It Takes a Hui: Evaluating Outcomes of Family Hui, a Peer-led Parenting Program

Abstract

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), potentially traumatic life events that may occur during childhood (i.e., abuse, neglect, and household challenges), affect as many as 58% of children in the United States. Evidence suggests that interventions focused on strengthening individual, family, and community level protective factors could help mitigate the negative effects of ACEs on children’s development and potentially reduce overall exposure to ACEs. While parent education programs often target ACEs prevention at the individual level (i.e., only the parents or the child), peer-to-peer support groups can go a step further to help build protective factors at the individual, family, and community levels. The current study evaluated Lead4Tomorrow’s Family Hui 12-week program, a peer-led parenting program, before and after the addition of ACEs and resilience materials. In post-participation ratings of program participants, parents who completed the Family Hui program that included ACEs and resilience materials (the Bloom curriculum; n = 235) reported overall better learning outcomes and program ratings than those who completed the program before these materials were added (the original curriculum; n = 235). Importantly, non-English speaking parents (those who were administered the Farsi or Spanish versions of the curriculum) benefited as much as, if not more, than English-speaking parents. Future research should investigate the long-term effects of the Family Hui program and the Bloom curriculum on family and community ACEs related outcomes and compare the effects of peer-led parenting programs and other ACEs prevention approaches.