Parenting Support

About

Denise Konen, is a licensed parent educator, who coaches, consults and facilitates workshops with parents, teachers, and caregivers on a wide variety of topics related to children, families and those that work with them. She has taught parents in Minnesota's Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program and conducted workshops for parents and professionals across the state. She is currently self-employed and works with parents, teachers and caregivers who are in relationship with children of preschool, elementary, middle school and high school ages. Denise is one of the authors of a book titled, Working with Fathers: Methods and Perspectives, with the Minnesota Fathering Alliance.

Denise is deeply committed to racial justice and de-centering whiteness. She has been working for equity for over thirty years as a teacher, healing justice facilitator, and anti-racist activist and organizer. She has facilitated the series, "Parenting for Racial Justice" or alternatively, "Talking about Race and Racism with Kids,” numerous times in a variety of settings including schools, churches and neighborhood groups, as well as the series “Brave Connections: Interrupting Racism.” She has participated in extensive racial equity training with: Glen Singleton, Pacific Educational Group; Dr. Heather Hackman, Hackman Consulting Group; Resmaa Menakem, author, healer and trauma therapist; and Ricardo Morales, artist and racial justice activist. She is committed and invested in advocating for a world where everyone belongs. Denise is married with three adult children and lives in St. Louis Park, MN.


Experience

Experienced facilitator and parent educator with people of varied backgrounds, ages and ethnicities including; teen parents, fathers, battered women, chemically dependent parents, parents of young children, school age, and teens, single parents, co-parents, teachers, grandparents, parents of children with special needs.
Below is a sample of workshop/class series locations:

  • Minnesota Council for Family Relationships
  • Early Childhood Family Education Conferences
  • St. Paul Crisis Nursery
  • Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Cente
  • Minneapolis Elementary Schools
  • Hopkins Preschool and Elementary Schools
  • St. Louis Park Preschool and Elementary Schools
  • Genereral Mills
  • 3M Work Life
  • Eden Prairie Business Association
  • Churches in the Mpls. /St. Paul Metro Area
  • Homes and neighborhood community rooms


Strengths

  • Commitment to supporting family and personal growth and self-determined success
  • Understanding of critical race theory, structural and systemic racism and the role of whiteness
  • Strong knowledge base and understanding of family and societal systems
  • Sincerity, self-awareness and personal integrity
  • Ability to recognize gaps in service or system tools and work toward problem solving those areas
  • Supportive and nurturing, with an ability to encourage and empower parents to make the changes they want
  • Expertise with group process and empowerment methods
  • Anti-racist activist and organizer
  • Experienced parent of two biological children and an adopted child, two with special needs
  • Motivated, a creative risk taker and artist

Accomplishments

Developed materials and presented training for professionals and parents on program and family education topics at professional organizations, schools, churches and social service programs (a sampling is listed below):

  • Developed a five to six week curriculum, “Talking to Kids about Race and Racism”, facilitated in schools and churches throughout the metro area
  • Developed and facilitated the curriculum, “Brave Connections: Interrupting Bias and Systemic Racism.”
  • Developed a four week curriculum, “Nurturing Children’s Spirits”, which has been facilitated by Denise and others in several locations
  • Developed and implemented a parent education curriculum based on restitution concepts for parents of elementary aged children in the Eden Prairie School district
  • Hopkins School District Equity/Anti-Racism Team Member and Trainer
  • Developed Anoka Hennepin ECFE program’s infant curriculum
  • Developed an on-line computer class for parents in the Hopkins School District
  • Designed curriculum to work with parents who were raised in abusive systems, (battered women, chemically dependent people, adult children of alcoholics, etc.)
  • Designed, implemented, and promoted fathering programs
  • Designed family play and learning environments
  • Designed and developed kindergarten readiness learning kits for children with limited access to preschool
  • Wrote and compiled handbooks for parents enrolled in ECFE
  • Developed and implemented a staff mentorship training program
  • Instrumental in developing the training and orientation process for new staff members in the Anoka - Hennepin District # 11, Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program
  • Compiled and wrote ECFE staff manual and other training materials
  • Supervised numerous student internships for new parent educators
  • Member of Eden Prairie ECFE Diversity Training Committee
  • Designed program-wide interest surveys and evaluations and summarized results to use for program planning and improvement
  • Interviewed, hired, supervised, trained and evaluated ECFE staff for Anoka Hennepin school district. Planned and provided staff development for ECFE and Community Education
  • Developed, administered and monitored program budget
  • Facilitated staff problem-solving sessions using empowerment and interactive approaches
  • Developed and team authored a book, as a member of the Minnesota Fathering Alliance, for professionals who work with fathers, titled, Working with Fathers: Methods and Perspectives