Best Practice

Hand in Hand

State/Jurisdiction: National
Setting: Clinical Community School
Population: Children Families & Caregivers
Topic Area: Safe and Connected Communities Family & Youth Engagement
NPMs: NA

For over 35 years, Hand in Hand has supported parents, families, early childhood educators, and professionals around the world through a trauma-informed, attachment-based approach to relational health. Hand in Hand works from a simple but powerful premise: when the adults in a child's life are emotionally supported and equipped with effective tools, children thrive. The model centers five evidence-based listening tools — Special Time, Staylistening, Setting Limits, Playlistening, and Listening Partnerships — that give parents, caregivers, educators, and professionals a structured and flexible way to deepen connection with children across everyday moments, including the hardest ones. These tools are taught through a free online mentored community available 24/7, small-group courses, peer support groups, live classes, webinars, and direct work with Hand in Hand's 250+ Certified Instructors located in communities across 38+ countries.

What distinguishes Hand in Hand is its community-embedded, two-generational design. Rather than serving parents or educators in isolation, the model is built to reach all the adults surrounding a child simultaneously, creating aligned relational environments across home and school. Support continues well beyond initial training through a free 24/7 online guided community, self-guided courses, and ongoing skillbuilding groups and communities of practice that sustain skill development over time.



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Implementation Handout



CONTACT INFORMATION
Hand in Hand Parenting
Maya Coleman
maya@handinhandparenting.org

Practice Website