The Effectiveness of Parenting Classes

Effective Program Characteristics

• The most effective parenting programs involve the entire family, according to research presented by the University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension̵7;s January 2008 paper, ̶0;What Research Tells Us About Effective Parenting Education Programs.̶1; Those programs had classes for parents and children, and activities that allowed parents to practice their skills. Parenting programs contained information on child development, discipline strategies, communication skills, and how to appropriately show affection and spend time together.

At-Risk Families

• Families who had multiple risk factors, such as substance abuse, domestic violence, child neglect and abuse concerns, poverty and parents with poor educational backgrounds benefited most from parenting programs that lasted at least 30 to 40 hours with intensive family contact, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison's paper. Access to support systems that addressed the family̵7;s need for housing, mental illness support, food, employment and interventions for substance abuse, domestic violence and concerns related to child abuse or neglect enhanced parental functioning. Increasing class length so the number of classes can be decreased to cover the materials reduces the effectiveness of your parenting education.

When to Take a Class

• The most effective time for your parenting class is before you have a child, according to the University of Wisconsin̵1;Madison/Extension, because you have fewer poor practices to unlearn. Classes were also effective for some parents during other transitions, such as after divorce, when a child begins middle school or when the family has interactions with the court due to substance abuse, child abuse or neglect, domestic violence, juvenile brushes with the law and parental mental illness issues.

Effective Programs

• If you take a parenting class, it should be effective. The ̶0;Journal of Extension̶1; reviewed 16 parenting education programs in August 2012. Four programs qualified as the best because the activities were easy to implement, the programs are based on evidence-based research and they appear to be empirically effective for the program participants. These programs included STAR Parenting for parents of children under 5, Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth between the ages of 10 and 14, Systematic Training for Effective Parenting with three different levels of classes based on the ages of the children, and the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program for parents with various issues. Three programs identified as having promising potential included Intentional Harmony, Make Parenting a Pleasure and Nurturing Parenting Programs. Promising programs either need to incorporate more activities or need additional research data from the classes published in peer-review journals.