Building a Screen-Smart Community
Healthy tech use isn’t a solo project — it’s a
community movement.
When parents, educators, and local leaders come together, we create shared norms that value presence over perfection and relationships over algorithms. Our children learn best through connection and modeling. When we take time to regulate our own nervous systems, reflect together, and support one another, we create the conditions for a healthier childhood: one rooted in calm, curiosity, and care.
Scientists and experts agree — screens and smartphones have reshaped childhood, family life, and our sense of community. But as parents, we don’t need data to tell us what we already see with our own eyes and feel in our guts. Technology is exciting and full of potential, yet we’re also seeing its impact: shorter attention spans, rising anxiety, constant comparison, and disconnection from nature, creativity, and one another.
The question so many of us are asking is simple and urgent:
How do we make sure our kids are OK?
That’s where a facilitated Screen Sanity Parent Night comes in.
What is a Screen Sanity Parent Night?
Screen Sanity Parent Nights are a different kind of parent education. They are not a lecture from experts, they are a conversation amongst parents and caregivers in a community. They are a chance to gather, reflect, and talk honestly about how technology shapes our homes, hearts, and kids’ lives and then proactively figure out solutions that work for our specific community. They are a chance to create the much needed connection, awareness, and community needed to parent in the digital age.
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This experience is non-judgmental and parent-centric and an opportunity to learn and grow together, grounded in the belief that we’re all doing our best and that community makes us stronger.
What to Expect
Each 60-90 minute Parent Night follows Screen Sanity’s proven, conversation-centered format. Remember, it’s not a lecture. Short videos ground the content and after each video, table discussions invite parents to share experiences, insights, and reflections. Guiding questions like “What stood out to you?” and “What’s one thing you might try at home?” deepen understanding and connection. The evening closes with group sharing, a brief Q&A, and an invitation to continue the journey through Screen Sanity Study Groups and resources.
The atmosphere is welcoming, non-judgmental, and inclusive. Parents are invited to reflect, not perform — to replace guilt with understanding and to rediscover confidence and calm in their parenting.
How do I help as a facilitator?
As a certified Jai Institute Parenting Coach and Screen Sanity facilitator, I lead these evenings with warmth, humor, and compassion. My approach weaves together attachment theory, nervous system science, and nonviolent communication (NVC) — helping parents respond instead of react and guide with connection instead of control.
Having a facilitator for the evening helps create a container for parents and caregivers to share openly and honestly about these sometimes challenging topics. As a parent, I have navigated many of these tech topics with my own son and am passionate about helping other parents feel more empowered to make the hard decisions needed to parent tech. Being familiar with the Screen Sanity content and recommendations, I am able to guide the group through this process and offer guidance when needed.
Hosting a Screen Sanity Parent Night
If you’re part of a school, PTA, or community organization in Petaluma, you can host a facilitated in-person Screen Sanity Parent Night. Hosting a Screen Sanity Parent Night is a great next step after a formal parent ed presentation on tech to help continue the conversation on a community level. These evenings are available to parents/caregivers of kids of all ages but I recommend them for parents/caregivers of TK-5th grade as a way to really create a foundation of early balanced tech use and of 6th-8th grade as a way to sort through a lot of the challenges of tech in middle school.
I facilitate the evening, provide all the materials, and help your group stay connected with ongoing study groups and support resources. Together, we can nurture confident, compassionate families — and give our kids the greatest gift of all: a childhood rich in connection, creativity, and calm.
Ready to learn more or book a facilitated Screen Sanity Parent Night?
Please email at gratefulparentingmbs@gmail.com
Continuing the Journey:
Facilitated Screen Sanity Study Groups
The real transformation happens when we keep the conversation going after the event!
After a facilitated Screen Sanity Parent Night, families can continue their journey by joining a facilitated
Screen Sanity Study Group — a small, supportive community of parents who meet regularly to dive deeper into Screen Sanity’s framework. Each group uses
Screen Sanity’s workbooks and video resources as a guide, and I facilitate the sessions to help keep learning focused, meaningful, and compassionate.
Together, we:
1. Watch short
Screen Sanity videos that spark reflection and practical insight.
2. Work through the
Screen Sanity workbook, connecting ideas to real-life parenting moments.
3. Practice principles of
attachment theory, nervous system regulation, and nonviolent communication, so our learning becomes embodied and sustainable.
4. Celebrate progress, share challenges, and build a sense of belonging with others walking the same path.
As the facilitator, I manage the logistics, which include creating sign-ups, sending reminders, and helping groups stay on track, so parents can focus on connection, insight, and growth. Each meeting offers a chance to slow down, learn together, and strengthen the community that supports intentional, screen-smart parenting.
With so many digital health resources available, Screen Sanity stands out for its balanced, compassionate approach. It is built on collaboration over control, and on information and education, not fear or vilifying technology. Screen Sanity recognizes that tech is part of our children's future and helps families use it with intention - so it serves us, rather than the other way around. Just as importantly, the study groups foster a village approach that brings parents, schools, and communities together to reshape cultural norms around screen and reclaim what truly matters: connection, presence, and peace at home.
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Screen Sanity’s workbook series helps families navigate tough topics — from smartphones and social media to screen time, pornography, and video games. Each guide offers simple, practical ways to start meaningful conversations at home.
In my study groups, we use these workbooks and short videos to reflect, share experiences, and support one another in raising kids who can stay grounded and balanced in a digital world.
Click here for Screen Sanity Workbooks
Ready to learn more?
If you have questions about the facilitated evening or the ongoing parent groups or if you wonder if this is the right kind of event for your school or parent community, lease email at gratefulparentingmbs@gmail.com
