Professor of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame is the latest addition to the Board of Directors
Nashville, TN – April, 2014 – Attachment Parenting International (API), a non-profit global network of parenting support groups with more than 70 locations around the world, announces its newest Board of Directors member, Professor of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, Darcia Narvaez, PhD.
Dr. Narvaez is Professor of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame. She is an active blogger at Psychology Today (“Moral Landscapes”) and frequently blogs about parenting. She often writes about the importance of evolved parenting practices that match up with attachment parenting: Primal Parenting/Stone-Aged Parenting/Evolutionary Parenting/ Paleo Parenting. These terms refer to the evolved nest for young children that matches up with their maturational schedules: soothing perinatal experiences, extensive infant-initiated breastfeeding, constant touch, caregiver responsiveness, free play, multiple adult caregivers and extensive positive social support. She brings together scholars from across disciplines for symposia and joint writing projects. She studies and writes about the effects of early life experience on moral development. Her 2014 book is Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom.
She is a leader in the field of moral development scholarship with ten academic books, several curriculum books and over 100 articles and chapters. See her webpage.
“I’m thrilled and honored to join the API team because it is a grassroots organization that supports families and advocates for child wellbeing. I look forward to learning from my new colleagues and contributing what I can to API’s mission,” said Dr. Narvaez.
Dr. Narvaez grew up living in different Spanish-speaking countries but with Minnesota as a home base. In prior careers she was a church musician (organist, choir director), classroom and private music teacher at Brent International School in Baguio City, Philippines and King of Kings School in Roseville, Minnesota; middle school Spanish teacher at The Blake School in Hopkins, Minnesota; and business owner. She also earned a master of divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota; and is a published poet.
"API is pleased to welcome Darcia onto the Board of Directors. Her work in the evolutionary niche of infants and their care meshes so well with API's work of the last 20 years. Her efforts to advance these important messages through her research, writing, and outreach brings new strength to our common cause,” said API Executive Director, Samantha Gray.
Attachment Parenting is based in the practice of nurturing parenting methods that create strong emotional bonds, also known as secure attachment, between the infant and parent(s). This style of parenting encourages responsiveness to children’s emotional needs, enabling children to develop trust that their needs will be met. As a result, this strong attachment helps children develop the capacity for secure, empathic, peaceful, and enduring relationships that follow them into adulthood.
Attachment Parenting International (API) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit member organization founded in 1994 to network with parents, professionals and like-minded organizations around the world. API’s mission is to educate and support all parents in raising secure, joyful and empathic children in order to strengthen families and create a more compassionate world. In addition to providing assistance in forming Attachment Parenting support groups, API functions as a clearinghouse providing educational materials,research information, consultative, referral and speaker services to promote Attachment Parenting concepts.
More information about Attachment Parenting International can be found at www.attachmentparenting.org.
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