First 5 Santa Cruz County: Triple P
Client:
First 5 Santa Cruz County
Project:
Triple P - Positive Parenting Program
“Nicole helped bring necessary parent education and support to our community through her work on Triple P. She was instrumental in every aspect of the project from planning to implementation and evaluation. Without Nicole, I am certain we would not have been able to launch this important countywide collaboration.”
—Susan True, former Executive Director, First 5 Santa Cruz County
The Project
In July 2009, three public agencies – First 5 Santa Cruz County, Health Services Agency (Children’s Behavioral Health) and Human Services Department (Family and Children’s Services)—formed a partnership to establish a unified approach to providing parent education and support. The partners chose to implement the Triple P - Positive Parenting Program, a comprehensive evidence-based program designed to provide information and support to an entire community while also offering tailored assistance to individual families. Triple P is backed by over 30 years of international research demonstrating its effectiveness in building parents’ confidence and competence, strengthening the quality of parent-child relationships, and increasing community support for raising children and teens.
The partners agreed to implement the full suite of Triple P services in multiple organizations and settings so that families throughout the community would have easy access to parenting information and support in English and Spanish. The complexity of implementing such a large-scale project required an experienced project manager who could facilitate a collaborative planning process, engage key partners with diverse perspectives, and build a sustainable service delivery system.
The Solution
First 5 Santa Cruz County hired Nicole Young, founder and president of Optimal Solutions Consulting, to facilitate the planning and countywide implementation of Triple P in Santa Cruz County. Over the course of 17 years, Nicole:
Developed and managed annual implementation plans and budgets;
Built relationships with individuals and organizations interested in providing Triple P services;
Coordinated the Triple P training and accreditation process for practitioners from multiple agencies;
Provided training and coaching to Triple P practitioners to ensure successful implementation;
Provided direction and oversight of the program evaluation;
Co-developed bilingual, approachable social marketing strategies and collateral to normalize parenting challenges and destigmatize help-seeking; and
Led collaborative efforts to have local elected officials and the California legislature designate January as Positive Parenting Awareness Month.
The Results
The funding partners launched Triple P in November 2009, just four months after deciding to bring the program to Santa Cruz County. By the end of January 2011, approximately 350 parents had received Triple P services from one of the 83 accredited practitioners in the 21 organizations offering Triple P services. These figures continued to increase as the Triple P system of services expanded.
Between 2010-2025, over
18,903
parents have benefitted from the Triple P program
Between 2010-2025, over
36,602
children have benefitted from the Triple P program
In a follow-up phone survey,
95%
of respondents reported they continue to use the strategies they learned
The Impact
Overall, parents who participated in Triple P services have reported:
Greater confidence in their abilities as parents;
Increased use of positive parenting practices;
Fewer problems or concerns about their children’s behavior;
Fewer conflicts with partners over parenting practices; and
Less stress, anxiety and depression.