There are many parent programs, and they do not do the same job. Information transfer, advocacy training, child-behavior change, the parent's own reflection — different purpose layers mean different outcomes and different reporting. Before you sign, sort candidates with these nine questions.
1. Purpose layer: what does this program try to change?
Ask first what the curriculum targets: the parent's knowledge, their skills, the child's behavior, or the parent's own beliefs and story. If the target overlaps a program you already run, that is budget duplication; if it fills an empty layer, it completes the portfolio.
- Information and navigation (e.g., rights education)
- Advocacy capacity
- Child-behavior programs (e.g., parent training)
- Parent reflection — the layer most portfolios leave empty
2. Evidence: what is validated, and what is not
Ask what 'research-based' actually contains. A vendor should distinguish between efficacy trials of the curriculum itself and the underlying theory or population research. A vendor who cannot make that distinction — or who inflates it — is a screening signal.
A young program without efficacy data can still be trustworthy if it says so up front and shows a measurement plan.
3. Facilitators: who runs it, with what qualifications
'Any staff member with the manual' is a warning sign for emotionally sensitive material. The opposite — a program that only works when its creator flies in — has no sustainability.
The good answer sits between: stated facilitator requirements, plus a training pathway your own staff can complete, plus documented safety and referral procedures.
4. Contract: who carries the risk?
Practical items to confirm:
- Delivery guarantee — what happens if materials are late (is there a refund clause?)
- Support scope — who answers questions after launch, and within how many days
- Reporting output — does it produce participation and self-report numbers for funder reports?
- Use rights — workbook copying, editing, redistribution boundaries
- Renewal — is year-two pricing stated in writing?
Frequently asked question
Should we screen out programs without efficacy trials?
Not automatically. Screen out programs that hide the absence; consider ones that disclose it first and offer a measurement plan plus risk-sharing such as a refund guarantee.