A Parent Education Project for Low-Income Families

The impact of the Midland Parent Education Project on a low-income population with preschool children was assessed. The program consisted of a five-session structured multimodal group program supplemented by two home visits and a concurrent nursery program. Financial incentives were provided for attendance. A nonequivalent control group design was used, with a pretest, post-test, and extended posttest for the experimental group and a pretest and extended posttest for the control group. There were gains in the experimental group's parenting skills level (both absolutely, and relative to the control group) during the training period and on follow-up. The children's social competency increased during the training period for the experimental (but not the control) group, and continued to increase for 6 months following the training event when age effects were considered. Children's social competency scores were correlated with parents' scores on specific parenting skills.