In The Classroom:

Raising a child is no easy task.

For 57 years, Glendale Community College’s Parent Education Program has been educating parents on age-related behavior traits, how to build self-esteem in their kids, philosophies of parenting and how to practice positive parenting skills.

Classes are at the college’s Life Skills building and at sites in Glendale and the Crescenta Valley. Having the parent education program across many sites all but eliminates waiting lists, organizers said. Before, waiting lists were as long as 500 names, said parent education instructor Michelle Reilly.

“It helps them to understand that they are not alone,” Reilly said as she watched a group of her parents help their kids play on the Life Skills jungle gym .

“It develops a lot of friendships, and it provides a lot of education for them on certain things,” Reilly said.

Recently, Reilly had a parent seek her advice on what to do for a daughter who has been waking up four or five times every night.

On top of getting advice from the center’s qualified instructors, parents can also seek advice from each other.

“You get an opinion other than just going online,” said Richard Haga, whose 16-month-old son, Henry, is enrolled in the program.

“You can see what other parents are going through, too, and talk to them about what their experiences are with a problem — what to do and what not to do.”

There is a tremendous amount of ideas that are exchanged, Reilly said, and kids are able to have one-on-one time with their parents.

This semester, the parent education program provides more than 33 classes for more than 600 parents.

The program also offers a fathers class Thursday evenings.

Jimmy Tsai said the value of the program for his son lies in teaching his child to interact with other kids, making him less clingy.

“He can play with the other kids, too. I think it accelerates their learning,” Tsai said as he watched 21-month-old Ronan play on the jungle gym.

“He has the benefit of knowing a lot of people. He doesn’t have [the] severe detachment that we’ve seen in some kids.”

As a first-time mom, Monica Cobo-Espuny wants to be sure she is doing everything right for her son, 22-month-old Esteban.

“Honestly, I think it’s an extended family,” said Cobo-Espuny. “It’s made me a better mother. The kids get to play with other kids and learn. It’s preschool without having to pay for it, and yet the kids are learning and the parents are learning.”

She said she looks forward to Mondays to have her questions answered about any difficulties.

Karmen Markosyan calls the program a support system where she and other parents can come in and talk about almost anything.

“We always talk about different issues in the class,” Markosyan said. “It’s about being consistent and hearing what other people are going through. It gives you a different perspective and a different way of looking at a situation and a problem.”

The majority of parents who enroll in the tuition-free program are first-time parents, Reilly said.

“But you gotta remember, too, that even though it is your second or third child, they might not have encountered something with their first child what they are encountering now,” Reilly said.

For Carol Alexander, her 23-month-old daughter, Gwen, will be the second child she has enrolled. She uses the experience she culled with her first child, 6-year-old Nathan.

In doing so, she’s learned that jumping in right away may not be the best thing, but “maybe stand back and observe, and maybe let her do more things on her own,” Alexander said.