Partners in Parenting Education (PIPE)

Parents/caregivers of children from birth through three years of age

PIPE is designed to increase the emotional availability and relationship building skills of parents/caregivers with young children. PIPE is an interactive and relationship based curriculum. PIPE uses a four step instructional process:

• Information is shared.
• The parenting educator models a parenting skill.
• The parent practices the skill while playing or doing a care giving routine with their child.
• There is time for reflection and feedback.

PIPE encourages positive emotional experiences between parent and child as well as parent and parenting educator. A basic premise of the PIPE model is that the parent is the most consistent and pervasive force shaping the life of the child.

New babies are often motivators for change and parenting education has the most impact when it starts early. The parenting education partnership that is used in PIPE involves focusing the parent on the child’s needs and emotional communications. Supervised parent-child activities allow the child to teach, which validates and empowers the parent.

Christina Leon, RN, BSN

• Title: Director of Education
• Agency/Affiliation: How to Read Your Baby
• Website: http://www.HowToReadYourBaby.org
• Email: Cleon@howtoreadyourbaby.org
• Phone: (303) 655-9900

The goal of Partners in Parenting Education (PIPE) is:

• Provide a framework for parents to become aware of the concepts of emotional development and attachment and to integrate them into their parenting practice

The essential components of Partners in Parenting Education (PIPE) include:

• Teaching emotional availability concepts using concrete and interactive instructional strategies
• Demonstrating the parent-child activity using a doll or stuffed animal before having the parent practice an activity with their child
• Providing time for the parent and child to interact using simple games or care giving routines while the parenting educator observes
• Providing time for parent reflection and educator feedback:
• Focus on baby – let the baby teach
• Stress what is working
• Be curious about what is not working
• Being creative and flexible and have fun
• Being a group parent training curriculum with a recommended group size of up to 12 parents per facilitator

Parent/Caregiver Services

Partners in Parenting Education (PIPE) directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:

• A parent's potential inability to be in sync with their child and develop a healthy attachment

Recommended Intensity

This decision is left to the individual organization's needs. Depending on settings, group or individual sessions can vary in length from one hour up to two and a half hours in length. Group or individual sessions can vary in frequency as well from twice a week to once a month.

Recommended Duration

This is determined by the organizations using the curriculum. Programs have incorporated the curriculum into interventions lasting from three months up to three years.

Delivery Settings

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Birth Family Home
• Community-based Agency / Organization / Provider
• Group or Residential Care
• Hospital
• Outpatient Clinic
• School Setting (Including: Day Care, Day Treatment Programs, etc.)

Homework

This program does include a homework component.

PIPE flexibility allows for there to be homework if desired. Within the curriculum there are several activities that can be assigned as homework.

Languages

Partners in Parenting Education (PIPE) has materials available in the following languages other than English:

• French
• Spanish

For information on which materials are available in this language, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed in this page).

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

The parenting educator, the curriculum, a doll or stuffed animal for demonstrations, a copier for coping parent handouts and activity cards. If PIPE is done in a group setting, space will be needed for up to 12 parents and children to play together. Depending on which topics a parenting educator will be using, there will be a need for additional supplies such as arts and crafts materials and/or toys for children ages birth to 3 years.

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

Individual programs determine their service provider's qualifications. Paraprofessionals with an AA degree up to PhDs have all used the curriculum.

Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Training Contact

Training Type/Location:

Training is provided onsite for an organization or individuals can attend any of the open trainings. An E-training format is also available.

Number of days/hours:

The PIPE basic training is two days. Follow-up one-day training is available to enhance a user's PIPE skills. Consultation regarding implementation of the curriculum into a program is available upon request.

• There are currently no published, peer-reviewed research studies on outcomes with the appropriate target population for the topic area(s) in which Partners in Parenting Education has been reviewed.

• Appleyard, K., & Berlin, L. J. (2007). Supporting healthy relationships between young children and their parents: Lessons from attachment theory and research. Center For Child and Family Policy: Duke University.
  

• Hepburn, K. (2004). Families as primary partners in their child's development & school readiness (pp 45 – 48).
  

• Robinson, J., Emde, R., & Korfmacher, J. (1997). Integrating an emotional regulation perspective in a program of prenatal and early childhood home visitation. Journal of Community Psychology, 25(1), 59-75.