Escuela para padres como innovación educativa: evaluación de impacto en la dinámica familia-escuela y desarrollo infantil

This research evaluated the impacts generated by the development of the “School for Parents” program in educational centers in the province of Azuay. The sample for the intervention in question corresponds to 104 fathers, mothers, or legal guardians of a child in the first year of early childhood education. The program consisted of 10 weekly face-to-face meetings based on a psychoeducational methodology focused on parenting skills, children's emotional regulation, and strengthening the family-school relationship. Through a quasi-experimental design using pre- and post-tests, as well as the Parental Competence Scale and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 1½–5), the study sought to identify changes in children's social-emotional development and parenting practices. There was evidence of a significant improvement in the use of positive parenting strategies, a decrease in externalizing behaviors in children, and a noticeable increase in effective communication between families and the educational institution, with 91% satisfaction and 87% retention in the second school year. Teachers reported improvements in children's behavior and greater family involvement. It can therefore be concluded that the School for Parents is an innovative and replicable strategy from the perspective of educational co-responsibility and institutional transformation.