It is apparent that the family, and the parents in particular, are powerful influences on the child's learning, even before the child reaches school. The home is the place where children learn first, and the extent to which they learn later in life is determined greatly by what goes on at home. The Affective Education Program, a Title I funded program, developed the parenting aspect of the program with the black parent and child in mind. Some of the special concerns one should be attentive to when working with the black community include: (1) priorities are different--maintenance and survival are primary concerns; (2) there is a general distrust and suspicion of institutions and the people who run them; (3) there is a need for parents to share valuable insights learned through generations of living in oppression, but there also is a need to be open and flexible to new ideas in order to help the child adjust to present realities; (4) the constant bombardment of negative stimuli from a hostile society produces low expectations at school and home; (5) there is an ambiance of physical danger in the black community and educators should be aware of its effects on the parent-child relationship; (6) the incidence of teenage pregnancy is high and there should be some preparation for, and some awareness raised about, the role of parents. (Author/RLV)