I

like my kid again” — that’s what one 
parent told Forest Levy Wolfe, found-
er of Teaching Circle, after taking part 
in her Family Coaching program. 
Wolfe started Teaching Circle in January 
2022 — offering classes to young children — 
but she soon realized, it’s not just kids who 
need support. Parents need it, too. “There 
are a lot of preschools and tutoring programs 
out there for children, but there’s not as 
much support and coaching available for 
parents who may be struggling,” she said.
“I help parents who value emotional, 
mental and physical health for their children 
and want to invest in it. As an educator for 
the last 25 years and the mom of an 11-year-
old, this is something I can offer to really 
help parents.”
 Wolfe is an independent facilitator of Love 
and Logic Early Childhood Made Fun! and 
Parenting the Love and Logic Way classes. 
She has taught groups and individuals with 
this method and uses the skills she learned 
in her own parenting as well.
“Being able to treat my own son with 
respect and kindness, while at the same 
time being firm, has really strengthened 
our relationship, and I hope to bring that to 
others as well,” she said. 
 Wolfe offers both in-person and virtual 
coaching to parents facing challenges with 
their child — such as defiance, hitting, 
screaming and other signs of stress. She 
works on addressing problems that are 
creating frustrations, and she puts together 
an individualized curriculum to help stop 
these issues when they arise. 
“Typically, those who are having issues 
with their kids are in a power struggle, and 
the kids don’t respond well to consequences. 
So, I teach parents how to deliver messages 
to their children and get them out 
of these cycles. Synchronistic 
parenting and consistency 
are key,” Wolfe said.
“When I work with 
parents, I tell them 
this isn’t a magic fix. 
Instead, this is going to 
make things easier and 
give them some tools to 
keep in their back pocket 
for when they don’t know 
what to do. “

 Wolfe started this program over the 
summer and, so far, has coached about 
10 families and ran a parenting group 
class at Knollwood Country Club in West 
Bloomfield. After their sessions, parents 
have told her they feel like they’re being 
heard, their children are being heard 
and they are now able to work 
together.
“My goal is to foster a 
shift in parenting and 
help bring peace, love 
and respect to families’ 
homes. You want 
your kids to become 
independent eventually 
— so I help parents with 
letting their child make 
mistakes, being there for 

them, and helping them grow into happy, 
successful and self-reliant adults. Being able 
to do that is huge for me,” she said.
 
A LIFE IN EDUCATION
When attending the University of Texas 
School of Education, Wolfe worked as a 
special education teaching assistant in a life 
skills classroom. This marked the beginning 
of a career dedicated to helping children. 
“The more I was in the classroom, the 
more I realized this was how I wanted to 
spend my life. I love working with people 
with all different abilities,” she said. 
Wolfe was the youth and family program 
director at the JCC in Austin, Texas. After 
graduating with her bachelor’s of science in 
applied learning and development, she was 
recruited to Michigan to run the camps, 

28 | JANUARY 5 • 2023 

OUR COMMUNITY

Local mom and educator offers coaching 
sessions and classes to help 
both kids and parents.

A Teaching Circle

SARI CICUREL SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS 

