A stronger network of parenting educators is taking shape across Region XI following the completion of the Training of Trainers on Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP), conducted by the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) Regional Office XI in Davao City. The activity brought together National Drug Education Program (NDEP) coordinators and focal persons from the region’s eleven (11) Schools Division Offices, preparing them to serve as facilitators who will deliver STEP to parents and communities within their respective divisions.
Developed as a trainer-development initiative, STEP adopts a cascading approach that extends parenting education beyond a single training activity. Rather than limiting learning to participatingeducators, the program equips them to conduct succeeding sessions for parents and other stakeholders, broadening the reach of preventive education through schools and local communities. This approach supports the continued implementation of the NDEP by strengthening local capacity to deliver structured, evidence-informed parenting interventions.
Throughout the two-day training, participants completed a comprehensive learning program covering the Philippine Anti-Illegal Drug Strategy (PADS), the salient provisions of Republic Act No. 9165, the effects of dangerous drugs, child and parent rights and responsibilities, child development, responsible parenthood, effective parent-child communication, positive discipline, and the role of families in drug abuse prevention and intervention. The sessions were facilitated by resource persons from the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Department of Education, integrating legal, psychosocial, educational, and public health perspectives into a unified parenting education framework.
By expanding the pool of qualified STEP facilitators across Region XI, the initiative reinforces the partnership between DDB and DepEd in advancing family-centered preventive education. As trained facilitators return to their respective divisions, they are expected to lead the rollout of STEP within their localities, enabling more parents to access practical knowledge and skills that strengthen family relationships, support healthy child development, and contribute to sustained drug abuse prevention efforts at the community level.
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