Child Trends’ Evaluation of the Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors Program: Executive Summary and Discussion Brief

This is the executive summary of a random assignment evaluation conducted by Child Trends of the Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors program, one of the largest programs in the United States working with low-income Latino parents of children 5 and under. Since it began in 2007, the program has served over 30,000 parents/families in 34 states. The evaluation study examined the effectiveness of the program’s 10 parent education and discussion sessions on a range of outcomes designed to improve parenting behaviors associated with helping young children prepare for success in school. Child Trends’ evaluation found positive outcomes in parenting practices that foster key child development areas associated with academic success, as well as increased parental confidence in their interactions with their child’s school teachers.