“The Children’s Trust is seeking proposals from community-based non-profit agencies to provide parenting education and support program services (PESPs).
Through this RFR, community-based non-profit agencies will be selected to provide this services based on meeting the scoring threshold, geographical locations and funding availability under the two separate categories (Category 1: Standard PESPs, and Category 2: Curriculum Specific PESPs) for community-based organizations to implement group-based Parenting Education and Support Programs (PESPs) serving a variety of parent populations.
The Children’s Trust anticipates funding up to 10 Category 1 series for up to $3,000 per series per year and anticipates funding up to 3 contracts for up to $17,500 based on the selected curricula funding amount for Category 2 contracts. If additional funding becomes available during the RFR four year contract period, applicants eligible to be awarded a contract will be selected from “Eligible to Fund” list for either categories.
Category 1 funding structure is based on an 8 (eight) week group-based parenting education and support program series. Applicants can apply for up to three series for Category 1.
Applicants can apply for up to $20,000 for two twelve week series for the Parenting Journey program and up to $17,500 for one 15 to 24 week series for the Nurturing Program. To be deemed eligible for Category 2 funding, applicants must use one of the identified curricula listed in this RFR. No other curricula can be substituted or used for this category. Applicants must meet all of the General Eligibility Requirements and General Program Implementation Requirements in addition to the specific program requirements criteria for their category.
Category 1: The Standard Parenting Education & Support Programs (PESPs) help parents learn how to develop stronger parenting skills, learn appropriate behavior management techniques, reduce family stress, understand age-appropriate child development, develop peer supports to break the isolation that many families experience today, and increase use of community resources. Applicants may propose programs that target parents of children ages prenatal through age six or any specific population within that age range and select and use evidenced-based and informed curricula, materials and strategies. Examples of parenting education and support programs are parenting skills for parents of children with special needs, stress reduction techniques for new parents, and discipline techniques for parents of toddlers. Programs should strive to achieve a balance between offering information and providing support.
Category 2: A Curriculum Specific Parenting Education and Support Programs are long term programs that implement either the Nurturing Program or the Parenting Journey curricula. Research has shown that long-term parenting programs (e.g. more than 4 to 6 weeks) are more effective than short-term programs in producing lasting impacts for participating families. Long-term programs promote protective factors that are important in the prevention of child maltreatment by allowing time for participants to learn about new parenting strategies. Long term programs also provide participants with opportunities to practice and implement these strategies while receiving ongoing group support.
Nurturing Program Description:
The Nurturing Program offers various versions of the curriculum in which implementation guidelines can range from 15 to 24 sessions. This program focuses on increasing and strengthening positive family interactions in an atmosphere of fun and support. The philosophy of the program is that self-nurturance promotes nurturing parent-child relationships. For more information, please contact the Family Nurturing Center of Massachusetts at (617) 474-1143 or visit the website at http://www.familynurturing.org
Parenting Journey Description:
The Parenting Journey is a 12-week, curriculum-based, and evidence-informed parent development program focused on strengths developed by The Family Center of Somerville, MA. It is designed to increase parental resilience, awareness of factors (past and present) that influence parenting styles and, ultimately, improve parenting practices. For more information please call (617) 628-8815, or visit the website at http://www.thefamilycenterinc.org
All applicants must meet the five goals based on the Strengthening Families Protective Factors framework:
- Increase parents’ knowledge of parenting skills
- Increase parents’ knowledge of age appropriate child development
- Increase parents’ use of learned parenting skills
- Increase social connections between parents
- Increase parents’ knowledge of community services and resources”
Excerpted from Children’s Trust Bid Information document.