Hand in Hand Parenting – Classes & Support Groups
548 Market Street, Suite 88427, San Francisco, CA 94104
About
Hand in Hand Parenting – Classes & Support Groups offers a 6-week Foundations Course for Parents/Caregivers and ongoing parenting support groups. The program includes 60-minute sessions with an instructor and small-group courses, support calls, and 1-1 private consultations. It also offers self-paced classes, articles, an online community, and a train-the-trainer program.
• Schedule: 6-week Foundations Course for Parents/Caregivers with 60-minute sessions; parenting support groups with Kristan Childs meet on Thursdays from 2:00 PM–3:00 PM PDT and on Wednesdays from 9:00 AM–10:00 AM PDT on specific dates.
• Price: $30-$40 per session
Hand in Hand Parenting is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to meet adults’ and children’s core need for connection with unique caregiving tools and community support made easily accessible to parents and professionals worldwide. The organization has developed five “Listening Tools” focused on adult-child connection and offers introductory talks on topics such as Healthy Sibling Relationships, Supporting Adolescents, Anger Management for Kids and Parents, and Effective Discipline Strategies. Hand in Hand Community Support offers daily coaching, live calls, and weekly learning opportunities, and applications are open for an Instructor Certification Pathway and a year-long advanced Certification program to teach the Hand in Hand approach.
Hand in Hand Parenting was founded as the Parent Leadership Institute in 1989 by Patty Wipfler and became Hand in Hand Parenting in 2005. A year-long Instructor Certification program launched in 2006, followed by a Professional Intensive training course for healthcare providers in 2010. Patty Wipfler’s book “Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges” was published in 2016. In 2019, Hand in Hand’s research team was accepted as a Portfolio Project by Frontiers of Innovation at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, and by 2020 the Instructor Program included over 250 Certified Instructors across the globe. In 2021, the research and program teams launched an 8-week course for Early Childhood Educators, in 2022 Hand in Hand was designated as an Evidence-Based Practice by the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP), and in 2023 the research team completed an early pilot study on the Foundations Course for Early Childhood Educators across more than 50 early childhood programs.
The program’s leadership includes founder Patty Wipfler and Hand in Hand Certified Instructor Kristan Childs. Kristan has worked with children in many roles, including teaching preschool and high school, working as an Outward Bound instructor, and serving as an Americorps crew leader. Parenting support groups with Kristan Childs are offered as online events.
Parents describe Kristan’s groups as warm and open, and several parents report that her classes made it easier to talk about both the bright and hard parts of parenting. Parents in the Foundations Course for Parents/Caregivers describe the course as one of the most helpful parenting classes they have taken and compare Hand in Hand Parenting’s resources to a “treasure chest” of tools, ideas, stories, and resources. Multiple parents say the Hand in Hand approach and tools made a significant difference in their relationships with their children and in how they experience parenting.
Last updated May 20, 2026.
• Schedule: 6-week Foundations Course for Parents/Caregivers with 60-minute sessions; parenting support groups with Kristan Childs meet on Thursdays from 2:00 PM–3:00 PM PDT and on Wednesdays from 9:00 AM–10:00 AM PDT on specific dates.
• Price: $30-$40 per session
Hand in Hand Parenting is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to meet adults’ and children’s core need for connection with unique caregiving tools and community support made easily accessible to parents and professionals worldwide. The organization has developed five “Listening Tools” focused on adult-child connection and offers introductory talks on topics such as Healthy Sibling Relationships, Supporting Adolescents, Anger Management for Kids and Parents, and Effective Discipline Strategies. Hand in Hand Community Support offers daily coaching, live calls, and weekly learning opportunities, and applications are open for an Instructor Certification Pathway and a year-long advanced Certification program to teach the Hand in Hand approach.
Hand in Hand Parenting was founded as the Parent Leadership Institute in 1989 by Patty Wipfler and became Hand in Hand Parenting in 2005. A year-long Instructor Certification program launched in 2006, followed by a Professional Intensive training course for healthcare providers in 2010. Patty Wipfler’s book “Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges” was published in 2016. In 2019, Hand in Hand’s research team was accepted as a Portfolio Project by Frontiers of Innovation at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, and by 2020 the Instructor Program included over 250 Certified Instructors across the globe. In 2021, the research and program teams launched an 8-week course for Early Childhood Educators, in 2022 Hand in Hand was designated as an Evidence-Based Practice by the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP), and in 2023 the research team completed an early pilot study on the Foundations Course for Early Childhood Educators across more than 50 early childhood programs.
The program’s leadership includes founder Patty Wipfler and Hand in Hand Certified Instructor Kristan Childs. Kristan has worked with children in many roles, including teaching preschool and high school, working as an Outward Bound instructor, and serving as an Americorps crew leader. Parenting support groups with Kristan Childs are offered as online events.
Parents describe Kristan’s groups as warm and open, and several parents report that her classes made it easier to talk about both the bright and hard parts of parenting. Parents in the Foundations Course for Parents/Caregivers describe the course as one of the most helpful parenting classes they have taken and compare Hand in Hand Parenting’s resources to a “treasure chest” of tools, ideas, stories, and resources. Multiple parents say the Hand in Hand approach and tools made a significant difference in their relationships with their children and in how they experience parenting.
Last updated May 20, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.