ParentCorps is an evidence-based intervention that includes three intersectional components that bolster parent and teacher capacity to support children’s early learning, health, and development.
After initially relying on philanthropic funding to support its growth, ParentCorps was able to secure New York State Office of Mental Health and New York City Department of Education funding to reach all 70,000 pre-K children in NYC. The organization is currently expanding outside of New York City through Starfish Family Services, a lead agency of a Head Start collaborative in Detroit, MI, and a university-school district partnership in Corpus Christi, TX, with plans to add two or more new cities in the next two years.
Early randomized controlled trials show evidence of ParentCorps’ positive impact on children’s academic achievement, social-emotional development, and mental and physical health. Additionally, 98% of parents reported at-home behavior change after participating in ParentsCorps.
ParentCorps also addresses a market gap in interventions that target and connect both school and home settings, important spheres of influence for young children. The organization partners with early education systems to deliver ParentCorps as an enhancement to pre-K in historically disinvested neighborhoods, aspiring to center racial equity and family voice throughout all aspects of intervention and evaluation and begin to address inequities in children’s school experiences.
Overdeck Family Foundation supports ParentCorps’ growth plans through a multiyear grant. Other funders include Bezos Family Foundation, Arrow Impact, and the NYC Department of Education.