In addition to author Jim Trelease, who will be the main speaker at the third annual Parenting Conference, there will be four workshops offered at the March 4 event.

The conference will feature a workshop beginning at 10:45 a.m. titled "Raising Confident Kids." The workshop, which will be run by Phyllis Schnell, will provide ways to help children develop a healthy sense of self-esteem. Schnell is a registered nurse and coordinator of the Family Learning Center in Cape Girardeau.

Another workshop, called "Parenting is Stressful," will deal with how parents can cope with stress. The workshop will be under the direction of Shelba Branscum, an associate professor of human environmental studies at Southeast Missouri State University.

Yet another workshop, titled "Youth Gangs: Violence Within Our Communities," will feature a panel presentation to raise awareness of various issues. Time will be allowed for a question-answer session. The workshop will be guided by officers of the Cape Girardeau and Jackson police departments. There will also be a juvenile officer of the 32nd Judicial Court.

There will also be a workshop titled "Experimenting and Discovering." This will explore the world of science through the eyes of a child. Kathy Drews and Debbie Landgraf, who work for the Center for Child Studies at Southeast, will team up with Marylin Schlosser to conduct the workshop. Schlosser is coordinator of the Workshop on Wheels at Southeast.

For more information call 243-7773, 651-4644 or 651-3774.