A recent paper examines how a parenting program’s tiered approach might influence program attendance. Based in two urban hospitals, 201 mothers of infants attended the
universal, prevention-focused intervention, with a subset of 90 higher-risk mothers eligible for a more intensive targeted intervention. Mothers with low educational
attainment and parenting efficacy were more likely to attend. The authors found that even after accounting for child and caregiver characteristics, frequency of attending the
universal program predicted attendance in the targeted program. In turn, attending thw targeted program was linked to continued engagement in the universal elements. The
authors suggest tiered approaches may strengthen attendance by tailoring services across levels of family need, creating consistency in staff and programming approaches,
and reducing stigma within the group.
