Cincinnati, OH – The Couple to Couple League (CCL) has opened its new, online Spanish teacher training program this week, a move which continues the rollout of its updated Natural Family Planning (NFP) program begun several years ago. The launch of this training program brings high quality, no-cost Spanish-language training for NFP teachers to all dioceses in the U.S.
“We are very excited to have our teacher training in Spanish again available after being closed about a year ago in anticipation of the new program, and it’s great that this happened during National NFP Awareness Week,” says Erick Carrero, the CCL Project Manager overseeing the program. “This is a big step toward our goal of having identical NFP education programs in both English and Spanish.”
In January of 2008, the League unveiled a completely updated NFP program which has been enthusiastically received by its cadre of volunteer Teaching Couples and students. The new program features a simplified yet still 99% effective NFP method, morality lessons based on Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, specialized classes on the postpartum and premenopause transition times, and updated teaching materials and DVD presentation. Shortly thereafter, work began to translate the program into Spanish.
The teacher training program in Spanish has been opened several months ahead of the anticipated release of the Spanish teaching materials in order to allow Teaching Couples time to complete their training. The Spanish student manual and teaching materials are slated to be available in the Fall of 2009.
CCL’s teacher training is largely online and free. After acceptance into the program, couples work at their own pace through a series of six modules: Introduction, Management, Theological Thought of John Paul II, NFP Methodology, Transition Times, and Presentation. Each module is composed of a series of courses that present a particular set of topics and/or skills. Some courses have required readings; others involve some practical exercises (i.e., chart interpretation, writing a witness talk). Most of the courses culminate with tests, which require a particular passing score in order to move forward. At any point in the training, couples may receive assistance from CCL Central.
The League began its Spanish NFP outreach in 1997, and currently has 86 couples teaching in Spanish in the United States and 51 more teaching internationally.
CCL Executive Director Mike Manhart acknowledges that “the need is great to bring the NFP message to Spanish-speaking couples throughout the country, and CCL has been working to help do that for many years.” This latest step, he said, “is evidence of our commitment to serve dioceses in the best way possible.”
For more information on CCL’s Teacher Training Program in general, visit www.ccli.org/
