Nearly one-third of all children in foster care are age 5 or younger. It is critical that we find effective strategies to address the high number of placements among young children.

One promising approach is through parenting education programs, which are designed to improve the parents’ ability to raise their children safely, responsively, and consistently.

While parenting education has been the most commonly used prevention practice in child welfare, there are few evidence-based programs for this population.

In an effort to increase the volume of evidence, Research Services has conducted recent evaluations of three parenting education interventions for child welfare-involved families: Nurturing Parenting Program, SafeCare, and the Incredible Years. By documenting the effectiveness of these programs, these evaluations aim to encourage sustainability and replication.