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The Challenges of Parenting Education Professional Development

Karen DeBord, Ph.D. North Carolina State University

Mary Ann Matta, M.S. University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Abstract

Introduction

Procedures

Focus group questions

Results

Discussion and Recommendations

Figure 1

Abstract
Parenting education is a newly emerging professional field. As it grows, there are many developments that are shaping the field and multiple concerns in building this field, in particular: the embedded nature of the field, the lack of an agreed upon body of knowledge or set of competencies, the lack of professional preparation systems, and the lack of understanding about how policies might guide the field.

Introduction
Parenting education is embedded in many fields of study and practice. Parenting educators are found in social service, human development professions, counseling, the ministry, educational systems, the medical community, psychological services, and many other fields. Additionally, parenting education is one strategy within a larger array of support services that can be offered to families and, in many cases, it is used in an integrated way with those services through wraparound principles. In such a multi-disciplinary effort, there is little consensus about where the primary knowledge base lies. There have been several facilitated discussions which have validated very similar lists of competencies. One such list has been informally circulated for four years (DeBord, Smith, Mulroy, Tanner, Silliman, 1997) and includes the following topics as competency areas for parenting educators.

Knowledge of:

-Lifespan development dynamics of intimate adult relationships or parenting- partner relationships, child development and child behaviors

-Alternative parenting behaviors

-Nurturing and guiding children of all ages

-Effective problem-solving skills

-Work and family challenges and stresses

-Diverse roles or paradigms within parenting education

Ability to:

-Model effective problem-solving skills

-Teach and model this process

-Use interpersonal skills (listening, communicating, having empathy, being accepting and nonjudgmental)

-Use group process skills and/or teaching skills

Awareness of:

-Personal strengths and biases, personal philosophy (including a willingness and ability to critically examine one's beliefs).

-An appreciation of the philosophical differences among colleagues and parents

Resourceful about:

-Local community support services

The parenting education field is growing in demand faster than professionals are prepared to meet that demand. Leaders across the nation are asking "How can we prepare more professionals? What kind of background should parenting educators have? What should the content of the curriculum be: a universal set of skills on which professionals have agreed, an accepted certification that measures a set of competencies, or an academic knowledge base?" These are important questions that can help lay a foundation for future professional development to assure that those who are declared parenting educators are indeed offering high quality research-based information for practical parent application.

There are many systems that influence policy changes and changes to the profession. There are national, statewide and local systems that collaborate to support families. How can all of those systems work together to not only prepare competent parenting educators but to employ the most competent?

To develop a system for preparing competent parenting educators, the first step is to analyze the job of the parenting educator and identify the knowledge necessary to be a parenting educator and the skills necessary to do those tasks well. This might lead to a defined set of professional competencies and a process for building that knowledge base, fostering abilities, and providing experiences to prepare parenting educators.

Several components that form the framework for professional parenting educator preparation were identified by a group of parenting educators working with the North Carolina Parenting Education Network (NCPEN). Figure 1 depicts such components that frame the field of parenting education. They include: a shared knowledge base of competencies for parenting educators, a shared understanding of the complexities and scope of the field, a shared vision for parenting education, a shared understanding of the complexities of and the current trends that affect the field, the types of community partnerships that support parenting education, types of statewide / national systems that affect the profession, and the specific needs of families (parents in particular).

NCPEN is working to build the field of parenting education in its state. It is a collaborative of parenting education organizations and agencies. As part of the work of NCPEN, there is great interest in the audience of parenting educators. Knowing what parenting educators need and want in order to conduct high quality parenting education programs is essential. To build a supportive professional development network and to assure that professionals share a common set of competencies, parenting educator needs were assessed.

Parenting educators from six locations across the state were assembled into focus groups to discuss key needs for parenting educators. Three separate rural and three urban locations were identified. The counties of Durham, Forsyth and Pasquotank were identified as the urban areas, and the counties of Robeson, Stokes, and Burke served as the rural locations. In these groups, parenting educators came together to provide insight and information about the needs of parenting educators in North Carolina.

Using the framework depicted in Figure 1, it was anticipated that through the shared insights of the parenting educators in the focus groups, this figure could be refined and help provide direction for researchers and policy makers working to assure high quality parenting education for all families. With such a defined framework, researchers and practitioners can work to move the field forward, designing systems that can meet the needs of professionals in parenting education.

Procedures

Parenting educators were contacted through a statewide Fatherhood Conference and utilized as a preliminary focus group to assess parenting educators' needs as professionals and to allow them to voice their opinions about how a parenting education curriculum and certification process should be developed. This served to refine the remainder of questions posed to subsequent focus groups. In attendance were representatives from a number of state agencies and organizations including: Head Start, Smart Start, Child Support, the Department of Social Services, Parents as Teachers, and the North Carolina public school system. Focus group discussions focused on four general questions:

1. What do parenting / fatherhood educators need to know?

2. With a continuum of non-degreed to degreed professionals in this field, where do we start in assuring / building a base of knowledge?

3. What / how can a "seal of knowledge" be offered to professionals to indicate they are bona fide parenting / fatherhood educators? Should it be?

4. How would individuals get credentials?

In response to the first question posed, participants perceived there to be two categories of proficiency, personal characteristics and professional skills, that parenting educators need to possess. They suggested that under the heading of personal characteristics, parenting educators should be: compassionate, good listeners, good communicators, respectful of others, open to constructive criticism, and sensitive to the needs of children and families. Additionally, parenting educators need to have experience with children and families, have access to community resources, and be willing to go above and beyond the call of duty. It was also suggested that they have or have access to Spanish outreach for the Latino community.

Participants also created a list of professional skills that they perceived to be important for parenting educators to achieve. This list included: child development evaluation and skills, the ability to recognize signs of abuse, knowledge of support services, and the skills required to make referrals. Also included among professional skills were the possession of a number of knowledge bases such as those involving diversity issues, the health needs of children and families (i.e., mental and physical), special needs, and adult learning and assessment. This list coincides with the findings from DeBord and colleagues (1997) and reinforces the concept that parenting educators should possess a particular knowledge base.

In response to a question that addressed how to build and/or assure a base of knowledge that both degreed and non-degreed professionals in the field of parenting education should have, the group concluded that an agreed-upon set of competencies is critical. Further, they noted the need for high quality culturally sensitive curriculum materials.

Interviewers proposed a certification process for parenting educators to garner participant input. In reaction, participants stressed the importance of developing multiple levels of credentials in order to include professionals, paraprofessionals, and others interested in becoming parenting educators. They suggested establishing a number of training courses, and appointing a specific agency as a "lead agency" to oversee the certification process. In order to receive credentials, focus group participants were adamant in their opinion that individuals in certain jobs or with related experiences should be "grandfathered in" to the curriculum / certification procedure. They underscored that "ability to do the job" should be a key aspect of deciding who should be admitted to the program, rather than professional status per se.

In order to ensure the reliability and validity of the suggestions expressed in the focus group described above, it was decided that a series of five additional focus groups would be implemented. As such, parenting educators from the Fatherhood Conference were asked to assist in recruiting additional groups of parenting educators for focus group interviews. Using a list of volunteers from the Fatherhood Conference and additional contacts through Head Start and Cooperative Extension, counties were identified based on rural-urban criteria and convenience in forming groups within the given time frame. Each focus group lasted approximately one and one-half hours with an informal discussion to cover the question set. The questions posed included the following:

Scope:

How do you define parenting education? What all is involved in parenting education?

Describe how you see the field of parenting education.

Collective Vision:

If you were to dream a bit with us, what would your vision of parenting education be?

How could we collectively work towards this?

Knowledge and Trends:

What has affected parenting education over time? Now? How do you keep up with the developments and new resources?

Partnerships and networking (systems):

You probably make referrals within your community. Who do you refer to? For what

reasons? What other ways should we nurture partnerships to be beneficial for parents? How else do you use your networks?

Professional Development

One suggestion to advance our field is to develop a parenting education credential for parent educators. We would like your reaction to this draft. (Handout)

Community collaboration, diversity of systems, people:

In communities, I'm sure you work hard to be sure you are not duplicating services

and not confusing parents, but instead giving them what they need. How do you figure out what that is? How do you provide education while recognizing the many

diversities in families?

Families:

What do families need? How do families need information we have? How long

is/should your association be with parents?

What are the biggest challenges in your work? What has been most valuable to

your work?

We have now talked about families, communities, partnering and networking, building knowledge, and having a vision. What have we missed that you feel is a critical component to parenting education?

Results

Across the six focus group locations, a total of 34 (15 from Wake, 5 from Forsyth, 7 from Stokes, 4 from Pasquotank, 3 from Robeson) parenting educators provided comments.

Every group appeared relaxed and each member of the group spoke out to provide responses and information from her perspective. The participants were employed by various agencies including Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN); Cooperative Extension; Family Violence Prevention Center; Parents as Teachers (PAT); Community Colleges; Head Start; ABCD; Women's Partnership for Children; Lifegains (a specialized foster care agency); Work-Family Resource Center; Impact West (a program for adult women offenders); Catawba Valley Healthy Families; Family, Infant, and Preschool Program; Family Connections; and a literacy program called MotherRead/FatherRead.

Scope
To set the stage for further discussion, the first question simply asked participants to define parenting education in their own words. By and large, participants defined it as providing information and teaching skills to parents, as well as providing a support system for parents in need. Included in this definition, several participants mentioned wraparound services that are often included in family support programs such as transportation, GED completion, and job hunting, indicating that these may be necessary prior to getting a parent ready to learn. Many participants also mentioned dispelling myths for parents such as that it is acceptable to shake babies and young children. Educators saw parenting education as a way to re-educate parents when damage had already been done to children, and as educating the whole family rather than just the parents. Several participants also wanted to explain the details of their programs. And several educators indicated that each parent defined their program differently by one or more goals participants constructed for themselves. Parenting education then became the assistance that educators provided in assisting parents to reach their goals.

When asked to describe the components of the field of parenting education, parenting educators had difficulty describing the larger scope of the field but rather focused best on their own job or community. They primarily described their perceptions of parents with phrases such as:

"There is an initial reluctance to parenting classes but once in, they are hooked."

"There is a stigma attached to parenting education, and parents see parenting education as something they need when they have done something wrong."

"It gives parents / spouses a united front for their children."

However, sometimes "Some audiences [such as those recovering from substance abuse] are not at the point where they can hear about the parent educator's own experiences."

When probed further to ask how people in the community perceive and understand parenting education they said:

"People often ask me for advice"

" It makes for good discussion when I start talking to other parents and grandparents about what I do."

One person captured a larger perspective saying, "There is so much to be addressed (like insurance, budgeting, child support, taking care of the home, etc.) to make families self-sufficient . . . so many related issues that it is overwhelming. There are so many partners."

And another stated, "There is a lot more societal awareness that parenting is hard, so people embrace [parenting education]."

Collective Vision
Asked to reach even more broadly, parenting educators were asked to build a collective vision or dream for what the field of parenting education could be. One educator stated that we have the tools we need and are making steady progress. Another educator said she hoped for "readily available parenting opportunities for parents at all stages of their children's development and a variety of tools" such as meetings, newsletters, brochures in the grocery store, and information from pediatricians to help parents meet their needs. Again the focus turned to experiences parenting educators had during their daily work. One participant said, "There are many professional licenses but we need a license to be a parent. Parenting education should be a part of the birthing process."

Building on this, it was added, "Don't stop parenting education after the child is born. Have 3-4 classes at different points in the child's development."

"We support parents often until birth then drop them. We need follow-ups in elementary, middle and high school."

"Target all levels" of parents to keep them aware of their developing child.

A larger focus by the group resulted in visions to make the public aware that parenting education is "out there" and available for those who seek it, a so-called "awareness campaign." Advertising via the media was a key tactic that was mentioned repeatedly, especially for illiterate and Spanish-speaking families.

"We need a public awareness blitz and promote particular ideas and identify lifeline themes."

"We need to make the community more aware, have [professionals] make more referrals to parent education."

Other parenting educators called for schools and the faith community to be involved, and even for parenting education to be mandated, for example, in cases in which parents are getting divorced.

Another issue involved ways to encourage greater parent attendance and consistent messages to parents.

"We need incentives for parents to enroll in and attend parenting education. Perhaps a coupon or voucher for free child care and then eventually a voucher for college tuition for their child would be a 'carrot' to offer." To collectively work towards such a vision, groups said that we need to overcome some of the obstacles parents experience now such as transportation by offering a "one-stop location with all the agencies in one place, or a mobile service van."

One group offered a vision of recognizing people in the field as parenting educators who have related degrees such as sociology, psychology, education, child development and sociology. Coupled with this, it was their feeling that we need to recognize experience with children and families, even having been a parent to some extent, "Like a mom who has successfully raised five kids may be very astute" [as a parenting educator]. In working towards this vision, participants said, "We need some criteria for parenting educators that includes experience and ongoing training. Training should include information on adult learners, learning styles, management of learning groups, group dynamics, strategies for how to teach, teaching 'tricks,' and how to use group rules."

One group of participants, in particular, envisioned more of a research-based approach to parenting education. They called for more evaluations and follow-ups concerning the effectiveness of parenting education. For example, they suggested that educators ask parents how often they have utilized the principles they have been taught: "In the past two weeks, how often have you. . . ?" And one participant recommended a longitudinal study on the effects of parenting education across the life span.

When asked how parenting educators could work collectively toward the above visions, participants focused on ongoing training for parent educators, especially regarding adult learning. Some wanted more tools to work with different personalities, some wanted to learn more about group dynamics, and others wanted to know how to keep the attention of a diverse group of people. Other participants mentioned making parenting education a state policy so that more funding would be available to parenting education programs.

Knowledge and Trends
The interviewed parenting educators said that they keep their knowledge up-to-date through conferences (including teleconferences), workshops, in-service training, peer mentoring, professional networking, joining mailing lists, the internet, reading research-based materials, newspapers, and magazines. Parents as Teachers (PAT) requires about 20 hours per year of training and Head Start requires a particular number of continuing education units (CEUs). Parenting educators said they need more information that pertains to particular cultures of parents, such as Spanish-speaking, hearing impaired, illiterate, and those with children with special needs. Similarly, they noted the need for videotapes that were reality-based, multi-ultural, and dealt with issues concerning adolescents and issues such as ADHD. Participants also mentioned the need for self-study training tapes for themselves. Two groups in particular indicated that they would be interested in a statewide parenting educator conference.

Partnerships and Networking
When asked about their local networks of other professionals who serve parents, participants agreed this is critical to their work. Among the organizations and agencies they typically partner with are: Social Services, the Health Department, Children's Clinic, Head Start, Child Care Resource and Referral, Family Services, SCAN, Legal Aid, Cooperative Extension, EFNEP (the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program), Child Care Connections (a lending library), Safe Kids Coalition, and the DEC by name. Other places that participants utilized included substance abuse organizations, pediatricians, community colleges, school guidance counselors and social workers, mediation, the library, youth opportunities, and other United Way agencies. One group mentioned the Shriners, and also an organization known as the Moose Women, which holds babyless showers to collect supplies for new mothers. Participants utilize the above agencies and organizations to create lists to distribute to parents, to recruit parents, and to set up booths at public gatherings to educate the community. Several parenting educators serve on interagency councils and attend other meetings that link to their work. One reason for this, they stated, was to collaborate with others in order to get funding and other much needed resources. Although they admitted that this is time consuming, participants all felt that knowing about community resources and networking with others it is imperative to their work.

Professional Development
When the question about how to prepare parenting educators for this profession was posed, participants in the focus groups almost always emphasized that the combination of experience and education were critical in establishing some criteria by which people call themselves parenting educators. One person stated the value in this as, " I could use a credential as a way to hire people." Another said that having a credentialing process is "one way to monitor what is going on." Another said, "There are so many credentialing systems, but I like one that focuses on parenting education."

One issue raised concerning professional development had to do with the time and money required to take new courses. One participant suggested distance learning as a possible way to save students driving time to and from school. Another suggested providing those who are already parenting educators financial compensation by having their agencies pay the application fees for courses, or increasing their salary once one has been credentialed.

Other comments included:

"There could be a testing out system for those who are already doing this."

A suggestion was made to "tie this to compensation modeling after T.E.A.C.H."

"NCPEN needs to be aware of other initiatives already out there" but which are disjointed.

Similarly, one participants suggested, "Don't reinvent the wheel."

Questions that were asked included," Would this have to be passed into law or is it voluntary?"

and "Who would be the credentialing office. . . What state department?" And " What would it cost?"

One person, a Parents as Teachers educator, said that PAT "approves them every year for a fee of $35."

Overall, participants seemed interested in the possibility of becoming officially credentialed parenting educators because of the professional recognition that would come with it and because they hoped it would impact their pay scales. One participant, in particular, noted that as a PAT employee, she has no benefits such as insurance or a retirement plan. She therefore hoped that credentialing would motivate agencies such as PAT to provide such benefits to their employees.

Community collaboration, diversity of systems, people
Participants were asked to consider families and how we work with them, how we determine what they need, and how information is shared with them. Several indicated that they survey or "poll" parents for their needs prior to developing a plan for class topics. Other participants concurred that often clients set their own needs with the parenting educator prior to delivery of services. Other parenting educators use a check-off list of topics for parents or use input provided on previous evaluation forms. And other parenting educators conduct monthly home visits, weekly dinner meetings, and participate with families in Lunch Bunch activities to monitor needs and progress first-hand. Some participants schedule courses based on needs from partnering agencies. For example, high risk families are often screened by the Health Department, and Head Start conducts an intake interview and assesses needs. One educator shared a story of how a mother came to her classes "...out of desperation. She was 9 months pregnant and she and her husband were so stressed they feared for the new child's safety. They already had one child who had been 'kicked out of day care' in several locations." Subsequently, the parents attended many learning sessions to improve their parenting skills.

In order to adequately meet parents' needs, participants mentioned that they often send relevant information by mail to parents who cannot attend formal class meetings. For those who can attend, educators often send videos, handouts, and information home with them on workshops offered in addition to the curriculum. Overall, the consensus among participants was that despite the particular method used to disseminate information to parents, building a rapport with parents was an essential component of parenting education. They stressed that they are especially sure to be consistent in the information they provide and assistance they offer parents, that they don't overwhelm parents with information, that they don't come across to parents as being "better" than they are, and that they be sensitive and accommodating. One participant, for example, said that as part of her home visits she offers books for parents to read to their children. However, if she senses that parents are illiterate or are unable to read the English language because they read and/or speak Spanish, she tells them to just have their children look at the pictures in the books and them the story that way.

The issue of sensitivity also came up when participants were asked to discuss the ways in which they recognize diversity among the populations they serve. One focus group in particular mentioned the need to make diversity among parents a strength of the parenting education programs available. They emphasized recognizing individual value systems of and cultural differences among parents, and respecting parents for who they are. One participant noted, "You can't be judgmental. There are no right or wrong parents."

When asked what seems to work best as parenting educators, participants focused on the events that occur after they have provided parents with information, assistance, and guidance. Comments such as the following were made:

"Give something back to the parents such as stress reducers."

"Get success stories publicized or get former participants to give testimony" about their experience with parenting education.

Families
Towards the end of the sessions, participants were asked about their greatest challenges as parenting educators. Many agreed that it was the difficulty of moving a parent toward their own set goals and having parents feel empowered enough to follow through with them. One participant noted that one of her greatest challenges is "When one parent wants to learn and the other doesn't, [and] when parents argue." Discipline was an issue that parents sought information about frequently, and one that parenting educators themselves seemed to struggle with at times. Said one participant,

"It's not up to me to tell parents whether or not to spank their kids. That's something they have to decide for themselves."

In terms of logistical issues, transportation was noted by several participants as a challenge, especially in rural communities. This was seen as a large barrier in terms of just getting parents to and from parenting education classes and other resources in the community. Another issue was safety concerns, especially for parenting educators who made home visits to rural areas. A group of PAT educators, in particular, said according to PAT policy they must travel to such homes in pairs and are prohibited from transporting clients in their cars because of liability issues. Other logistical concerns included time, money, and facility constraints.

When asked about their most valuable assets as parenting educators, participants were quick to mention personal characteristics, philosophies, and tools that keep them enthusiastic about their jobs despite the challenges they are often presented. Personal characteristics cited included being empathic, non-judgmental, intuitive, caring, a good listener, possessing a caring attitude, and being well-informed about issues that concern parents. Many participants said that they have a personal belief in what they are doing, and that they are sure to acknowledge healthy behaviors in parents just as parents are advised to acknowledge healthy behaviors in their children. After years of experience, participants were aware that they need to be well-prepared for parents' questions, and therefore planning but allowing flexibility was a key element of their work: "Plan for the day but expect setbacks." Many participants stated that "Watching the children grow up" and seeing parents succeed is one of the most rewarding aspects of their work as parenting educators. Watching individuals' change for the better because of the influence of parenting education on their lives, said one participant, is "like day and night."

After exploring the areas expected to be a part of a parenting educator's work, participants were asked to name other critical areas that are a part of the larger picture of parenting education. Usually funding and resources were named first but other participants named the following:

-Oversight, evaluation and accountability

-Policy - local, state and federal

-The opportunity to self-assess and self-study

-The language barrier

-Fatherhood

-Leadership

-Corporate partnerships

-Community integration and team-building

-Annual conferences.

Discussion and Recommendations

Based on the input from these parenting educators, it is apparent that they are a diverse and highly competent group of individuals. They have an interest in the field and are very motivated to help families. Based on how they responded, these parenting educators appear to focus on their daily work with parents and have not considered the larger picture of parenting education unfolding across America. Once introduced to the possibilities for grounding the profession in a set of shared competencies and a system to assure that parents are guided by sound information and skill training, they were excited about the possibilities and had great ideas to contribute.

Based on this information, we recommend the following:

1. Proceed with the credentialing process by gathering feedback through the NCPEN network as the system is built. Keep the current levels, but consider adding a fourth higher level with a BA or BS minimum.

2. Revise the titles of parenting educators listed in the credential to better reflect the hierarchy of education and experience.

3. Develop a review system to "grandfather in" current parenting educators and those individuals who have already taken parenting education courses

4. Make the credentialing process voluntary for a trial period.

5. Look into establishing distance learning / telecommuting for those working toward the credential.

6. Investigate the possibility of encouraging parenting education agencies and organizations pay or reimburse employees for the credentialing application fee.

7. As part of the training program prior to credentialing, be sure to address issues such
as cultural competence and sensitivity to diversity. Also, offer parenting educators the opportunity to learn not only about child development, but to question their approaches and diversify their options in assisting parents with options for interacting with their children.

8. Explore the possibilities of tying an earned credential to compensation in pay and/or the addition of benefits to parenting educators' employment packages.

9. Strive to improve the working conditions of parenting educators such as constraints regarding time, money, and facilities and safety issues.

10. Build the network between parent educators to assure that educators are linked to share ideas and stay tuned to the developments in the field.

11. Add new components to Figure 1 such as "Macro-level logistical needs" (which might include governmental policy, evaluation, corporate partnerships, and other critical areas named by focus group participants).

12. NCPEN should explore the idea of a statewide parenting education conference.

Figure 1. Components in building a professional parenting education system

References

DeBord, K. , Smith, C., Mulroy, M., Tanner, P., Silliman, B. (1997). The Emergence of the Parenting Profession, National Council for Family Relations. Arlington, VA.

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