Cultural Competence of Parenting Education Programs Used by Latino Families

Abstract

The cultural competence of 13 parenting education programs for Latino families with young children was examined in this study. Based on our analyses, we make several recommendations for improving the cultural competence and effectiveness of parenting education programs for Latino families with young children. Specifically, we recommend the following based on this review: (1) consider the importance of context for cultural competence; (2) recognize that cultural competence is a process that evolves over time; (3) connect with local Latino communities and stakeholders as it is imperative to program cultural competence; (4) ensure that the diverse voices of constituents, including Latinos, are heard throughout all phases of development, implementation, and evaluation of parenting programs for Latino families; (5) go beyond translation of materials and consider cultural values, beliefs, and experiences to move toward cultural competence; and, (6) offer ongoing training and mentoring to program staff.