Core Components

ParentCorps is a family-centered enhancement to pre-school provision to reduce racial and socioeconomic disparities in children’s educational and health outcomes. It is a universal programme delivered in partnership with school districts and preschool providers for all children and includes multiple components to bolster parent and teacher capacity to support children’s (aged 4-5 years) development in the face of early childhood adversity, including poverty, racism, discrimination and immigration-related stress.

ParentCorps includes two teaching curriculums (1) a 14-week SEL curriculum implemented by classroom teachers in all pre-school classrooms – Friends School and, (2) a 14-week Parenting Programme for all families of pre-school students facilitated by school-based mental health professionals. 

Friends School. Throughout this 14-week programme, teachers use a consistent structure (e.g. lesson with puppets, play) and evidence-based strategies to scaffold children in learning new SEL skills. The current delivery model includes teachers and teaching assistants facilitating Friends School in pre-school classrooms, integrated flexibly into the school day (e.g. 1.5 to 2-hour block per week; lesson and activities spread across several days), and in the evening in parallel to the Parenting Programme, by teachers and staff who choose after-hours work. The evening programme includes two additional activities that are optional during the school day: 1) teachers provide positive feedback to parents about children’s progress toward individualised goals, grounded in observations of the child’s strengths and challenges, and 2) four sessions conclude with parent-child activities to enjoy fun time together and to practice new skills with support from facilitators. 

The Parenting Programme includes 14 weekly 2-hour group-based sessions (for up to 15 members per group), held at school, and facilitated by a mental health professional. Facilitators use a range of techniques (e.g. role-play, discussion) to encourage participation, reflection, and consideration of cultural and contextual influences on parenting and child development.  Evidence-based strategies to encourage positive behaviours and manage misbehaviours are also explored. ParentCorps provides meals, small incentives (i.e. raffle tickets for gift cards), and childcare when offered in the evenings (i.e. Friends School for pre-school children, arts programme for older siblings). Manuals and materials are currently available in English, Spanish and Chinese. All pre-school families are invited to participate as part of the pre-school experience.  

ParentCorps, a manualised programme, is clearly operationalised with a practitioner’s kit of materials provided to those who have undertaken the training. Programme implementers are required to prepare each week in collaboration with their assigned coaches

Fidelity

To support programme fidelity ParentCorps provides (1) standardised training (2) agency organisational supports including a manual and bin of materials/tools (3) coaching of staff to ensure mastery of skills and (4) monitoring of effectiveness and support through collection and evaluation of parent and facilitator feedback forms. The approach to monitoring fidelity is developed in partnership with the user organisation.  Additional resources in the future will be available for school leaders and staff via a digital platform.

Modifiable Components

The way in which the components of the programme are implemented can be decided in partnership with the user organisation. ​Modifications are possible based on community needs and in consultation with the model developer. Adaptations have been piloted by the developer in the US as well as in Uganda and Nepal. 

Support for Organisation / Practice

ParentCorps was developed in 1998 at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine and is operated from the Centre for Early Childhood Health and Development (CEHD) where support for implementing agencies can be obtained.

Implementation Support

ParentCorps provide strategic planning support to partnering agencies to agree for example the scope of work including, source of funding, duration of delivery, number of schools and strategy for engagement.

Licence Requirements

No formal licensing arrangements are required to deliver ParentCorps.

Start-up Costs

ParentCorps costs are system-specific and depend on the supports needed for high-quality implementation. Implementation is frequently at a district level, rather than individual school level.  Indicative start-up costs associated with implementing the programme in 2017 in NYC included training $10,000 per school (economies of scale for multiple schools), the curriculum at $100 per trainee and programme materials $6,000. Ongoing indicative costs include, intensive coaching $60,000 and fidelity monitoring $10,000. Additional delivery costs for prizes, meals for families and staffing the after-school programme will be determined locally. 

On-going indicative costs included intensive coaching $60k and fidelity monitoring $10k.  After two years of intensive coaching and fidelity monitoring it is indicated that the overall programme expenses are expected to decrease by more than half.

Building Staff Competency

Qualifications Required

ParentCorps recommend that practitioners are qualified as a pre-school leader, early childhood teacher / teaching assistant or a Mental Health Professional.  

Training Requirements

To deliver ParentCorps, completion of training is a requirement and includes 5-7 days of sequenced group and individualised learning opportunities. Arrangements can be made to deliver context-specific, localised training.

ParentCorps coaches provide four days of large-group experiential training (ParentCorps FUNdamentals for up to 35 participants) on evidence-based strategies to engage families and create safe, nurturing and predictable classrooms; this initial training also provides the rationale and evidence base for the ParentCorps programmes for families. Building on this foundation, there is additional large-group experiential training and one-on-one coaching for 1) school and district based mental health professionals to facilitate the Parenting Programme (3 days), 2) pre-school teachers to implement Friends School in the classroom and in parallel to the Parenting Programme when offered after school hours (1 day), and 3) family support staff to invite parents to the Parenting Programme using culturally-relevant, affirming materials (1 day). 

As part of ParentCorps’ train the trainer model, ParentCorps trains school staff (e.g. early childhood teachers and mental health professionals) to implement the model themselves in schools and provides ongoing coaching and support for high-quality implementation.

Supervision Requirements

Coaching of ParentsCorp practitioners is a requirement and is available on an on-going in-vivo basis supplemented with distant support coaching.  The coaching programme aims to ensure mastery of skills throughout the course of implementation.  Coaching levels are tailored to the needs of specific school districts and early childhood systems.

Theory of Change

ParentCorps’ theory of change is based on the strong evidence that adults are key in supporting children’s healthy developmental trajectories. It draws on several theoretical models (including Mindful Parenting, Prosocial Classroom, Cascading Resilience, Transformative Learning Theory, Critical Race Theory, and Critical Consciousness). ParentCorps’ theory of change begins with three components, Professional Development, Parenting Programme and Friends School which are designed to build adult capacity to support young children’s health and development. Over time, increased adult capacity leads to strong teacher-parent relationships, parent involvement in children’s learning, and safe, nurturing and predictable classroom and home environments. In turn, these changes synergistically support social, emotional and behavioural skills in early childhood and contribute to longer-term outcomes in childhood and adolescence in academic achievement and mental and physical health. Across all programme components, there are five essential elements through which ParentCorps strengthens adult capacity: building authentic relationships, honoring culture, understanding race and racism, translating the science of early childhood development, and practicing self-reflection.

Values

ParentCorps values families as partners in helping young children succeed with particular emphasis on autonomy, collaboration, community, culture, equity and evidence.

• Does promoting families as partners in helping young children succeed align with the key values of your organisation?

Priorities

ParentCorps’ priority is to improve the lives of low-income children and families of colour with a vision of reducing racial and income disparities in health and education.

• Is working with families to improve opportunities and reduce disparities a current priority for your organisation?

Existing Initiatives

• Does your service already provide intervention programmes aiming to improve parent-teacher relationships and child social, emotional and behavioural development?
• Does your area have practitioners trained in delivering the ParentCorps Programme?
• Do you have links with CAMHS, Adult Mental Health Services and Child Protection Services to refer onto if required?

Workforce

ParentCorps requires 1 Mental Health Professional to implement the Parenting Programme, and 6 pre-school teachers and teaching assistants to deliver Friends School to pre-school children during the school day or during after school hours along with 1 administrator and 1 parent support staff per school. Practitioners will also require additional time for preparation, phone calls and coaching. ParentCorps works within systems to assess and adapt to current capacity. 

• Do you have enough qualified practitioners available to commit to undertake training?
• Do you have enough qualified practitioners available to commit to delivering the full extent of this programme?

Technology Support

From a technology perspective to deliver ParentCorps, it is recommended that practitioners have access to a Computer.

• Do you have access to adequate technology to support practitioners to effectively deliver the technological components of the programme?

Administrative Support

Administrative support is required to collect and report on evaluation data and feedback, printing of materials along with co-ordinating cycles of delivery of the programme.

• Do you have enough administrative capacity and systems to meet these administrative needs?

Financial Support

ParentCorps costs are system-specific and depend on the supports needed for high-quality implementation. Indicative start-up costs associated with implementing the programme in 2017 in NYC included training $10,000 per school (economies of scale for multiple schools), the curriculum at $100 per trainee and programme materials $6,000. Ongoing indicative costs include, intensive coaching $60,000 and fidelity monitoring $10,000. Additional delivery costs for prizes, meals for families and staffing the after-school programme should also be considered. 

• Do you have the finances to enable practitioners to fully deliver this programme including attending training, materials and intensive coaching?

Comparable Population

ParentCorps is designed as a programme for families with pre-school students, particularly targeting low-income parents of colour in disinvested urban neighbourhoods.

Evidence of its effectiveness includes ethnic minority families including Black, Latino and Asian low-income families.

• Is this comparable to the population you serve?
• Does your organisation have existing contacts with parents in this population?

Desired Outcome

ParentCorps is a preventative programme designed to enhance opportunities for families of pre-school children facing poverty, adverse experiences and racism. The desired outcome of this programme is to develop effective family engagement, strong parent-teacher relationships and safe, nurturing and predictable environments at school and home to enable children to develop the social, emotional and behavioural regulation skills that are the foundation for learning and healthy development.

Research has identified that ParentCorps has shown significant benefits in children behaviour problems in school – teacher ratings; significantly higher kindergarten achievement test scores and more positive trajectories of academic performance and mental health pre-school through second grade and benefits on effective parenting practices.

• Are improvements in parent-teacher relationships, family engagement and children’s social, emotional and behavioural skills a priority outcome for your organisation?
• Do you have other existing initiatives that would be supportive of addressing this need and achieving these outcomes?