Since 2004, the UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI’S FAMILIES FIRST PROGRAM, funded by The Children’s Trust, has successfully provided evidence-based, relationship-focused, culturally competent, family strengthening parenting services for parents and caregivers with young children (birth to age 3) throughout Miami-Dade County. They began providing the Incredible Years® Toddler Parenting curriculum in 2017 and the Incredible Years Parents and Babies program in 2023.
Families First service goals include improving the system of care and building resources for parents, strengthening families and promoting optimal child health and development, ensuring the delivery of high-quality standardized parenting activities, ensuring that activities are culturally competent and sensitive, and enhancing parent and community involvement to optimize parent resources. Project activities are based on best-practice concepts from child development theory and research that supports the importance of promoting positive parent-child relationships to facilitate optimal child development.
Over this time, Families First has continued to grow and has shown exceptional outcomes while maintaining high fidelity to the Incredible Years® model. Families First now reaches more than 350 families annually across 20+ community sites in Miami-Dade County, offering groups in English and Spanish. Over 90% of caregivers report increased parenting confidence and improved child behavior, and engagement and completion rates remain consistently high.
Program Prevention and Intervention Activities
FAMILIES FIRST partners with over 20 community organizations, childcare facilities, and health care sites to implement and evaluate evidence-based, culturally competent parenting activities. Although enrollment is county-wide, many of the groups are conducted in neighborhoods that include: low-income high-risk families, teen mothers, and families of children with substance abuse issues and/or chronic health conditions. Services are offered in English and Spanish and groups are provided throughout the day to accommodate family interests, schedules, and needs.
Incredible Years® Parenting Groups
FAMILIES FIRST offers FREE parenting groups for parents of children ages birth through 3 years throughout Miami-Dade County in both English and Spanish. Families First currently offers the Incredible Years® Baby Parenting Program for parents of babies ages birth to 6 months, and the Incredible Years Toddler Parenting Program. Groups have broad enrollment outreach and are offered in community-based and childcare settings.
To learn more about the Families First team and their work with families in the community, watch Families First’s YouTube video featuring parents and program staff discussing their experiences with The Incredible Years® Parents and Babies program:
