CICC's Effective Black Parenting

Kerby T. Alvy, Ph.D., Executive Director
Center for the Improvement of Child Caring
11331 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 103
Studio City, CA 91604-3147

(818) 980-0903 or (800) 325-2422   Fax: (818) 753-1054
cicc@flash.net
www.ciccparenting.org

Effective Black Parenting (EBPP), a cognitive-behavioral program, was created to meet the specific needs of African-American parents. It seeks to foster effective family communication, healthy African-American identity, extended family values, child growth and development, and healthy self-esteem. In addition, it facilitates efforts to combat child abuse, substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, gang violence, learning disorders, behavior problems, and emotional disturbances. The program is grounded in basic parenting strategies and information appropriate for all socio-economic status levels but especially for parents of children aged 2-12 years old. The program is taught in two formats: as a class with 15 three-hour training sessions that emphasize role playing and home behavior change projects, and a one-day seminar version for very large groups of parents. Black educators and mental health professionals teach a series of basic child management skills using African proverbs, African American linguistic forms and emphasizing African American achievement and competence. In addition, the interactive groups address: Respectful and Rule-Breaking Behaviors; Traditional and Modern Discipline; Black Pride; Black Self-disparagement; Coping with Racism; African Origin Family Values; Preventing Drug Use; and Single Parenting.

The 15-session EBPP was field tested on two cohorts of inner-city African-American parents and their first- and second-grade children. Pre-post changes were compared in a quasi-experimental design with 109 treatment and 64 control families. Findings showed significant decrease in parental rejection, increase in the quality of family relationships, and in child behavior outcomes. A 1-year follow-up indicated that the reductions in parental rejection and in selected child behavior problems were maintained. Both the 15-session and one-day seminar versions have been well-received in African American communities nationwide, as 2000 instructors have already been trained and are using them in schools, agencies, churches, mosques and Urban League affiliates.

Implementation Costs:

The delivery of the program requires only one instructor who needs to have the complete Instructors Kit of materials in order to run the 15 session program and the one-day seminar version. The Kit includes a fully-scripted instructional manual, instructional transparencies, recruitment materials including an audiocassette and workbook on recruiting parents and maintaining attendance, graduation certificates, a book on the program's development and evaluation, and one copy of the Parent's Handbook. The entire kit costs $413.00. All parents who enroll in the program need their own handbook that costs $19.00 each. (To run the one-day seminar version of the program, the Kit materials need to be supplemented by a $33.00 seminar leader's guide and $11.00 per person parent guides). The kits can be purchased separately but they are included in the enrollment fees for the instructor training workshops for each program.

Training Costs:

Standard five-day intensive instructor training workshops are scheduled each year in a variety of cities, and workshops can be arranged (call CICC's toll free number, 800-325-2422, to locate current workshops or to arrange a workshop in your own community). Each workshop is led by an African American trainer-of-instructors (psychologists and educators). The workshops are highly experiential with participants having the opportunity to practice teaching sections of the curriculum and getting feedback from the trainer and peers. Workshop graduates receive certificates which reflect their qualifications to run the complete 15 session version of the program and the one-day seminar. The workshop enrollment fee of $925.00 per person includes the complete Instructors Kit.