communitynon-profit


organization, We Are Coaches, Inc., to bring empowering, enjoyable children’s programs to North County communi- ties. “Our children learn best while having fun, so I took advantage of what our beautiful area has to offer,” she notes. Windisch incorporated her love of the beach and water with teaching team-building and cooperation skills for her Aqua-Adventures Beach & Surf programs and Swim Academy, offered at local beaches and pools since 2000. The first goal of Windisch’s pro-


Teaming Up for Fun Parenting Coach Peg Windisch


HELPS EMPOWER KIDS by P. Constance Smith


know where home is, and wings to fly away and exercise what has been taught them.” But when do we give our children these enabling gifts? Is it before soccer practice or after dance recital, while we have a load in the laundry or are checking our email? Busy parents and kids need support these days to help grow those roots and sprout those wings. Peg Windisch, founder of We Are


D


Coaches, helps empower children to grow the kind of wings that will serve them, and the world, in adulthood. Although she launched her professional career as a water chemistry engineer, Windisch’s heartstrings were pulled by her childhood passion—being with and supporting children.


Soon after experiencing an epiph-


any when her daughter was a toddler, Windisch diverged from her technical profession to train as a parent educator.


36 San Diego Edition


r. Jonas Salk believed that, “Good parents give their chil- dren roots and wings—roots to


“As I was chastising my daughter in a mindless way about unwinding the toilet paper roll, I saw an innocent face and eyes staring back at me, and I heard, ‘I not bad, Mommy,’” she recounts. In that moment, Windisch realized an eternal truth: Children are inherently good, and if raised in a respectful manner, can and will reach their highest potential. For 16 years, Windisch has been


teaching parenting classes and semi- nars. Her “Raising Respectful Children & Families” workshop is designed for parents who want the skills to be respectful and firm while empowering their children to take care of themselves and others. As a single mom, Windisch used these skills while raising her two daughters. “It was eye-opening to learn that there were ways to raise children without resorting to so much of the mindless behavior many experienced when they were kids.” Returning her focus to children in 2000, Windisch founded the nonprofit


www.na-sd.com


grams, to keep children safe while they enjoy the water, is achieved in several ways. “We begin by teaching private and small group swim lessons to infants and toddlers. By age 5, children can join us at the beach for body boarding, surfing, beach safety, and creative sand-structure play,” she explains, “and by age 12, they can participate in the Teen Beach Excur- sion camp. Several have moved on to become camp counselors.” Last spring, Windisch launched an


art-related after-school and weekend workshop program, Kids M-Power, offered through Carlsbad, Cardiff, Encinitas, Solana Beach and Del Mar schools. Art classes with a community service twist help children develop their creative and organizational energies to serve less privileged youngsters. Windisch clarifies, “Children and teens brainstorm ways to fundraise for their chosen children’s cause, decide what marketable artwork they want to create, and then work as a team to market and sell their creations.” Windisch wholeheartedly agrees with Salk. “Children are our future, so we want them to be grounded in our solid values and strong enough to soar independently and confidently as adults.”


We Are Coaches, Inc., a nonprofit organization, is based in Cardiff. For more information, call 760-436-1514, or email Peg@WeAreCoaches.com. Visit WeAreCoaches.com. See ad on page 43.


Photo by Tony Ogden Photography.


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