Certified parent coaches implement PALS under the guidance of a supervisor. No information is available about other staff required to implement PALS.
PALS recommends, but does not require, that parent coaches have at minimum an associate’s degree in early childhood (or a related field) or a high school diploma and two years of work experience in an early childhood setting. For parent coach supervisors, PALS requires at least a bachelor's degree in early childhood education or a related field and three to five years of work experience, preferably in parent or family education.
Group supervision is recommended weekly to discuss PALS content and family change processes. In addition, individual supervision must be conducted monthly through observation of a home visit.
Staff at the Children’s Learning Institute provide required PALS training either at the Children's Learning Institute in Houston, Texas, or on-site at local implementing agencies. Training on either the PALS Infant or PALS Toddler/Preschooler curriculum is 2.5 days; combined training on both the PALS Infant and Toddler/Preschooler curricula lasts 5 days. Please contact the model developer for additional information about the pre-service training requirement.
The recommended weekly group supervision sessions serve as a forum for ongoing training of PALS content and coaching strategies. Ongoing training for supervisors is available from the Children's Learning Institute upon request. Please contact the model developer for additional information about the ongoing professional development requirements.
