Description

Thriving Together is a caregiver-centered education series designed and delivered through a partnership between parents, pediatric providers, and community experts. 

With this innovation, families participate in accessible, strengths-based sessions on topics they have identified as important to child development, parenting, and family well-being. The sessions are offered in both English and Spanish, each one combining evidence-informed guidance with lived experience and extending learning and connection beyond the well-child visit. The model is grounded in Early Relational Health and built on the premise that caregivers who feel informed, supported, and connected are better positioned to support their children’s healthy development. By bringing families, providers, and community partners together in a shared learning space, Thriving Together strengthens engagement across the care relationship and creates pathways to community resources and support. 

Need / Problem Statement

Families consistently report that the limited time available during pediatric visits is not enough to address the questions, concerns, and learning needs they have as caregivers.

Many want trusted information on these and other related topics as well as available community resources, but face barriers to accessing it outside the clinical setting. Families from historically and presently marginalized communities are particularly likely to navigate those needs largely on their own, often without the peer support or community context that makes information actionable. A structured, accessible, and culturally responsive opportunity for extended learning and connection has been largely absent from the pediatric care experience. 

Process

Thriving Together was developed through a collaborative design process that brought together Parent Advisory Team members, family leaders, pediatric providers, behavioral health professionals, and community partners.

Families played a central role from the start, identifying priority topics, reviewing content, and shaping the format, language, and delivery methods. Subject matter experts and providers contributed evidence-informed content and ensured alignment with developmental and clinical best practices. Throughout the design process, caregiver feedback was shared directly with leadership, demonstrating how education shaped by family voice could advance both family goals and clinic priorities. That shared investment in the design process is reflected in the model itself, where co-ownership between families and providers is not an add-on, but a core feature of how Thriving Together operates. 

Partnership

Families are central partners in every stage of Thriving Together, from design through delivery.

Parent leaders participate in topic selection, curriculum review, session planning, outreach, and evaluation, with their input shaping not only what is covered but how sessions are structured, delivered, and assessed. Their feedback has led directly to bilingual offerings, flexible scheduling, and built-in opportunities for peer discussion and reflection. 

What distinguishes Thriving Together is that family involvement goes beyond participation. Parent leaders serve as co-designers, advisors, presenters, and facilitators throughout the process. Community organizations and local experts contribute alongside them, creating a feedback loop between caregivers, providers, and community partners that keeps the series responsive to the families it serves. This combination of clinical expertise and lived experience reflects the model’s core commitment to family partnership as the force that makes the work relevant, credible, and connected to the realities of caregiving. 

Implementation

Thriving Together moved from concept to launch in under six months, progressing through four distinct stages: 

• Stage 1 – Listening and Discovery: Parent leaders gathered feedback directly from caregivers about parenting challenges, developmental concerns, and topics of interest. PSP staff and providers reviewed emerging themes and found opportunities to extend anticipatory guidance beyond the well-child visit. 

• Stage 2 – Co-Design and Development: Parents, providers, behavioral health specialists, and community experts collaborated to develop session topics and content. Materials were reviewed and refined to ensure they were strengths-based, culturally attuned, and accessible to diverse families. 

• Stage 3 – Launch and Delivery: Sessions were delivered virtually to maximize access and reduce participation barriers. Parent leaders supported recruitment and helped create welcoming spaces for discussion and connection, serving alongside PSP staff and community partners as presenters and resource experts. 

• Stage 4 – Continuous Improvement: After each session, feedback surveys, attendance data, and participant reflections are reviewed by parent leaders and staff together. Findings are used to refine future content and delivery, keeping the series responsive to emerging caregiver needs and ensuring Thriving Together continues to evolve as a durable part of the care relationship between families, providers, and community partners. 

Changes & Outcomes

Prior to Thriving Together, caregiver education was largely confined to the clinical visit, limited by time constraints and typically delivered through brief provider conversations or printed materials.

pportunities for deeper learning, peer connection, and follow-up support were rarely available. Since its launch, caregivers report increased confidence in supporting their children’s development, stronger awareness of available resources, and greater connection to both the clinic and other families. Families describe the series as a space where they feel informed, supported, and heard. Clinicians report that the series reinforces key developmental and health promotion messages while strengthening the relationship between families and the care team. Iterative refinements driven by caregiver feedback have kept the content aligned with family priorities and ensured the series continues to reflect the lived realities of the caregivers it serves. 

Measurement for Success

Success is measured through a combination of quantitative tracking and qualitative feedback, including: 

• Registration and attendance tracking 
• Participant satisfaction surveys and session evaluations 
• Monitoring of repeat participation across sessions 
• Qualitative caregiver testimonials and reflective feedback 
• Tracking of referrals and connections to community resources 
• Caregiver-reported increases in knowledge, confidence, and access to support 

Payment & Funding

Funding type: Philanthropic 

Anticipated Gains 

• Increased caregiver knowledge, confidence, and resilience 
• Stronger parent-child relationships and support for healthy child development 
• Deeper connections between families, providers, and community resources 
• More engaged and informed caregivers with greater access to support 

To learn more about this innovation please email Danielle Little, Executive Director at THRIVE Family Health and Education Center: [email protected].