec. 4, 11 and 16.

The program helps teach parents how to raise responsible, cooperative children who are prepared to meet the challenges of the teen years, resist negative peer pressure and thrive in the 21st century. The program considers child development and parenting in terms of the age/stage of the child within the perspective of varied nuclear families and vignettes representative of diverse cultures. The program is designed to provide parents with skills that will help them develop cooperation, responsibility and self-esteem in their children.

They’ll also learn positive, non-violent discipline techniques so they can avoid power struggles.

For more information, call Kathleen Colby at 664-3608.