Best Practice Approaches for Building Effective Parent Education Programs

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Best Practice Approaches for Building Effective
Parent Education Programs

• Stephen Green, Ph.D.Associate Professor Child
  Development SpecialistTexas AgriLife Extension
  ServiceThe Texas AM University
  Systems-green_at_tamu.edu

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Overview

• Challenges Facing Parent Educators
• Components of Best Practice Parent Education
  Programs
• Resources

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Challenges Facing Parent Educators

• Choosing/developing an appropriate program to
  meet the needs of the target audience(s)
• Competing for parents time/interest
• Finding a willing audience
• Minimizing sample attrition (dropouts)
• Demonstrating impact in time of heightened
  accountability

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Components of Best Practice Parent Education
Programs

• Strong Research Base (Evidence-Based)
• Topics covered in program/curriculum are based on
  latest research
• Content addresses components known to be
  associated with effective parenting
• Knowledge of child development warm, responsive
  care clear consistent limits geared toward
  childs stage of development firm, but not harsh
  discipline consistency positive parent-child
  interaction positive communication active
  involvement, etc.

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Components of Best Practice Parent Education
Programs (cont)

• Information Presented in Organized,
  Understandable, Appealing Manner
• Culturally and experientially relevant
• Strength-based as opposed to deficit model
• Parents must see value in program

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Components of Best Practice Parent Education
Programs (cont)

• Goals of Program are Clearly Identified Linked
  with the Curriculum and Evaluation
• Program needs to have clear purpose
• Content taught needs to be consistent with goals
  of program
• Goals must be measurable

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Components of Best Practice Parent Education
Programs (cont)

• Good Fit Between Program Target Audience
• CPS clientele
• Teen parents
• Parents with teenagers
• Parents of newborns
• Fathers

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Components of Best Practice Parent Education
Programs (cont)

• Program is of Sufficient Length Intensity
• Need for balance between breadth depth
• For high-risk families, more contact needed
• Much less needed for low-risk families

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Components of Best Practice Parent Education
Programs (cont)

• Skills-Based (helps parents learn apply
  parenting skills)
• Active learning approaches more effective than
  passive
• Recent study by CDC (2009) found following were
  common to effective programs

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Components of Best Practice Parent Education
Programs (cont)

• Teaching parents emotional communication skills
• Active listening helping children recognize
  feelings, identify emotions, appropriately
  express emotions
• Involves teaching parents to reduce negative
  communication patterns
• Teaching parents positive parent-child
  interaction
• Every day activities, play activities how to
  interact

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Components of Best Practice Parent Education
Programs (cont)

• Requiring parents to practice with child during
  programs
• Better than role playing with other adults
• Allows facilitator/trainer to provide immediate
  reinforcement and corrective feedback
• Following behaviors reduced child behavior
  problems
• Teaching parents correct use of time-out
• Teaching parents to respond consistently
• Practicing with child during sessions

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Components of Best Practice Parent Education
Programs (cont)

• Family-Centered
• Programs not just centered on parents, but also
  involve children other family members
• Based on family systems perspective

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Components of Best Practice Parent Education
Programs (cont)

• Utilize Variety of Adult Learning Principles
• Cognitive-behavioral approach
• Important to target knowledge, attitudes,
  behaviors
• Individual and group approaches have been
  effective
• Blend/balance how info. presented
• Lecture, discussion, application, homework, etc.

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Components of Best Practice Parent Education
Programs (cont)

• Experienced/Qualified Staff Volunteers
• Good understanding of content
• Culturally sensitive
• Good teachers
• Empathic

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Components of Best Practice Parent Education
Programs (cont)

• Able to Recruit Retain Participants
• Effective marketing of program is essential
• Communicate benefits of attendance
  participation
• Build relationship between participants
  facilitators

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Resources

• Programs/Curriculum
• Triple P Positive Parenting Program
• Strengthening Families Program (SFP)
• Systematic Training for Effective Parenting
  (STEP)
• Parenting Wisely
• Parents as Teachers (PAT)
• Nurturing Parent Program
• The Incredible Years
• Active Parenting

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Resources (cont)

• Programs Available through Extension
• Fathers Reading Every Day (FRED)
• Strengthening Families Program (SFP)
• Parenting Connections

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Resources (cont)

• Research/Reports
• CDC (2009). Parent Training Programs Insight for
  Practitioners. Atlanta (GA) Centers for Disease
  Control. Available online www.cdc.gov
• Child Welfare Information Gateway (2008). Parent
  Education. U.S. Dept. of Health Human Services,
  ACF, ACYF, Childrens Bureau. Available on line
  www.childwelfare.gov
• Colosi, L., Dunifon, R. (2003). Effective
  Parent Education Programs. Cornell Cooperative
  Extension. Available online www.parenting.cit.cor
  nell.edu
• Child Welfare League of America (2005).
  Parenting. Moving from Research to Practice.
  Available online www.cwla.org