Development and pilot evaluation of the Hands On Parent Empowerment (HOPE) project-a parent education programme to establish socially disadvantaged parents as facilitators of pre-school children's learning

Socially disadvantaged parents often concentrate on providing for their children instead of stimulating them to learn because of their own low self-efficacy as learning agents. This study describes the development and pilot evaluation of a programme designed to empower new immigrant parents in Hong Kong to assume active, systematic and confident roles to teach their pre-school children learning skills. A needs assessment was conducted to guide the development of the programme, which was also informed by research evidence and community engagement. A pilot trial was conducted and qualitative data were obtained from the participating parents. Parents reported improvements in their children's motivation to learn and the parent-child relationship. The research provided information on programme design, delivery and implementation strategies. It suggested important entry points to engage and empower parents to provide timely stimulation to their young children.