CPP Materials and Services

How the Chicago Parent Program works

The Chicago Parent Program is a 12-session group-based parenting program designed to strengthen parenting skills and communication and improve young children’s behavior. The weekly 2-hour Chicago Parent Program sessions are delivered by trained group leaders guided by The Chicago Parent Program Group Leader Manual (3rd edition). Parents learn during highly interactive group sessions using video examples of parents managing common but often challenging parenting situations at home and in public, group discussion and problem-solving, role play, and practice activities.

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.

For information about Chicago Parent Program Group Leader Workshops at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.