We often get asked the same questions over and over again about the Parents Forever program. See below for answers to questions commonly asked by professionals.
If you have a unique situation, or a question that you don't see answered on this page, contact parentsforever@umn.edu.
Only authorized providers have the ability to purchase access to the revised curriculum. Once you have completed the facilitator training and submitted the signed agreement, you can buy access to the curriculum.
Get more information on the Parents Forever curriculum.
The 2014 version of the curriculum is available in electronic format on the Parents Forever™ facilitator website. You can access after completing the online training. This purchase is a one-time cost. It also gives you access to additional resources, technical support, and future versions of the curriculum. It is well worth the cost! Get more information on the Parents Forever curriculum.
Yes. Anyone who teaches Parents Forever needs to complete the online Parents Forever Facilitator Training before teaching.
It is in your benefit to work closely with your local court. Staying connected to your local court will:
-
Help make referrals to your program.
-
Ensure that your program is deemed acceptable for meeting the court order.
The Parents Forever program has already been already approved by the Minnesota Supreme Court. When the curriculum is used as intended, it meets requirements for:
-
Mandatory curriculum topics for parent education.
-
Length (eight hours of education).
This means you do not need to contact the Supreme Court in Minnesota.
For classes outside of Minnesota, you will need to explore any requirements for your state. We can work with you to submit Parents Forever to your supreme court as needed.
From our experience, you will want a at least two facilitators for a course of this length. Some programs prefer to have at least one female and one male facilitator. In the end, it is more important to have two qualified facilitators!
It is important that your facilitators have:
-
Formalized training.
-
Experience.
-
Proven sensitivity in working with families who have experienced a family transition like divorce or separation.
We provide more information about facilitator requirements in the Parents Forever Introductory Webinar.
Yes, if you are teaching in Minnesota. In Minnesota, programs are required to meet the Mandatory curriculum topics for parent education. The full 8-hour version of the curriculum is written to cover all of the minimum standards. It also covers other information that participants, facilitators, and the research have shown is key to a course like this.
If you are teaching outside Minnesota, you will probably be using the shorter adapted version of the curriculum. This version was developed for states who have different (aka lesser) requirements for this type of education. Check with your state's Supreme Court regarding required topics for your state.
Minnesota has some of the most stringent standards in terms of topics to be taught, which are known as the minimum standards. Because Parents Forever has been tailored to meet these high standards, it often meets parent education requirements of other states. Parents Forever is currently being taught in several states besides Minnesota.
To ensure that Parents Forever meets your state’s requirements, check with your state’s Supreme Court. If they are not familiar with Parents Forever, share the Mandatory curriculum topics for parent education that are covered in our 8-hour program.
An shorter, adapted version of the curriculum is available for those states with less topic and time requirements.
All parents who attend a Parents Forever™ class need to receive the Parents Forever Parent Handbook. The cost for this booklet should be part of the registration fee and not an added expense to participants. (Participants receive an electronic version of this publication through the Parents Forever Online Course for Parents.)
All Parents Forever™ resources, including the Parents Forever Parent Handbook, are copyrighted by the Regents of the University of Minnesota. The parent handbook is intended as long-term resource for parents. We hope that they use it and refer to again and again over the upcoming years of the family transition process. Photocopies are often not:
-
Consistent quality.
-
Something most people hang onto for long periods of time.
For these reasons, we do not allow anyone to photocopy the parent handbook. You must buy the handbook for each participant. Quantity discounts are available for those organizations that are able to buy in bulk.
The fee for parents will depend on your own situation and costs that you incur in the delivery of the program. In-person Parents Forever™ programs in Minnesota vary from $25 to $105, with the average fee being $60. Our Parents Forever Online Course for Parents is being offered for $89. Minnesota statute requires all mandated parent education courses to offer scholarships or sliding fee scales. Fees (including parent handbook fees) must be waived when participants have in forma pauperis (IFP). Get more information on IFPs at Do you qualify for a reduced fee?
Reviewed in 2022