WHO WE ARE

 

GCP is designed to support and inspire parents.   Parenting is such a demanding job and our skills for this life-long position are mostly developed on-the-job.  Many of us raise our children as we were raised (if we had good childhoods) or away from the way we were raised (if we didn’t), following our instincts and crossing our fingers along the way.

Here at GCP we believe a focused, conscious parenting approach is needed to best help our Black and Brown children navigate their formative years and help us all deal with the issues of identity and education that often arise in the process.  We are especially concerned about how we can help our children gain confidence in the face of societal biases and realize their academic potential.

The term “ground control” often refers to the airport crew that works on the runways to make sure planes are ready for takeoff. We don’t need to be helicopter parents, but we do need to be on the ground control crew making sure our children have what they need for a successful takeoff. Ground Control Parenting wants to make sure that parents have the tools and support to help our children soar.

I am Carol Sutton Lewis, founder of GCP. I have a daughter and two sons ranging in age from 23 to 30.  I’m a lawyer and I have spent over twenty years researching parenting and education issues.  Personally and through my children I have experienced public schools (regular and selective) and independent schools.  I have over 25 years of experience focusing on educational and developmental issues affecting children of color. I began this work with a focus on Black boys, looking for resources to help them achieve and develop confidence. As I continued the work I broadened my research to focus on all Black and Brown children.

Over the course of these years I have been involved with many institutions that have helped hone my focus on child development and education. I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford Law School, and have held board seats at both of these schools. I am a former trustee of a K-12 boys private school in New York City. I also spent over 10 years in a parent group run by the leader of a highly respected early childhood program. While working with these groups hasn’t given me all of the answers, it has helped me to figure out the best places to find them.

Thanks for joining me in this quest to make sure we do the best we can for our children.

Ground Control Parenting – Helping our children soar!