Over the past 30 years, millions of agencies and individuals worldwide have participated in the Nurturing Parenting Program (NPP) initiative. Under this initiative, multiple authors have developed various parenting curricula.

In 2015, Sonya Thorn, principal author of Nurturing Families™ 2nd Edition, and Dr. Stephen Bavolek, principal author of the Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI), jointly authored Nurturing Program for Families with Children 5–19 (commonly referred to as Nurturing Families 1st Edition). The focus of this edition was to update older curricula serving families from birth through age 19.

Pilot sites included state child welfare and mental health departments in multiple states. Participants who completed the program demonstrated improvements in overall functioning and parenting effectiveness.

Since then, Nurturing Families™ 2nd Edition has continued to evolve and now includes more trauma-informed lessons, stronger structure, increased cultural responsiveness, and expanded post-training fidelity support. Sonya Thorn is no longer affiliated with Family Development Resources (FDR), which is a marketing and publishing company under the NPP initiative. As the principal author, Sonya Thorn is the sole distributor of Nurturing Families™ training and materials through the Nurturing Families Center.

See how Nurturing Families Curriculum has evolved over the years

Thank you for asking. I enjoy answering this question. I was previously in direct partnership with Dr. Stephen Bavolek/Family Development Resources for almost 30 years. I will continue to be part of the Nurturing Parenting Program initiative and update the curriculum as needed to meet the needs of today’s families. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and have always wanted to do more to support families and empower them in their role as parents. After being trained and licensed in various family therapies and Family/Parenting Education programs, I came across Dr. Stephen Bavolek’s (Dr. B.) research early in my career. I first became a Facilitator in 1992. Over the years, many have been inspired by Dr. B’s research.

Dr. B gave every trainer a strong message to take his program to all corners of the world. He encouraged many to modify, update, reproduce, and create updated work. For this reason, in 2012 and through a joint venture, Dr. Bavolek and I authored the Nurturing Families 5-19, 1st edition, which was first sold in five states. While restructuring my company during the era of two significant pandemics (COVID-19 and Racism), I updated our joint work to meet better the needs of today’s families and facilitators, who are now working virtually. I have now developed Nurturing Families 2nd Edition in both English and Spanish (Criando Familias), which can be implemented on various platforms for parents of children of all ages.

Both types of trainers are under the world-wide Nurturing Parenting Program initiative. To be a Nurturing Families™ Certified Trainer, you must go through an 18-hour Facilitator Training, implement Nurturing Families™ for at least 2 years, and then go through a Training of Trainers (TOT) exclusively provided through the Nurturing Families Center™.

A Nurturing Families™ certification is a stronger testament to the continuing education of licensed professionals, family partners, youth workers, parent educators, and adult/family peer support providers. Stay updated, do the hard work, and you should have a certification to recognize that.

Nurturing Families™ 2nd Edition includes everything in the 1st edition Nurturing Families 5-19, co-authored by Dr. Stephen Bavolek and Sonya Thorn, plus updated materials for families with children of all ages.

Nurturing Families™ Trainers are certified through the Nurturing Families Center™ and can implement sessions based on the most up-to-date Nurturing Families 2nd Edition™.

Family Development Resources (Nurturing Parenting Programs) facilitators and trainers receive recognition for attending a 3-day training (Attendance Certificate, not a Certification). Certifications can only be issued by curriculum developers/authors, universities, and community colleges.

To implement the Nurturing Families 2nd Edition™ with fidelity, you will need to purchase two manuals.

First is the Facilitator Implementation Manual, priced at $175.00. The cost and access to the manual are now included (as of 2021) in your 18-hour Facilitator Certification training.

Second, you or your agency will need to purchase an annual license for the Family Workbook, which was previously known as the Parent Handbook. The Family workbook ranges from $175.00-$750.00 per year, depending on agency size. All implementation materials are in electronic document format, which you will access instantly through an email notification.

The core content includes everything from the 1st Edition NPP-Nurturing Families 5-19, authored by Dr. Bavolek and Sonya Thorn. The Nurturing Families 2nd Edition has been updated to meet the current societal needs of families, and is now delivered virtually, featuring more up-to-date content on mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence. The curriculum was also created through a trauma-informed lens.

No, it is not necessary, but it is always the consumer’s choice.

We have received so much feedback from agencies and providers that the AAPI is outdated, and the Spanish is more obsolete than the English. Like anything else developed in the 80s and updated in the 90s, to be effective, the questions must undergo the rigor of research or updates. Otherwise, after many years, families will outgrow the inventory. This is precisely what has happened with the AAPI. This once-amazing instrument, which most of us value, must undergo significant updates and rigorous research to maintain its effectiveness. The changes from 2.1 to 2.5 are primarily demographic changes related to gender, rather than updates to the questions that require changes.

We have updated our Nurturing Families™ Facilitator Trainings to provide the necessary tools for collecting data directly from constituent families and to teach facilitators how to monitor ongoing progress.

We would also like to inform you that Sonya Thorn has developed pre- and post-assessments for the Nurturing Families 2nd Edition™ program. The beauty of families is that they, like society, are constantly changing. We must not be stagnant!

By far, the Certified Nurturing Families Facilitator Training, fidelity Implementation Booster, TOT (Training of Trainers), and trauma-informed practice are the most popular trainings.

Absolutely! Nurturing Families 2nd Edition has been developed to work with diverse families in group settings, home visitation, clinic-based settings, and/or through an online platform. The best part about it is that you only need two implementation manuals!

Our curriculum has been updated to reflect all necessary changes, including content, purchasing information, and training and support for our certified facilitators and trainers.

The hardest part is not being able to nurture attendees in the same way as we usually do. However, the training and implementation of Nurturing Families remains highly practical, even through a virtual platform. We are now being asked to be creative in a different way. Exercising creativity is essential when working on this project.

Most importantly, maintain your affiliation with our Center by regularly visiting our website. Visit our current events page periodically and attend the virtual annual recertification & fidelity conference, held every November (second week of November). After two years in excellent standing and becoming well-versed in implementing Nurturing Families™ directly to families, I invite you to sign up to attend a Training of Trainers (TOT). After meeting all the requirements, you can become a certified organizational/agency trainer.

Nurturing Families Center certifies facilitators and trainers, enabling us to continue serving and addressing the ongoing implementation needs of frontline providers and leadership. We do not charge you for added support. We only charge for added service. This means that you can contact us whenever you need us, and we will support you throughout this journey, enabling you to continue serving families with quality services. You can always contact us with questions or comments. We also provide facilitator coach sessions, fidelity audits, and consultation services as added services.

NEEDS UPDATED CONTENT: Yes, you can find all updates on our “Current Events” page. We will also provide updates annually at the recertification conference. Remember, you can always contact us or leave a question on the form above.

To keep your certification current, attend the annual recertification and fidelity virtual conference, held every November (typically the 2nd week of November).  The other requirement is to implement the curriculum as much as possible to stay well-versed in the content.

Before you can train others at your designated agency, you must first be a Certified Facilitator for two years. During these two years as a facilitator, you must be implementing the curriculum with fidelity directly with families. You will then attend a Training of Trainers (TOT) and, after meeting all the requirements of a trainer, you will be certified as an Organizational Trainer for Nurturing Families™. This designation enables you to train facilitators within your agency on the art and skills of being a Nurturing Families Facilitator.

• All facilitators are required to attend the initial three-day Facilitator Certification Training, which includes the Facilitator Implementation Manual at a cost of $175.00. Participants receive access to this manual prior to the training.
• The three-day training equips facilitators with the knowledge and skills necessary to implement the Nurturing Families™ Intervention with fidelity. The manual is exclusively available through participation in the training and cannot be purchased separately.
• To remain active, facilitators must attend the Annual Fidelity Recertification Conference. Failure to do so requires discontinuation of the manual’s use in accordance with copyright law.

Yes. The Facilitator Manual and the Family Workbook License are billed separately. The Facilitator Manual must be purchased before the training, while the Family Workbook License is an annual recurring fee. We offer both the Facilitator Manual and the Family Workbook in English and Spanish. The Family Workbook License is also available separately for English and Spanish materials.

The Nurturing Families™ Family Workbook License is an annual licensure that allows your agency to make unlimited copies of the Family Workbook for all of the families you serve at a lower cost than individually purchasing the family workbook for each parent/family.

The Nurturing Families™ Family Workbook License is a yearly cost that is calculated based on the number of certified staff implementing Nurturing Families™ Curriculum.

All facilitators can work under one agency license. Every agency is required to purchase the license for continued usage of the English and/or Spanish Family Workbook for parents and guardians.