Kids First Co-Parenting Program

Kids First Co-Parenting Program

The “Kids First” Co-Parenting & Parallel Parenting Program is designed to help parents reduce conflict, improve communication, and prioritize the well-being of their children through structured, evidence-based interventions. The course is built on one central belief: children do not need their parents to be together — they need their parents to be stable. Every skill, every session, and every conversation in this program flows from that principle.

Kids First does not assume that two parents can or should work closely together. It honors the full reality of modern family life — from high-functioning co-parenting partnerships to situations where parallel parenting is the safest and most realistic option. Both paths are treated with equal dignity. Participants in this program are not defined by what brought them here. They are defined by what they choose to do next. Kids First is designed to give every parent — regardless of their family structure, history, or current relationship with the other parent — a clear, practical, and dignified path forward.

Program Overview

This course is delivered through weekly, 2-hour live group video sessions using a phone, tablet, or computer with a camera. During these sessions, participants and facilitators engage in real-time discussion, reflection, and skill-building around co-parenting challenges and responsibilities.

In addition to the group session, participants complete weekly online coursework, alternating between:

• Guided written reflections to deepen self-awareness, and

• Practical application assignments to put new parenting strategies into real-life practice.

Course Content

In accordance with California Penal Code Sections 273a (Child Endangerment) and 273d (Child Abuse) and California Family Code 3200–3204, the program covers key areas essential to positive parenting and child development.

• Child-Centered Parenting: Understanding child development, attachment, and emotional

  needs from infancy through adolescence.

• Communication & Conflict Reduction: Practical strategies for effective communication,

  de-escalation, and maintaining child-focused interactions.

• Boundaries & Relationship Management: Establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries

  with co-parents, new partners, and extended family systems.

• Co-Parenting & Parallel Parenting Skills: Building functional parenting structures across

  households, including when direct communication is not appropriate.

• Emotional Regulation & Accountability: Identifying triggers, practicing self-regulation, and

  taking responsibility for behavior and its impact on children.

• Blended Family & Complex Dynamics: Navigating step-parents, multiple households, and

  evolving family structures with clarity and stability.

• Long-Term Stability & Growth: Building sustainable parenting.