Curricula

Overview

ECFE programs rely on the Parent Education Core Curriculum Framework to guide their curriculum planning, implementation and evaluation. The Parent Education Core Curriculum Framework is not a prescribed curriculum, rather it “provides a framework that defines and places parameters around the core content – what we teach – in parent education” (p. 2). The framework is “based on the assumption that parent educators should have autonomy and exercise creativity in assessing the specific and unique needs and expectations of each parent and parent group with whom they work and in designing curriculum and selecting resources to best meet their needs and expectations” (p. abstract).
Goals:
The specific goals of the Parent Education Core Curriculum Framework are to provide a resource that:

  1. Frames or defines the body of knowledge in the field of parent education.
  2. Is applicable across the field of parent education with any type of parent education program, population, setting and delivery mode.
  3. Is a planning tool for development and delivery of parent education curriculum and lesson plans.
  4. Identifies the intended content and objectives of parent education, originally designed for Early Childhood Family Education and Even Start in Minnesota.
  5. Provides guidance for parent goal setting in parent education.
  6. Guides assessment of parent education outcomes and programs.
  7. Promotes accountability in parent education programs and with individual parent educators.
  8. Informs practice in parent education.

Books & Other Literature

Curricula

The Incredible Years Parents & Children Program For Children Ages 8-12 Years Agendas and Checklists for Each 2-Hour Session by Carolyn Webster-Stratton, Ph.D.
1. Session Outlines 1-17
2. Checklist for Each Session
Click Here

The Incredible Years Parents and Toddlers Series
Click Here

We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Acitivity and Nutrition) Energize Our Families: Curriculum for Parents and Caregivers.
Click Here U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services

Internet Links

Center for Parenting - University of Tennessee (searchable Curriculum Database)
Leave the search fields blank and click "Search" to retrieve all 60 parenting education curricula
Click Here for Site

Evidence-based Parenting Programs - University of Wisconsin Extension
Click Here for Site

Parents Forever - Divorce Education
Click Here for Site

Practical Parent Education
Click Here for Site

Lesson Plans

Research

An Evaluation of a Parenting Class Curriculum for Parents of Young Children: Parenting the Strong-Willed Child
Click Here Journal of Child & Family Studies (2007) 16:321–330
Young children with high levels of acting out behaviors present a challenge for families, caregivers, and the childcare system. The Parenting the Strong-Willed Child (PSWC) parenting class curriculum program is a 6-week, group based parent education program designed for parents of children with noncompliance problems (ages 2–8). The PSWC program was offered at no cost to parents enrolled in 8 Head Start centers, and parents were invited to participate in a program evaluation study. Seventy-one families enrolled in the study and completed at least one PSWC session. From pre- to post-test, parents reported significant improvements in both the frequency and intensity of child behavior problems. Parents also reported significant reductions in parenting stress, as well as improvements in their parenting behaviors, including a reduction in the use of lax discipline techniques and emotional reactivity in the context of discipline encounters. All improvements were sustained six months later. These preliminary results are encouraging, and point to the need for a more rigorous, controlled evaluation of the PSWC parenting class curriculum.

Effectiveness of a Parent Training Program “Incredible Years” in a Child Protection Service
Click Here by Marie-Josée Letartea, Sylvie Normandeaub, & Julie Allardb

Getting with the (Evidence-Based) Program: An Evaluation of the Incredible Years Parenting Training Program in Child Welfare
Click Here by Lyscha A. Marcynyszyn, Erin J. Maher, & Tyler W. Corwin

Healthy Toddlers Curriculum, The
Click Here Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Volume 44, Number 6, 2012
The Healthy Eating Index reports that only 36%of 2- and 3-year-old children consume a ‘‘good diet.’’1Nutrition education for parents can improve knowledge, parent-child interaction, and the serving of healthy food to young children.

Incredible Years: Transportability to Portugal of Early Intervention Programs for Preventing Conduct Problems and Promoting Social and Emotional Competence
Click Here from Psychosocial Intervention, Vol. 21, No. 2, 2012, 157-169

Resources

Parent Education Core Curriculum Framework: A Comprehensive Guide to Planning Curriculum for Parent Education Programs
Click Here for Document from the Minnesota Association for Family and Early Education (MNAFEE)

Teaching Strategies

Videos & Presentations

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