LA Parenting Education Network Pre-Conference Summit for
Parenting Educators March 4, 2009 Betty Cooke, Ph.D. Family
Education, Department of Curriculum & Instruction College of
Education & Human Development University of Minnesota
[email protected] Competencies of a Parenting Educator What Does a
Louisiana Parenting Educator Need to Know and Do? 1 Slide 2
Participant Goals Participants will: 1. Understand the background,
current status, and issued involved in the identification and
development of parenting educator competencies 2. Recognize
similarities, differences, and themes in sets of state and
organizational parenting educator competencies 3.Learn of systems
and programs currently offering certification or other professional
preparation and recognition for parenting educators 2 Slide 3
Participant Goals 4. Learn how parenting educators can use
competencies to assess their level of competency as parenting
educators 5. Become familiar with parenting educator core
competencies being developed for Louisiana parenting educators 6.
Consider uses of the Louisiana parenting educator core competencies
for the state of Louisiana 3 Slide 4 Why Parenting Educator
Competencies? 4 Research tells us that : Parents are their
childrens first & most important developmental influence. The
quality of the parent-child relationship is crucial to a childs
development. Raising young children is challenging; no job is more
important to our nations future & more challenging than that of
a parent. The overload of conflicting parenting information
available on a daily basis from the media, Internet, friends &
relatives overwhelms & confuses parents. Parents, regardless of
life circumstance, can benefit from education & support in
their role as parents. Slide 5 Why Parenting Educator Competencies?
(continued) 5 These statements make a strong case for the
importance of parenting education Evidence is growing that
parenting education can impact parents interactions with their
children in ways that lead to better child outcomes. The case for
parenting education demands professionals who are capable of &
show competence at working with a diversity of parents &
families. Slide 6 See How We Grow Nick Carter (1996) Probably the
most critical issue facing the development of parenting education
is that of how practitioners are trained, supervised, and supported
in their work with parents. 6 Slide 7 See How We Grow Nick Carter
(1996) Carter points out that the demands on practitioners are
enormous and include: the expectation to work across cultures,
disciplines, and systems; master a growing and diverse body of
knowledge; be adept at the processes and methods that truly
strengthen families; and produce dramatic results in shorts periods
of time with ever-decreasing dollars. 7 Slide 8 Without
certification or formal recognition... 8 The field perpetuates the
current situation of: Continuing to have well-intended, but often
poorly prepared individuals naively involved in parent education
situations beyond their level of expertise; Continuing to have
anyone working with a few popular parenting books and videotapes or
DVDs practicing parent education; Continuing the growing
oversimplification of complex parenting issues with offers of what
appear to be easy, quick fix solutions; Solving parenting concerns
as media entertainment; and Continuing to have parents seek out
information and support without guidance as to what is accurate
information and positive support. Slide 9 Why do we have this
situation? 9 Parenting education is not a single field of study. It
is embedded in many other fields of study education, social work,
health, psychology, counseling, etc. It has been challenging to
agree on the body of knowledge and competencies needed by
practitioners. Practitioners in many fields are involved. Slide 10
Broad Array of Practitioners 10 Parent Educators Teachers Social
Workers Psychologists & Psychiatrists Counselors Extension
Family Specialists Health Providers Faith-Based Professionals Early
Childhood Educators & Care Providers Paraprofessionals
Volunteer Parents Slide 11 Questions and issues arising from this
situation... What do parents need to know and be able to do to
raise healthy, responsible children? What should a parenting
educator know and be able to do to work effectively with parents?
What degree and level of preparation is needed? 11 Slide 12 What is
the body of knowledge needed in parenting education? 12 Minnesotas
Parent Education Core Curriculum Framework & Indicators helps
to answer this question. Domains of Knowledge for Parents: Parent
Development Parent-Child Relationship Child & Adolescent
Development Family Development Culture & Community Full
information available at:
http://cehd.umn.edu/CI/Programs/FYC/parent-framework.html Slide 13
Minnesotas Parent Education Core Curriculum Framework &
Indicators 13 One of the goals of the framework & indicators is
to inform practice in parenting education. The framework and
indicators illustrate how content for parents can inform
competencies for parenting educators. What is taught to parents
informs the competencies the parenting educator needs. Within each
domain there are domain components & categories leading to the
specific domain indicators for parents to achieve in each category
through participation in parenting education. Slide 14 Parenting
Educator Competencies 14 What a parenting educator needs to know
and do is grounded in what we believe a parent needs to know and be
able to do to raise healthy, responsible children. What a parenting
educator needs to know and do is what we are referring to when we
examine parenting educator competencies. Competencies include:
Content Knowledge Knowledge of Skills/Teaching Strategies or
Processes Attitudes/Dispositions/Beliefs All are important. They
are often confused. Slide 15 Examples of Sets of Parenting Educator
Competencies 1. Texas Core Knowledge for Parent Educators 2.
National Extension Parenting Education Framework (NEPEF) 3.
Minnesota Parent & Family Education Teacher License
Competencies 4. United Kingdom Standards for Work with Parents 5.
Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) Content Areas (National
Council on Family Relations) 6. Wisconsin Core Competencies in the
Field of Family Support 7. Strengthening Families Protective
Factors 15 Slide 16 1. Texas Core Knowledge for Parent Educators 16
University of North Texas Center for Parent Education: Developed
Core Knowledge for Parent Educators and Professionals Who Work With
Families Apply to families and children from ages 018 Includes
Skills of Parent Educators and Professionals Who Work With Families
and Attitudes of Parent Educators and Professionals Who Work With
Families in these 10 Core Knowledge Areas Slide 17 1. Core
Knowledge Areas for Parent Educators and Professionals Who Work
with Families 17 1. Child and Lifespan Development 2. Dynamics of
Family Relationships 3. *Family Life Education 4. Guidance and
Nurturing 5. *Health and Safety 6. *Diversity in Family Systems 7.
*Professional Practice and Methods Related to Adult Learning and
Family Support 8. *School and Child Care Relationships 9.
*Community Relationships 10. *Assessment and Evaluation *Includes
items related to process knowledge or knowledge of teaching
skills/strategies University of North Texas Center for Parent
Education and Texas Registry of Parent Educator Resources Slide 18
2. National Extension Parenting Education Framework (NEPEF) 18 Two
dimensions with six domains each: 1. Content or knowledge needed by
parenting educators to provide to parents and 2. Processes that
parenting educators need to work effectively with parents and
children Slide 19 2. NEPEF Content or Knowledge Needed by Parenting
Educators 19 Care for Self includes knowledge about managing stress
and family resources and getting and giving support to other
parents Understand includes focus on basic child development Guide
includes the importance of parent strategies that engage children
in appropriate and desired behaviors Nurture includes emphasis on
the importance of teaching appropriate expressions of affection and
compassion Motivate includes the importance of stimulating
childrens curiosity and search for knowledge Advocate includes
emphasis on the value of parents and children finding and
connecting with community-based programs Slide 20 2. NEPEF
Professional Skills and Abilities Needed by Parenting Educators to
Work Effectively With Parents 20 Grow refers to personal growth as
a professional, knowing yourself and understanding how that affects
relations with others Frame refers to knowing theoretical
frameworks that guide practice in the field of parent education
Develop refers to planning, marketing, and evaluating programs to
educate parents Embrace refers to recognizing and responding to
differences in the populations being served Educate refers to being
an effective teacher, using delivery methods appropriately, and
helping and challenging parents in their learning Build refers to
building professional networks to expand the field of parent
education and being a community advocate Slide 21 3. Minnesota
Parent & Family Education Teacher License Competencies 21
Offered through Minnesota Department of Education Must complete a
preparation program leading to a Baccalaureate Degree that includes
demonstration of specific knowledge & skills in: Understanding
Families Understanding Parent-Child Relationships Understanding
Child Development Understanding Adult Development Slide 22 3. Other
Minnesota Parent & Family Education Teacher License
Requirements 22 Must also meet Standards of Effective Practice for
Teachers in: Subject matter (Parent & Family Education license)
Student learning Diverse learners Instructional strategies Learning
environment Communication Planning instruction Assessment
Reflection and professional development Collaboration, ethics, and
relationships Slide 23 4. United Kingdom Standards for Work with
Parents Key and Core Skills (32) 23 Examples: Contribute to
building relationships in work with parents Provide access to
knowledge and information Contribute to providing safe, inclusive
environments Help to keep parents safe and secure Enable parents to
reflect on influences on parenting and the parent-child
relationship Work with parents to meet their childrens needs Enable
parents to develop ways of handling relationships and behaviour
that contributes to everyday life with children Work with parents
to understand and meet their own needs Slide 24 5. Certified Family
Life Educator (CFLE) 24 Offered through the National Council on
Family Relations (NCFR) Applicants must have a Bachelors Degree.
Process has moved from having applicants provide documentation
through a portfolio of academic preparation, professional
development, and work experience in ten Family Life Education
Content Areas to a national exam. Slide 25 5. Certified Family Life
Educator Family Life Education Content Areas 25 1. Families in
Society 2. Internal Dynamics of Families 3. Human Growth and
Development 4. Human Sexuality 5. Interpersonal Relationships 6.
Family Resource Management 7. Parent Education and Guidance 8.
Family Law and Public Policy 9. Ethics 10. Family Life Education
Methodology Slide 26 6. Wisconsin Core Competencies in the Field of
Family Support 26 Core Competency Areas for Family Support Staff:
1. Child and lifespan development 2. Dynamics of family
relationships 3. Family support and parenting education: Principles
methods and approaches 4. Guidance and nurturing 5. Health and
safety 6. Diversity in family systems 7. Relationships among
family, school and community 8. Professional practice and self care
Slide 27 6. Wisconsin Core Competencies in the Field of Family
Support (continued) 27 Core Competency Areas for Managers in the
Field of Family Support: 1. Best practices in the field of family
support 2. Program, planning, monitoring and evaluation 3.
Marketing and outreach 4. Fund development 5. Budget management 6.
Personnel 7. Community advocacy and collaboration 8. Public policy
advocacy and involvement Slide 28 7. Strengthening Families
Protective Factors 28 When present in a childs or familys life,
these factors reduce the likelihood of child abuse & neglect:
1. Parental resilience developing & sustaining caring
relationships & having faith in their own potential & the
world around them 2. Social connections reducing social isolation
& building communities with stronger social capital 3.
Knowledge of parenting & child development understanding
normative child development & the parent-child relationship 4.
Concrete support in times of need helping families in times of
crisis by arranging for or providing emergency services through
other community-based programs 5. Social & emotional competence
of children helping parents understand how to facilitate their
childrens social & emotional development & deal with
challenging behavioral issues From Center for the Study of Social
Policy Slide 29 Similarities, Differences, and Themes across Sets
of Parenting Educator Competencies 29 Focus on content knowledge to
provide to parents and process knowledge or skills needed to work
effectively with parents some also include focus on attitudes or
dispositions needed to work effectively with parents Agreement
about what is required in each of these areas of focus Focus on
only parenting education versus larger focus on family life
education or family support which encompasses more, but includes
parenting education as one area of their work with parents Focus on
different roles within parenting education/family life education or
support Focus dependent upon the overall goals of a parenting
education program Slide 30 Understanding Parent Development as an
Important Parenting Educator Competency 30 Simply teaching
parenting skills and giving parents information about child
development, while useful for many parents, is unlikely to
significantly affect the deeper qualities of the parentchild
relationship. Recent research on parenting shows that parenting
itself provides a context within which parents grow and develop as
parents and persons, e.g., how parents move from focusing on their
own needs to noticing and understanding their childrens unique
characteristics and individual differences. Parent educators need
to understand this process of parent development and how to promote
parent growth. Slide 31 Examples of Parenting Educator Professional
Preparation & Recognition Systems 31 1. REGISTRY: Voluntary
addition of name to searchable database of parent educators
Example: Texas Registry of Parent Educator Resources (ROPER)
statewide network of professionals who work with parents; a
searchable database of parenting professionals that parents and
professionals can use to locate parent educators by location,
language, and expertise; led to development of Texas Professional
Development Recognition System Slide 32 Examples of Parenting
Educator Professional Preparation & Recognition Systems
(continued) 32 2. CREDENTIAL: Verification of ones personal
competencies based on state defined standards; often submitted as a
portfolio or verified by an exam Example: North Carolina Parenting
Educator Credential (Four levels) I. North Carolina Credentialed
Parenting Educator (CPE-I) II. North Carolina Credentialed
Parenting Educator (CPE-II) III. North Carolina Credentialed
Parenting Education Associate (CPE-III) IV. North Carolina
Credentialed Parenting Education Resource Assistant (CPE-IV) Slide
33 Examples of Parenting Educator Professional Preparation &
Recognition Systems (continued) 33 3. CERTIFICATE: Seal of approval
by a validating organization including a college or university; a
set of courses or an exam with or without a degree CERTIFICATION
THROUGH A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION: Validation of knowledge and
experience in competency areas through an exam Example: NCFR
Certified Family Life Educator GRADUATE CERTIFICATION: 12-20 hours
of graduate credit from an accredited institution of higher
education Examples: North Carolina State University, DePaul
University, University of Minnesota, University of North Texas
Slide 34 Examples of Parenting Educator Professional Preparation
& Recognition Systems (continued) 34 4. STATE TEACHER LICENSE:
Official or legal permission to practice granted by an appropriate
authority; competency-based, renewable; passing pre-professional
skills test required Example: Minnesota Parent & Family
Education Teacher License required to be a parenting educator in
the public school Early Childhood Family Education programs Slide
35 Examples of Parenting Educator Professional Preparation &
Recognition Systems (continued) 35 5. COLLEGE CREDIT: UNDERGRADUATE
CREDIT: Completion of a course, series of courses, or certificate
from an accredited institution of higher education without a degree
Example: Iowa State University Extension course credits, CEUS,
and/or parenting education certificate of completion GRADUATE
DEGREE: Graduate courses resulting in a graduate degree in family
life and/or parenting education from an accredited institution of
higher education Example: Master of Science Degree in Human
Development & Family Studies with a concentration in Family
Life & Parent Education (34 credits) North Carolina State
University & the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
(jointly administered) Slide 36 Career Ladders for Professional
Preparation & Recognition 36 The National Parenting Education
Framework for Understanding Parenting Educator Professional
Preparation & Recognition Systems and the examples on it
provide a guide for creating career ladders. A career ladder is a
series of defined levels where the nature of work is similar and
the levels represent the organizations typical requirements for
career growth. A career ladder is a trajectory of upward mobility
in which a person in the field can step in at the point most
appropriate for their professional level and voluntarily acquire
the professional recognition. Slide 37 Issues related to parenting
educator competencies... 37 Can we expect volunteers, peer
facilitators, and paraprofessionals to meet the requirements
included in the various Professional Preparation and Recognition
Systems we have reviewed? Is there consensus on the competencies
needed by parent educators to effectively deliver parenting
education and the content they need to know to address parents
interests and needs? Slide 38 Growing Consensus 38 Consensus on the
competencies needed by parenting educators to effectively deliver
parenting education and the content they need to know has been
evident for some time and is evident in what we have reviewed. The
consensus evident 13 years ago (Carter, 1996) as to the body of
knowledge and competencies needed by a parenting educator appears
to be even stronger today. Slide 39 Implications of Parenting
Educator Competencies 39 They provide a means for parenting
educators coming from diverse professional backgrounds to assess
their ability to do parenting education. They provide a standard
for parents to judge the quality of their sources of information
and support. They provide a basis on which to continue the
discussion of developing certification and other accountability
systems that will help assure the professionalism of the field of
parenting education. Slide 40 What does all of this information
about parenting educator competencies mean? 40 Such accountability
systems will assure professionals that they are upholding the high
standards for which the profession is striving. Only then can we
move toward having a better recognized field with recognized
practitioners working to achieve goals of improved parenting become
possible. Only then can we assure parents that we are providing
them with the information, skills, and other opportunities for
growth that they need to nurture their children toward healthy
adulthood. Slide 41 Potential Uses of Louisiana Parenting Educator
Competencies 41 Individual uses: Doing own self-assessment as a
parenting educator Identifying needed areas of study and continuing
education/professional development Setting professional development
goals Creating individual professional development plans Slide 42
Potential Uses of Louisiana Parenting Educator Competencies
(continued) 42 Planning parenting education professional
development opportunities workshops, conferences, non-credit and
credit courses including use by institutions of higher education to
plan courses and programs Developing curriculum resources/materials
for preparing parenting educators and parenting education with
parents Developing and using individual/program/state career
ladders/lattices or credentials in parenting education Recognizing
and encouraging professional development in parenting education
Slide 43 Potential Uses of Louisiana Parenting Educator
Competencies (continued) 43 Program planning in parenting education
offered through agencies, organizations, and institutions
Networking and collaborating about offering parenting education and
other family supports across programs, agencies, organizations, and
institutions Providing information to parents about what is offered
in parenting education Creating a parenting education professional
organization Assuring high quality in the practice of parenting
education
