Competencies of a parent educator: what does a parent educator need to know and do?

This article examines efforts by organizations and states to describe the competencies of a parent educator, to explain what parent educators teach parents through parent education, and to show how that informs parent educator competencies. It summarizes examples of certification, licensure, and other accountability programs, and identifies the issues involved, along with ways practitioners can use these identified competencies to assess their level of competency. Finally, the article concludes with a call to continue developing certification and other accountability programs to insure quality in parent education. Ten years ago, Nick Carter (1996) wrote a report on the status of parent education in the United States in see How We Grow, where he states, "Probably the most critical issue facing the development of parent education is that of how practitioners are trained, supervised, and supported in their work with parents" (p. 38). He points out that the demands on practitioners are enormous and include the expectation to work across cultures, disciplines, and systems; master a growing and diverse body of knowledge; be adept at the processes and methods that truly strengthen families; and produce dramatic results in shorts periods of time with ever-decreasing dollars. A decade later, these demands have only increased with the complex circumstances of parents and families and the implications they have for the competencies needed in a parent educator. Preparation for development of these competencies has most typically come in the form of inservice rather than preservice education for the broad array of practitioners who call themselves parent educators and are involved in providing parent education. These individuals may be social workers, psychologists, teachers, health providers, childcare providers, paraprofessionals, or volunteer parents, with training or education that ranges from a weekend workshop in a specific curriculum to a doctorate degree in parent and family education or a related field. The diversity of backgrounds of parent educators creates controversy about the degree and level of preparation needed and the nature of a parent educator's roles as an expert, facilitator, and collaborator with parents. This controversy complicates identification of what a parent educator should know and be able to do. Before clarifying what a parent educator should know and be able to do, there is a need to identify what parents should know and be able to do to raise healthy, responsible children. As will be evident in this article, a consensus is growing in regard to both. Once parent education competencies are articulated and agreement upon them increases, requiring certification or licensure can become one way to ensure that parent educators are well prepared and competent in their interactions with parents. The controversy over whether or not parent and family educators should be certified or licensed has been a subject of discussion among practitioners for more than two decades. Discussion of recognizing parent education and the role of the parent educator through certification or other means has been a part of the activities of a number of national organizations, including the National Parenting Education Network (NPEN). Family Support America (FSA) has entertained discussions about the competencies needed for a parent educator as part of their family support movement. The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) has a certification program in which the certified professional is called a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE). This certification requires knowledge in 10 areas, most, if not all, of which are considered relevant to parent education. * In any of these discussions of possible certification or other standards for practice, the recognized first step is to identify the competencies needed to be an effective parent educator. Some type of certification, formal expectations, or standards for parent educators would not only lead to agreement about the competencies needed by a parent educator, but also give national attention to the fact that parent education is professional work. …