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Prevention Science
Published in: Prevention Science 7/2021

Open Access 01-10-2021

Behavioral Economics and Parent Participation in an Evidence-Based Parenting Program at Scale

Authors: Zoelene Hill, Michelle Spiegel, Lisa Gennetian, Kai-Ama Hamer, Laurie Brotman, Spring Dawson-McClure

Published in: Prevention Science | Issue 7/2021

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Abstract

Evidence-based and culturally relevant parenting programs strengthen adults’ capacity to support children’s health and development. Optimizing parent participation in programs implemented at scale is a prevailing challenge. Our collaborative team of program developers, implementers, and researchers applied insights from the field of behavioral economics (BE) to support parent participation in ParentCorps—a family-centered program delivered as an enhancement to pre-kindergarten—as it scaled in a large urban school district. We designed a bundle of BE-infused parent outreach materials and successfully showed their feasibility in site-level randomized pilot implementation. The site-level study did not show a statistically significant impact on family attendance. A sub-study with a family-level randomization design showed that varying the delivery time of BE-infused digital outreach significantly increased the likelihood of families attending the parenting program. Lessons on the potential value of a BE-infused approach to support outreach and engagement in parenting programs are discussed in the context of scaling up efforts.
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Metadata
Title
Behavioral Economics and Parent Participation in an Evidence-Based Parenting Program at Scale
Authors
Zoelene Hill
Michelle Spiegel
Lisa Gennetian
Kai-Ama Hamer
Laurie Brotman
Spring Dawson-McClure
Publication date
01-10-2021
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Prevention Science / Issue 7/2021
Print ISSN: 1389-4986
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6695
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01249-0

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