A ParentCorps pre-k student enjoys snack time

Model

What We Do

In the early years, structural racism denies Black and Brown children fair access to high-quality child care, early education, health care, and more, creating disparate outcomes in the critical domains of early learning and development.

The national expansion of pre-K holds promise, but if pre-K programs are not able to meaningfully engage and support low-income children and families of color, the promise to disrupt disparities will never be realized.

ParentCorps supports pre-K programs to engage parents as partners and reshape children and families' first experiences in schools, where implicit and explicit messaging often conveys the “problem” lies with Black and Brown children and families, rather than in racist, structural roots. ParentCorps' components work to bolster parent and teacher capacity to support children’s early learning and development in the face of adversity, including poverty, racism, discrimination, and immigration-related stress.

“I feel very powerful to engage
and encourage my parents.”

Teacher, Detroit

ParentCorps
is available in
English

ParentCorps disponible en Español

ParentCorps
提供中文服务

Professional Development

Group-based experiential training and one-on-one coaching for pre-K school staff

Professional Development is designed to ensure school staff have the knowledge and skills to scaffold children’s social-emotional learning and support effective family engagement. By engaging in authentic dialogue -- examining their beliefs, reflecting on the challenges families face, and learning the science of early childhood development -- school staff are better equipped to use evidence-based practices in responsive interactions with children & families.

Pre-k families connect with eachother in ParentCorps' Parening Program

Parenting Program

Group-based program for all families as part of the pre-K experience

Parenting Program is designed to help families support children’s social-emotional learning and school success. In a culturally relevant and affirming learning environment, parents connect, share their experiences, and explore evidence-based parenting practices they may choose to incorporate at home, in alignment with their values and beliefs.

Friends School

Classroom-based social-emotional learning program for pre-K children

Friends School is designed based on evidence that social-emotional learning is foundational for children’s health and well-being. Children learn to communicate their thoughts and feelings, develop a positive sense of self (with a focus on racial and cultural identities and family pride), build healthy relationships, and have fun!

“I feel very powerful to engage and encourage my parents.”

ParentCorps Teacher

“This is the first training I’ve attended ever in life that empowered me as a teacher, and as a woman."

ParentCorps Teacher

Theory of Change

Learn more about our evidence base