Every family brings unique strengths, experiences, and goals to a parent group. When those groups are welcoming, practical, and connected to everyday life, caregivers have opportunities to build confidence, strengthen relationships with their children, and learn alongside other families.
When a parent is working toward recovery from substance use, the healing process becomes part of everyday family life. Parenting continues, children still need connection and consistency, and caregivers often need support rebuilding trust, strengthening relationships, and creating a more stable home environment.
Families bring different strengths, challenges, and lived experiences into every interaction. That’s why Growing Great Families® Next Generation (GGF) was created—to help professionals support families with confidence, care, and consistency.
Pregnancy is often treated as a time of preparation. Families prepare for appointments, supplies, schedules, and the baby’s arrival. But it is also a powerful time to begin building something even more foundational: connection. Before a baby is...
Preschoolers are full of movement, questions, imagination, opinions, and big feelings. One minute they are pretending a cardboard box is a rocket ship. The next, they are explaining why bedtime should absolutely not apply to them. In every moment, they are learning — about themselves, their relationships, and the world around them.
Pregnancy is often treated as a time of preparation. Families prepare for appointments, supplies, schedules, and the baby’s arrival. But it is also a powerful time to begin building something even more foundational: connection. Before a baby is...
Preschoolers are full of movement, questions, imagination, opinions, and big feelings. One minute they are pretending a cardboard box is a rocket ship. The next, they are explaining why bedtime should absolutely not apply to them. In every moment, they are learning — about themselves, their relationships, and the world around them.
From Implementation to Impact: Growing Great Kids® Prenatal to 36 Months The first three years of a child's life are a time of extraordinary growth. During this period, a child's brain develops rapidly, laying the foundation for lifelong learning, health, and...
Family support work rarely follows a perfect plan. A visit may be shorter than expected. A supervisor may need to step in and do a visit due to staffing changes. A caregiver may bring up a concern that changes the direction of the...
When a crisis happens, the first priority is always physical safety. Adults move quickly to respond, protect, and stabilize the immediate situation. But after the danger has passed, children may still be carrying the emotional impact of what happened. They may feel...
Recovery is About the Caregiver—But Children are Living it, Too When we talk about recovery, we often focus on the adult—the work they’re doing, the strength it takes, the life they’re rebuilding. That focus makes sense. But there’s another part of the story—one...
Why Empowered Parenting Works Across Sectors The Challenge: Caregiver Stress Impacts Every System Across education, workforce, healthcare, and community services, organizations are facing the same challenge: caregiver stress is rising—and it’s affecting outcomes...
Life has a talent for crowding out the very people we love the most. Work emails, school drop-offs, broken washing machines, dinner plans—each small obligation chips away at the mental space we imagined saving for story time, game night, unhurried breakfasts, or patient pep talks.
About the Author Nancy Joerger is a Product Development Specialist. Prior to joining Great Kids®, she worked as the Assistant Program Manager of the Early Head Start Program in Madison County. She lives in Hamilton, NY, with her husband and two daughters. She...
For years, our partners have told us the same thing: “We need Great Kids Great Start back.” And now — we’re thrilled to say — it’s here.
Growing Great Kids®
Why Choose Great Kids?
Proven Success
Over 65,000 people have been trained to use the Great Kids curricula
Build Protective Factors
Research-informed constructs reinforce the Protective Factors Framework
Alignment with Head Start
Growing Great Kids exceeds all Head Start curriculum requirements
Evidenced Based Research
As evidenced by seven independent evaluations, the GGK Curriculum produces outstanding results
Specialized Training Programs
On-site and virtual training options available
Healthy Families America
The Growing Great Kids curriculum aligns with and builds upon the HFA model approach