Currently submitted to: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Nov 5, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Nov 6, 2026 - Jan 1, 2027
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Implementing and Evaluating the *ez*Parent Bundle in the Community: Protocol for a cluster randomized trial
ABSTRACT
Background:
Positive parenting practices foster optimal child development, yet traditional program delivery (in person one-on-one or group) of behavioral parent training (BPT) faces scalability and access barriers. Digital BPTs expand reach but struggle with retention, whereas hybrid models, pairing digital content with facilitator support, significantly increase engagement. However, scaling hybrid delivery remains limited by time-intensive facilitator training.
Objective:
This protocol describes Phase 2 of a trial evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of the *ez*Parent Bundle (asynchronous facilitator training (*ez*Training), a monitoring dashboard (*ez*Dashboard), and hybrid BPT program (*ez*Parent)) on parenting self-efficacy, parent-child relationship quality and child behavior in Head Start Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS) settings.
Methods:
Using a cluster randomized trial, 16 HS/EHS sites in the US are randomized 1:1 to the *ez*Parent Bundle or usual care. The target sample is 516 parents (~32 per site) of children aged 2-5 years. Intervention parents complete 6 digital *ez*Parent modules and 4 group sessions led by facilitators at the HS/EHS site trained via *ez*Training. Outcomes evaluated at baseline, 10–12 weeks, and 24 weeks after *ez*Parent participation include parenting practices, parenting self-efficacy, parent-child relationship quality, and child behavior. Implementation is evaluated using RE-AIM.
Results:
Site partnership began in early 2026, and parent recruitment was initiated in August 2026. As of October 2026, 13 sites are engaged and randomized, with 3 in process. All (n = 18) engaged facilitators successfully completed *ez*Training and hybrid *ez*Parent began in October 2026. Parent recruitment is ongoing in control sites.
Conclusions:
This study evaluates a scalable, community-embedded model to expand facilitator capacity and optimize delivery of evidence-based parenting interventions. Findings will inform strategies for increasing adoption, implementation, and sustainment of hybrid BPT in community settings while reducing training burden and supporting broader reach to families. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07417930
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