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An Evidence-Based Program

The Chicago Parent Program has been rigorously tested and shown to strengthen parenting and reduce behavior problems in young children. Learn more about the research supporting the Chicago Parent Program's efficacy. Read More
Developed with Parent Participation

Developed with and for parents from diverse backgrounds, The Chicago Parent Program is respectful to parents’ ideas and values. See what parents are saying about the program! Read More
Group Leader Training

The Chicago Parent Program is a group-based parenting program led by trained facilitators. Are you interested in becoming a Chicago Parent Program group leader? Read More
Chicago Parent Program Materials

The Chicago Parent Program is delivered by trained group leaders guided by The Chicago Parent Program Group Leader Manual (3rd edition), using a combination of video scenes and group discussion. Learn more about purchasing Chicago Parent Program materials and services. Read More

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Testimonials

I really enjoyed this program. The group leaders were great instructing this program by examples and having fun with it. The whole group was a fun group and I’m really going to miss this group.

— Parent

I have to put myself in a four year old mind. That is something I also learned – your child is still a child regardless of what the situation is and you have to sometimes bring yourself down to that level. Try to understand. So, at first he was an angry person and wake up with an attitude. But everything I’ve learned in these classes has changed him. He’s opening up to me more, he’s communicating, he’s happier. It’s really overwhelming because at first I didn’t think it was really going to have as much of an effect as it has, but it really helped.

— Parent

Parents have evaluated both the content and format of the program very favorably. They find the strategies taught in the program really helpful as they encounter new parenting challenges with each development change in their child.

— Sharon Tucker, PhD, RN - Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Being a CPP group leader means the world to me. I feel like I’m really making a difference in the lives of parents and children. I would have been a part of this team without compensation… Being a group leader has been a tremendous help on my job, as I am the parent coordinator and [it] aided me in school when I was taking a group process class. This experience has truly enhanced my knowledge base. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have worked with these families. This program alone won’t change anyone. We give them the tools for change and it’s left up to them to make the choice for change.

— Susan Macon, Parent Coordinator, Chicago, IL

Before [my son] was very aggressive, with everybody and with me… Like he would throw all the toys, make a big mess. You know he wasn’t respecting me… now he’s working and everything…he tells me he loves me a lot… and he’s sleeping by himself…And the teachers say he’s doing better.

— Parent

When [parents] saw the vignettes, they said ‘Hey, that happens to my kid all the time!’ They sensed that they weren’t alone in their problems and that’s how they got comfortable.

— Chicago Parent Program Co-Facilitator

More programs like this would be really great. Not just for me, but the other moms said it too. It really helped out a lot.

— Parent

I snuck into the group a couple of times and it was such a warm and rich environment and I said I hope it stays like that….It was beautiful.

— Head Start Site Director

As parents, as mothers, as partners we all need tools to put in our pocket…This [class] is a tool kit I keep in my pocket, this is a tool kit I’ll use for the rest of my life . It’s like a survival kit you can use for raising your kids, raising your kid’s kids or anybody’s kids. You just have that to rely on, to sit back take a deep breath and tackle this [behavior] this way…Take it [the class] for all its wisdom, its knowledge, tell more mom’s about it cause this is something you can use for the rest of your life and I’ll see you later on as Super Parents!

- Parent

The CPP has been an extremely useful adjunct to my work with preschoolers and their families. It is very user-friendly, well received by parents and caregivers, and it gets great results!

— Joyce Harrison, MD, child psychiatrist, Kennedy-Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Oh, I love [the program]… I don’t get like frustrated anymore. Before I used to scream a lot. And then when I start taking the program, [my husband] noticed that I was like changing the way I am. It helped him a lot too.

— Parent

The vignettes are very well designed and, most importantly, speak directly to parents. Our PACE group participants always comment on them positively. I believe that this is because they identify with the parents they see and with the situations they and their children depict. No fuss or talking to parents in a moralizing fashion – just common parenting situations that all parents of young children invariably face.

— Professor Jean E. Dumas - University of Geneva

About Us

The Chicago Parent Program was developed in 2002 by three nurses, Deborah Gross, Christine Garvey, and Wrenetha Julion who care deeply about young children and their families. In 2009, Susan Breitenstein and in 2014, Amie Bettencourt, who share our passion for supporting families with young children joined the CPP team. Dr. Gross is currently the Leonard and Helen Stulman Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and School of Medicine (Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences) in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Julion is a Professor at Rush University College of Nursing, Dr. Breitenstein is a Professor at The Ohio State University College of Nursing in Columbus, OH and Dr. Bettencourt is an Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, School of Nursing and School of Public Health. Dr. Garvey recently retired and continues to be actively involved on the Chicago Parent Program team.

The work of the Chicago Parent Program has been generously supported by the National Institute for Nursing Research, the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, Rush University Medical Center, the Leonard and Helen Stulman Foundation, the Chicago Department of Children and Youth Services, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Abell Foundation, the Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation, and the Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund.

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For information about Chicago Parent Program Group Leader Workshops at your site or at Rush University in Chicago, IL, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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An Evidence-Based Program

Developed with Parent Participation

Group Leader Training

Chicago Parent Program Materials

Testimonials

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