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Learn About The Village Well and our Positive Parenting Techniques

Positive Parenting classes and tools, community, healing, and cultural relevance all in one place. Ready to stop yelling?

Ed Center

Ed Center was a kid with big feelings and impulsive behaviors. He drove his parents and teachers bonkers. Now he helps grown-ups understand and support these kids. Ed is a queer brown dad who coaches parents, educators, and kid-raisers toward greater connection, calm, and joy. He focuses on the needs of families of color, helping people to tap into cultural wisdom while interrupting intergenerational pain. Ed and his husband built their family through foster adoption. The child of a Filipino American mother and White American father, Ed grew up in Hawai’i, and feels at home there, in the Philippines, in San Francisco, and wherever he smells good barbecue.

The Village Well Founder & Parenting Coach

Our Approach to Parenting

Black family making lunch together

Positive Parenting

A parenting approach based on deepening connection, holding boundaries, and building your child’s behavior skills.

Polynesian family smiling for a picture

Culturally Grounded

One size does NOT fit all. We help you align research-based methods with your diverse cultures and unique family.

Mother, Daughter, and grandmother posing for a picture

The parents we work with want to end toxic intergenerational cycles. We help you heal old wounds and unlock cultural wisdom.

Intergenerational Healing

What is Positive Parenting?

Positive Parenting is a research-based parenting philosophy focused on getting better behavior from children through deepening connection. This approach is based on Adlerian psychology. Adler taught that all humans seek belonging and significance. When we engage in positive parenting practices, we seek to connect with our kids (belonging), and give them a healthy sense of mattering (significance). When our children feel secure in both areas, they want to behave in productive ways. Embracing positive parenting will not only bring better behavior, but create more meaning and joy for everyone in the family.

Partners We’ve Worked With

  • SF Department of Children Youth & Their Families logo
  • Lyft logo
  • Salesforce logo
  • University of California San Francisco Logo
  • Support For Families of Children with Disabilities Logo
  • Kids' Country Logo
  • Monarch School Logo
  • Sterne School Logo
  • The Ymca of San Francisco Logo
  • Family Builders Logo
  • Our Family Coalition Logo
  • Hellman Foundation
  • Bananas Logo
  • Cell-Ed Logo
  • Generation Thrive Logo
  • First 5 of Alameda County Logo
  • First 5 of California logo
  • tandem parenting logo

Meet the Team

  • Photo of Ed Center

    Ed Center

    FOUNDER & COACH

  • Photo of Jennielyn Dino Rossi

    Jennielyn Dino Rossi

    CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

  • Photo of Shalane Li

    Shalane Li

    EDUCATION DIRECTOR

  • Photo of Carlos Navarro

    Carlos Navarro

    ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

  • Photo of David Sayas

    David Sayas

    MARKETING CONSULTANT

  • Photo of Chris Punongbayan

    Chris Punongbayan

    MINDFULNESS & WELLNESS GUIDE

Black mother and daughter meditating on couch
Asian Mother consoling her sad daughter
Black father dealing with his daughters temper tantrum
Black mother consoling her crying daughter

Take a Look at the Many
Workshops We Offer!

We believe that parenting is a lifelong journey filled with joy, challenges, and endless growth. Our carefully curated classes provide a nurturing space for parents to connect, learn, and thrive together. Dive in and discover the transformative power of The Village Well.

Testimonials

  • I notice more about myself in the moment and am able to self-reflect and notice when I am feeling depleted. Even naming that has been helpful. Allowing myself to be human has created space for my kids to be human. The struggle against the tendency to be perfect is so real. Grateful for this course!

    - Laura R.

  • This was a very good course. We all think that we are either expert parents or that we don't have enough time for this. But if you want to get out of your rut and become a more mindful parent, I would highly recommend their courses.

    - Jamie R.

  • Tremendous job Village Well team! I really appreciate what you’ve created and I gained so much. I hope I can look back years from now and know this is where my parenting journey made a breakthrough and I continue to expand as the mother I strive to be.

    - Nikki T.

  • I learned that there are accessible tools to use to be a better parent and have a better relationship with my child. It was also comforting to know that I'm not alone. There are other parents like me who want to become better parents than the ones who raised us.

    - Jennielyn D.

  • Over the last six weeks times during our day that used to be a battle don't feel like that any more. For example, bed time does not feel like a battle time of trying to get William down. It also helps to recognize what he is seeking so we can respond in a way that makes better sense rather than everyone getting triggered.

    - Megan T.