Benefits of Parenting Programs for Parents
Dede Nurul Qomariah and Viena Rusmiati Hasanah
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, 229th Dr. Setiabudi Street, Bandung, Indonesia
Keywords: Benefits, Parenting Program, Parents.
Abstract: The focus of this research is directed to the benefits of parenting programs for parents who send their children
in early childhood education in Bandung, Indonesia. Used is descriptive method with qualitative approach.
Technique of data collecting done by some techniques that is observation, structured interview, and closed
interview. The findings of this research indicate that parenting benefits perceived by parents include the
increase of a knowledge and experience that affect the attitude and ways of acting parents, the emergence of
awareness of the importance roles of parents in accompanying and shaping the character of the child as a trust
that can’t Underestimated, parents are wiser in treating their children, improving communication between
parents and children, and helping to solve problems faced by parents in encounter the desires of children. A
recommendation for further research is to broadly expand on the comparison of paid and non-paid parenting
to improving the quality of childcare.
1 INTRODUCTION
Parenting is conscious effort and planned to give
education for parents in give good maintaining and
education for their children. Parenting program is
often called parents education. Parents education is
the process where the parents are “educated” in
supporting development and their children learning,
to increase their identity as parents and strengthen
relationship with their children (Croake and Glover,
1977). To, et al. (2016) reported his qualitative
findings show that parenting program is able to help
program participants reflect the meaning of being a
parent, underscore the benefit of good parenting,
grow relationship of parents-children is appropriate
with development needs, uniqueness, and their
children emotion. Parenting program also has
potential to improve health and prosperity for parents
and children (Mytton, 2014).
Parenting program gave significant impact for
prosperity children and parent in developed country.
Even, UK government had entered parenting program
on country development program in the manner of
focus on parents in educated their children (Dermott,
2015). Parenting program in Indonesia known recent
in 2010 that used as one of strategy within harmonize
education in the school and education in the home.
But, this parenting program was committed by certain
schools. Be sides, parenting program was only
committed in early childhood education level,
whereas children associate should be held until the
child reached adulthood (18 years old). Depart from
this is what causes researcher want to know how far
the benefit of parenting program is held in early
childhood level.
2 THEORITICAL REVIEW
Indonesia explicitly regulates the importance of
fulfilling the rights of children by both parents, is
relating to education and nurturing. Constitution
number 1, 1947 about marriage in chapter 45
explained that both parents should maintain and
educate their children as well. Meaning that the
child’s educational responsibility is finally coming
back to parents. Parents is the first educator and major
in the family (Matthias and Uwe U, 2014).
Constitution number 35, 2015 about child protection
also explicitly that the rights of the children and the
obligation of the parents in the fulfillment of the
rights of the child. In chapter 6 “every children
deserves to worship according to their religion, to
think and express according to the level intelligence
and age in the guidance of parents and guardian.”
Previous research explained that parenting
program seeks to direct parents to the improvement
of competence and behavioral changes in parenting
264
Qomariah, D. and Hasanah, V.
Benefits of Parenting Programs for Parents.
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences (ICES 2017) - Volume 1, pages 264-267
ISBN: 978-989-758-314-8
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

pattern so that, reduce the risk of conflict with their
children (James, 1994). This was supported by Low
(2015) on his qualitative findings revealed several
benefits of parenting program, namely: 1) increasing
opened communication between parents and
children; 2) decreasing conflict of parents-children;
3) personal changing in the form of self-control when
communicating with children; 4) increasing parents
knowledge about problems solving of child’s
behavioural; 5) increasing harmony with spouses and
enhance cooperation in nurturing and educating
children; 6) increasing self-understanding within face
the wishes of children; 7) increasing mental
prosperity for parents and mental prosperity for
children.
3 METHODOLOGY
This research used qualitative approaching, exactly
descriptive method, where the data was gotten
through two interviews namely opened interview and
closed interview. Both of interview was collected and
focused on existence parenting program and the
benefit of parenting activity is held by early
childhood school.
This research was held in Bandung as population.
Removal of sample in this research used purposive
sampling technique, is sampling technique with
certain consideration (Sugiyono, 2008). So that, this
research was held in three schools namely, PAUD
Miana V, TKG Daarut Tauhid, dan KOBER
Labschool UPI.
The research was held until four weeks on April
2017. Two schools agree with deployment closed
interview for parents and a school willing to
participate through opened interview with researcher.
They are who join in this research was parents who
send their children in PAUD and KOBER. So that,
they experience directly parenting program that held
in each school.
The researcher used closed interview for data
retrieval from parents on the grounds of time
constraints owned by parents. It is related to the
activity or work of the parents, so time will not allow
the researcher to use semi-structured interview.
Twenty six statement items of closed interview was
given by researcher for parents. The data from closed
interview was analyzed, and interpreted appropriate
with focus of study, so that it was gotten descriptive
data about the benefits parenting program.
As many as seventeen statement items of
interview was directed at the school as institution that
organizes parenting. This interview was held only
with the school as the organizer of parenting, because
at the time the research took place has entered the
holiday so that researcher can’t do a closed interview
with the parents. Furthermore, interview with the
school was recorded, after that it was interpreted by
the researcher and analyzed by using descriptive
analysis.
4 FINDINGS
4.1 Picture of Parents Demography
As many as 60 parents participated within this
research through closed interview with participant
details of mother as many as forty four persons, and
participant of father is sixteen persons. Majority, they
married and lived in pairs (ninety five percent) and
the rest is single parent (five percent). Respondents
have diverse education background, some have taken
postgraduate education, bachelor degree, diploma
three and senior high school (for more clear
information, it was presented in table 1 and 2).
Table 1: Prents’ data.
No
Gender
Activity
Number
Work
Non-work
1
Female
33
11
44
2
Male
16
-
16
Total
49
11
60
Table 2: Parent’s education.
No
Gender
Last Education
Number
SMA
DIII
1
2
1
Female
15
4
0
5
44
2
Male
5
-
1
-
16
Total
19
4
2
5
60
4.2 The Reason for Joining The
Parenting Program
One of mind theme is appear from the data that appear
was the reason to join in following parenting
program. Parents who join in this program was
motivated to increase communication and
relationship with their children, want to be good
parents and success in educate their children, want to
know more about children development
psychological at this time, and to decrease emotion
and learn more effective parenting skill. Lam (2005)
informed that parents purpose within join with
parenting program was to bring internal changing, to
Benefits of Parenting Programs for Parents
265

reshape their attitude and managing an emotional
responses to their children.
Document study was held by researcher found
that there is increasing parents participation or parents
attendance on following parenting activity held by the
school. The beginning of the new school year is a
parenting seminar until parent gathering at the end of
the school year. This is consistent with previous
research that diferent parental education program will
be effective in many aspect, including decrease
parents stress, improve relationship parents and
children, and overcome bad behaviour of child
(Cheung, 2001).
4.3 Parents View on the Benefit of
Parenting
Parenting benefit was felt by parents are increase
knowledge, new experience about nutrition,
parenting, development psychology, child education,
giving awareness how far they success in educate and
treat their children. Many of parents participated on
this research answered, agree that parenting is able
made parents more attention to their child growth.
Besides, almost ninety percent parents answered
agree that parenting could realize them how proud to
be parents. Effectivity of parenting program showed
that parents supported in this parenting program
(Barlow et al, 2004). This is consistent with previous
research which revealed that the benefit of parenting
program is useful in improving communication with
their child, decrease conflict and support parents to be
confident to be a parent for their child (Low, 2015).
4.4 The Institutional View after
Parenting
After parenting program, not only parent who felt the
parenting benefit, but also the institutional as
implementers felt the impact.
One of the kindergarten headmaster’ said:
“many changes are visible after parents follow
parenting activity, namely: 1) they are more
patient in treat their children, 2) more aware of
how the unique character in every children, 3)
parents understand of how to be a good model
parents for their children, 4) parents realize of
how communicate with institutions, and 5)
parents are more opened and their thinking is
wiser in receiving or giving the ideas from the
institution.”
Parenting benefit was not only felt by parents, but
also felt by local society.
“The existence of parenting program has benefit,
for example as a mode for aligning children’s
education, many benefits for parents because
every parenting seminar was held at the beginning
of the year opened for public so that, science and
knowledge of parenting is not only gotten by
parents who send their children in the school, but
also this is experienced by local society, parenting
realized the achievement of school vision and
mission.”
This statement was supported by early childhood
education headmasters’ interview which revealed
about usability of parenting program for the school:
“It is useful, because the existence of parenting;
we could interact directly with parents regarding
the same discussion; hospitality with parents was
kept; mutual transfer of knowledge and
experience with the parents and the important
thing is parents could know, at least how to give
appropriate caring with age of child
development.”
Both headmasters’ opinion showed that the
impact of parenting program is not only felt by
parents, but also the school was helped. Lindsay et al.
(2012) said that after this parenting program is taken
place, parents experienced the improvement of
mental prosperity, able to reduce excessive reactivity
toward their children, and also reduce the difficulty of
behaviour when facing their children. This is
appropriate with the result of previous research, it
revealed that diverse parenting program could push
holistic growth of the parents, namely: (a)
understanding the meaning of being a parent and
appreciating their role as parents, (b) reorganization
of life experience and rearrangement of their priority,
(c) increasing self-understanding, (d) increasing
communication and interaction with children, and (e)
strengthen trust and parents competence (Cheung,
2001).
4.5 Parents View on a Relationship
with Partner
Talking about the relationship that exist between
couples after following parenting program, most
parents revealed that after parenting program, they
usually share their experience and science with their
pairs (husband/wife). This is appropriate with the
previous research, reported that there is a decrease in
conflict with their pairs. One of mother always
explained that, she always talked with her husband
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about what she had learnt from this parenting
program (Low, 2015).
A mother in a closed interview proposed that
parenting program should be held by involving or
inviting both parents, not only a person. Because, in
essence the parenting program is not only giving
education for mother and father, but also for all of
family member which are involved in children’s life
(Helmawati, 2016).
5 CONCLUSIONS
This research is the first point for development next
parenting program. Generally, parents are responsive
toward parenting activity. The benefit of parenting
program was great, especially in develop perception
changing, attitude, and parents skill on treat and
educate their children. But, we should realize that
problem solving strategy is not only aimed at
developing parents knowledge, but also parents are
given motivation. Consciously or unconsciously,
being a parent is easy – difficult, because the pattern
of child care and child’s education becomes one of
the indicators of children success in the future.
In short, the benefit was felt by parents after
following the parenting program, namely: 1)
increasing knowledge and new experience so that,
impact toward attitude and the manner parents act; 2)
arising awareness of the importance parents role in
guidance and characterize the children as a trust can’t
be underestimated; 3) parents are wiser in treating
their children; 4) improve communication with
children, and help to solve problems faced by parents
in the face of children wishes.
Recommendation of further researcher is explore
more parenting comparison of paid and non-paid
toward improving childcare quality, so that at the end
it is expected to come up with ideas that are useful in
improving the quality of the parenting program.
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