The Chicago Parent ProgramA 12-session parenting program designed with and for ethnic minority families raising young children in

urban communities

Deborah Gross, DNSc, RN, FAANLeonard and Helen Stulman Professor

Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

American Academy of Nursing October 12, 2012

The Chicago Parent Program:Brief Overview

• 12 2-hour group sessions• Uses video vignettes + parent

group discussion• Developed in collaboration with

African American and Latino parents of 2-5 yr old children

• Supported in 2 RCTs• Improves parenting skills,

confidence, and child behavior • High parent and teacher

satisfaction• Used in Head Start, pre-K, and

child care agencies serving low-income families in 16 states

Primary Scale-Up Challenges: The Researcher Perspective

1. Science versus sales2. Managing local adaptation3. Shrinking funds to support large

scale dissemination/effectiveness studies

4. Motivating participant engagement