Make Parenting a Pleasure®

Mental Health Does Not Currently Meet Criteria

Make Parenting a Pleasure® is a parenting program designed for parents of children ages 0–8 at risk of abuse or neglect. The program aims to help reduce the stress that families experience and to improve parents’ relationships with their children. The term “parents” may include biological parents, adoptive parents, foster parents, or other individuals who serve as a primary caregiver. The curriculum uses the Center for the Study of Social Policy’s Protective Factors Framework, which intends to reduce the potential for child abuse and neglect by increasing parental resilience, social connections, access to concrete support in times of need, knowledge of parenting and child development, and social and emotional competence of children. 

 

Parenting Educators deliver Make Parenting a Pleasure to groups of parents in 12 sessions. The group format is essential to program delivery so that parents can connect with other parents, normalize their experience, and build a support network. During the sessions, Parenting Educators use discussion, activities, and videos to teach parents key concepts such as the importance of self-care, stress and anger management, child development, communication skills, creating a responsive relationship, giving positive attention through play, and using effective discipline. After each session, parents complete a “home practice assignment” intended to help them apply the knowledge and skills from the session in their own life. 

 

An adaptation, Haga de la Familia un Placer®, is designed for Spanish-speaking families and Parenting Educators.


Make Parenting a Pleasure does not currently meet criteria to receive a rating because no studies met eligibility criteria for review.


Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed: Mar 2024


Sources

The following sources informed the program or service description, target population, and program or service delivery and implementation information: the program or service manual, the program or service developer’s website, and the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare.


This information does not necessarily represent the views of the program or service developers. For more information on how this program or service was reviewed, visit the Review Process page or download the Handbook.

Target Population

Make Parenting a Pleasure is designed for parents of children ages 0–8 at risk of abuse or neglect. The term “parents” may include biological parents, adoptive parents, foster parents, or other individuals who serve as a primary caregiver.

Dosage

Parenting Educators deliver Make Parenting a Pleasure to groups of 10–15 parents in 12 weekly 120-minute sessions. 

Location/Delivery Setting
Recommended Locations/Delivery Settings

Parenting Educators deliver Make Parenting a Pleasure in community and school settings.

Education, Certifications and Training

The Make Parenting a Pleasure program does not have educational or training requirements for Parenting Educators but prefers previous experience providing parenting education or a bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work, education, public health, psychology, or a related field. The Make Parenting a Pleasure program also offers an optional virtual training on the program which includes two 2-hour sessions per day for 3 days. During the training, Parenting Educators learn about the curriculum, observe a sample session, practice portions of the curriculum, and discuss how to implement the curriculum. 

Program or Service Documentation
Book/Manual/Available documentation used for review

The following two resources can be used to implement Make Parenting a Pleasure:

Finlay, L. (2018). Make Parenting A Pleasure®, second edition. A group-based positive parenting curriculum. Parenting Now.

Finlay, L. (2023). Haga de la Familia un Placer®, segunda edición. Un plan de estudios sobre la crianza positiva basado en grupos. Parenting Now.  

Haga de la Familia un Placer was not determined to be an adaptation of Make Parenting a Pleasure that resulted in a different program or service for the purposes of the review.

Available languages

Make Parenting a Pleasure materials are available in English and Spanish.

Other supporting materials

Key Concepts and Goals of the Make Parenting A Pleasure Curriculum

Make Parenting a Pleasure Training

Make Parenting a Pleasure Sample Session

For More Information

Website: https://parentingnow.org/parenting-educators/make-parenting-a-pleasure-second-edition/

Phone: (541) 484-5316

Email: info@parentingnow.org 


Note: The details on Dosage; Location; Education, Certifications, and Training; Other Supporting Materials; and For More Information sections above are provided to website users for informational purposes only. This information is not exhaustive and may be subject to change.

Results of Search and Review Number of Studies Identified and Reviewed for Make Parenting a Pleasure®
Identified in Search 2
Eligible for Review 0
Rated High 0
Rated Moderate 0
Rated Low 0
Reviewed Only for Risk of Harm 0

Sometimes study results are reported in more than one document, or a single document reports results from multiple studies. Studies are identified below by their Prevention Services Clearinghouse study identification numbers. To receive a rating of supported or well-supported, the favorable evidence for a program or service must have been obtained from research conducted in a usual care or practice setting.




Studies Not Eligible for Review

Study 15043

Munger, K., Seeley, J., Mender, L., Schroeder S., & Gau, J. (2020). Effect of Make Parenting a Pleasure on parenting skills and parental depression. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 42(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00168890.2019.1689915

Mender, L., Seeley, J., Gau, J., Singer, M., & Schroeder S. (2019). Results from a randomized control trial of a parenting intervention for highly stressed families: Make Parenting a Pleasure. https://parentingnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/MPAP-Evaluation-Results-7-22-19.pdf

Swartz, L., Seeley, J., Gau, J., Singer, M., & Schroeder, S. (2016). Results from a randomized control trial of a parenting intervention for highly stressed families: Make Parenting a Pleasure. https://parentingnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/MPAP-Evaluation-Results3_1_2016.pdf

This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).

Study 15044

Pacifici, C. (1996). Program evaluation of Make Parenting a Pleasure. Northwest Media, Inc. https://parentingnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/MPAP-1996-Full-Eval.pdf 

This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).