ParentCorps is an evidence-based enhancement to Pre-K for educators, families, and students that builds the authentic home-school connection and emotionally responsive environments that are key to transformative impact in early education. ParentCorps has demonstrated long-term positive impacts on children’s reading achievement, mental health, and absenteeism. An Overdeck Family Foundation grantee since 2015, ParentCorps began as a New York City-centric model that has grown over time with aspirations of sustainable national scale.
To develop a growth strategy, ParentCorps needed to understand and communicate the true cost of its program in relation to its pricing; generate new sources of revenue to support the cost of programming in new locations; and identify ideal district partners with a clear value proposition and transparent pricing to meet emerging needs in the market.In addition to general operating support, ParentCorps received capacity-building support through Overdeck Family Foundation’s tiered model. The organization received internal coaching and advising from Foundation staff, as well as strategic technical assistance to meet high-priority needs over a two-year period.
Aligned to the challenges identified above, ParentCorps engaged in three intensive capacity-building projects from 2020 to 2023:
- A cost analysis exercise to build clarity of cost to deliver unique programs and outline a path to sustainability;
- Revenue workshops to identify new avenues for funding to offset costs and build a scalable infrastructure; and
- Market analysis to identify the right customers with the right message at the right price to position ParentCorps for sustainable growth.
As a result of these capacity-building supports in an intentional sequence, ParentCorps developed its first-ever external pricing sheet aligned to the organization’s efforts to grow its reach and diversify its revenue. The team was also able to identify a go-to-market strategy targeting states and districts with available funding for Pre-K quality and expansion with a coherent communications and marketing strategy.
Kai-ama Hamer, Director of ParentCorps said, “Through mutual trust and a solid relationship, I have felt absolutely comfortable sharing struggle points hindering our forward movement and getting the support needed. So much so, that the desire to [receive] capacity-building support has become my expectation in all my funder relationships. In this way, we’ve been able to accelerate our progress.”
ParentCorps now has the necessary infrastructure and strategy to advance towards its goal of cost-effective, sustainable scale. “We’re immediately operationalizing what we’ve learned to advance scale goals and move more quickly. We are determined to leverage every bit of this analysis, using it as a roadmap for the rest of this year.”
