This website is a project of the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University to promote the healthy mental, emotional, and behavioral development of children by actively growing their social and emotional skills like self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
On the website, parents and those in a parenting role learn about strategies to thoughtfully address challenges with their children while at the same time growing social and emotional skills, increasing wellbeing, and reducing risky behaviors.
The website includes tools that are organized developmentally by the age of the child. At the core of each of the tools is the 5-step intentional parenting process that is grounded in learning theory, previous work on intentional communication, and informed by leading scholars knowledgeable about social and emotional skills.
Parents and those in a parenting role can select an age-specific tool to address their parenting challenge. By reading or listening to an audio version of the tool, parents learn about and utilize the process to address their parenting challenge. With use of the 5-step parenting process, parents become more comfortable and confident applying the process to other issues. With repeated engagement in the 5-step parenting process, social and emotional skills are improved in both parents and children. Over time, improved social and emotional skills in children increase wellbeing and reduce risky behaviors (such as underage drinking).
P.O. Box 170548
Bozeman, MT 59717-0548
Phone: (406) 994-7873
Youth and Family Services
2040 84th Avenue SE
Mercer Island, WA 98040
Phone: (206) 275-7611
Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Division
P.O. Box 202905
100 North Park, Suite 300
Helena, MT 59620-2905
Phone: (406) 444-3964
Early Childhood and Family Support Division
1625 11th Street, USF&G Building
Helena, MT 59620
Phone: (866) 239-0458
Children’s Trust Fund
P.O. Box 4210
Helena, MT 59601
Phone: (406) 444-3002
Julia is a Sponsored Research Specialist for the Center for Health and Safety Culture. She studied English at University in Florida.
Jennifer Miller has worked with educators and families for twenty-five years to help them become more effective with children through social and emotional learning (SEL). She is founder of the organization Confident Parents, Confident Kids and she authored and illustrated the book “Confident Parents, Confident Kids: Raising Emotional Intelligence In Ourselves and Our Kids”.
Katie Dively is a former researcher and trainer at the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University. Katie has a master’s degree in Health Promotion and has a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) certification.
Anjali Nandi is a Human Service Specialist at the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University and an organizational leadership consultant in the human service field.
Dr. Kari Finley is a Research Scholar and the Director of the Center for Health and Safety Culture. Dr. Finley has a Ph.D. in Human Services and a master’s degree in Social Work. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the current Principal Investigator of the Tools for Your Child’s Success Project.
Jay Otto is a former researcher and co-director at the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University. Jay has a master’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Kelly Green is the Assistant Director of Finance and a Research Scientist at the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University. Kelly has a master’s degree in Public Administration (M.P.A.) from Montana State University.
Samantha Pinzl is a Research Scientist at the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University and has a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) certification. Samantha holds a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse.
Dr. Kaylin Greene is a former Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Montana State University. Dr. Greene has a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies and Demography from Pennsylvania State University.
Preston Randolph is the owner of Cactus Productions, an Emmy award-winning documentary production company out of Wyoming. Randolph’s passion for using film to generate awareness for social issues has been showcased through many of his short documentaries, PSA’s and interactive national media campaigns. Randolph has generated a visual style that collaborates with his passion to reveal stories of the human element.
Dr. Bridget Hanson is a Senior Research Scholar at the Center for Health and Safety Culture. Dr. Hanson holds a PhD in Experimental Psychology, with an emphasis in social psychology, from the University of North Dakota.
Dr. Shannon Wanless is an Associate Professor as well as the Director of the Office of Child Development at the University of Pittsburgh, a large university-community partnership center in the School of Education, that is focused on ensuring that all children thrive.
Trevor is a Sponsored Research Specialist at the Center for Health and Safety Culture. He is a seasoned WordPress Developer and the owner of a digital agency with an impressive two-decade legacy.
Stacey Utterback is a Graphic Design/Marketing Specialist at the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University. Stacey earned a degree in Graphic Design with a minor in business.
Annmarie McMahill is a former researcher at the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University and former Principal Investigator of the Tools for Your Child’s Success Project. Annmarie has a master’s degree in Prevention Science from the University of Oklahoma.
