How to Become an Online Parenting Coach

Dec 14, 2023

Raising kids is the hardest task you'll ever have to do. Or so people say.

What if every parent had a coach for parenting in their corner to help parents overcome challenges, get over challenges, and become better parents?

If you believe you have the skills to become a parent coach You can begin a company that helps families understand and apply different methods of parenting as well as take steps to create better, happier relationships with their children.

This is what you have to know about how you can be a parenting coach including tips on how build a business from scratch and top examples of parenting coaches who have succeeded.

You can follow along or skip ahead:

How can you be a coach for parents

If you want to learn how to become an effective parenting coach, there are a few steps you need to take before you start practicing.

Here are the basic steps of becoming an effective parenting coach

  • Find a parenting coach certification: To be a highly effective and efficient coaching parent, it's a good idea to obtain the parenting coach's certification or certification to build trust with your audience and increase your confidence in introducing prospective clients.

For more information - here's an in-depth review of how you can become an expert in parenting, as well as answers to your top parenting questions.

7 types of coaching for parents

The field of parenting coaches there is a variety of distinct areas and specializations to choose from. The first step in learning to become a parenting coach is deciding which type of parenting coach you'd like to be, and the kind of person you'd like to help.

Here are seven instances of niches for parenting coaches that which you can explore:

  • Coaching for divorce: These coaching coaches specialize in helping families through divorce. Their focus is on helping parents process their emotions and talk to their children.
  • Stress coaching: Several parents experience stress, which can have an impact on how they parent their children. Coaching for parents who are specialized in stress management can assist parents to find ways to cope with stress and manage their emotions.
  • The coaching of nutrition for parenting coaches focus on helping parents make informed decisions about child nutrition, finding ways to improve kids' mental and physical health by incorporating a healthy diet.
  • ADHD coaching: for parents of children with ADHD and parenting coaches with a specialization in ADHD coaching are able to assist in applying specific methods of learning and methods to increase the concentration of children, and much more.
  • Birth coaching: Parenting coaches could also opt to specialise in coaching for birth, assisting parents prior to and immediately following having their child and also with sleep coaching as well as feeding and getting their life in order.
  • Coaching in communication: Communication is a key part of any parenting program, communication coaching focuses on helping parents build their communication abilities in various methods, such as conflict resolution and establishing boundaries for their children.
  • Coaching in co-parenting Couples who co-parent relations can benefit from parenting coaches who specialize in helping parents navigate the many challenges of parenting.

The type of coaching for parents that is right for you will depend on many factors such as your prior knowledge, interest, and educational background. In order to help you decide, try talking to parents you admire to learn more about their work and their areas of expertise.

What is the distinction between a life coach or a parent coach?

A coach for parenting focuses on helping parents discover, understand the various parenting methods and models. For example, a parenting coach can assist families to:

  • Coaching for sleep
  • Potty Training
  • Resolving bullying
  • Conflict resolution
  • Co-parenting

Coaching for parents aims to offer information, assistance and support parents so that they can discover ways to overcome various issues and build stronger bonds to their kids.

What are the qualifications you need to become a parent coach?

There aren't any formal requirements for education or training to be a parenting coach.

In contrast to counseling or therapy, parenting coaching doesn't require any form of education or formal training prior to practicing.

That being said, many parenting coaches have some form of education such as:

  • Bachelor's degree in an area that is related to it: It's common for parenting coaches to have a bachelor's degree in related fields, such as education, social work counseling and psychology.
  • Coaching certification for parents: Many parenting coaches obtain a qualification or accreditation before beginning to work as a parenting coach, through an in-person or online course.
  • Work experience that is relevant: Work experience in the area of parenting coaching is important when you are looking to be an instructor for parents, which includes working as a volunteer or in the private or public coaching industry.

The ability to start your professional parenting coach today, but if you want to be a confident and trustworthy parent coach for clients, it's best to be certified by an accredited coaching program for parents as well as some experience in the field.

Three steps needed to becoming a parenting coach

Below are three suggestions to guide you in learning how to become a parenting coach, and obtain a parenting coach certification, even with no prior experience.

Choose your specialization

When considering the steps to becoming a parenting coach, it can be difficult to know what type of training or certification will be the best for you.

The truth is, there is a wide number of different areas for parenting coaches and the coaching qualifications for parents which are right for some people might not suit you.

In order to give your search more focus, start by getting clear on what you want to specialize in. As an example, if know you want to be a nutrition and parenting coach then choose a coaching certification course that includes an emphasis on nutrition.

If you're not sure how to find your niche Try writing your list of the following things:

  • Your passions and interests
  • Your previous experience
  • Your abilities, strengths as well as your education
  • What you can do to assist parents

Take a look at the parenting issues that are the ones you're interested in which you're regularly sought out for help by people around you. If you find yourself having conversations with your peers or family members about similar subjects and issues, that's a sign it could be an ideal niche or area of expertise to you.

In writing out your strengths and the areas in which you've got most expertise, you can get clear on what route you want to go down with your parenting coach business and work to build an organization that is tailored to your unique strengths and abilities.

Compare coaching programs for parents

Once you've decided on the specific area of parenting coaching you'd like to focus on then you're able to evaluate and compare the various certifications for parenting coaches to determine which one is best for you.

There are a few tips to remember when conducting your research

  • Experience of instructor of the program
  • Accreditation of programs
  • Course delivery methods e.g. in-person, online, or even self-taught
  • Student support and supervision
  • Course duration
  • Certifications and credentials that you'll get
  • Cost for obtaining certificate

The program that's best for you is based on the program's curriculum, its adaptability, and the course method of delivery you're seeking. If you're unsure contact the program organizer to find out exactly what you'll get in return.

Completion of the certification

When you've chosen the parenting coach certification you'd like to complete, set aside time to do the course, complete the assessments and get your certification.

Your credentials can be used as marketing material on your website as well as social media and email footer to give your business a greater credibility and a competitive advantage. If you hold a formal accreditation, you may also have the chance to become a parent coach organization or association to aid in locating clients as well as professional connections.

Remember, you don't have to obtain an accreditation for parenting coaches or a qualification prior to beginning coaching. It's up to you what route you choose to take.

5 best parenting coach skills

Qualification Coach institute Certification requirements Program length Cost
Parent Coach Certification Training Program Parent coaching institute (PCI)
  • Complete 4 Distance Learning Courses
  • 100 hours of coaching
  • 2x monthly phone classes
  • Additional readings
12 months $5,800
Certification of a Parenting Coach Jai Institute for Parenting
  • 7 hours of study per week
  • Complete weekly video classes + writing assignments
  • Weekly cohort call
  • Weekly coaching calls for practice
7 month $4500
Conscious Parenting Method Certification Conscious Parenting Institute
  • 8-10 hours of study every week
  • Weekly coaching calls for groups
  • 4 weeks practical experience
  • Final written assessment
5 months $8500
Parenting Coaching Accreditation Mindful Kids
  • 3 hours a day per week
  • Complete video lessons
  • An internship that is practical and involves two parents
  • 10 page assignment
12 Weeks EUR2,840 (approx $3030)
Parenting Coach Accreditation Anu Family Services
  • 6-hours per week
  • Live classes on a weekly basis
  • Assignments for the week
  • Bi-weekly instructor mentoring
8 Months $3500

gaining practical experience as a parent coach

As well as getting a qualification or certification as a parenting coach is also helpful to gain practical experience as a parenting coach before you can begin working with clients.

There's a variety of ways to gain practical expertise - here's couple of suggestions:

  • Get a certification that is practical: Certain parenting certifications give the opportunity to work in a real-world setting as part of the qualification, giving you an opportunity to gain practical experience before you start the business of a parent coach. It can be extremely beneficial particularly if you've zero prior experience coaching, counseling, or in a similar area.
  • Have a chat with friends: If you're just getting started as a parent coach, your first clients could be your relatives and acquaintances. Be clear about your knowledge level as well as the fact that you're looking to practice coaching them so that they are aware of what they're about to get into when you start.
  • Volunteer for an organization volunteering is an efficient way of gaining practical experience as a parenting coach prior to working with clients. An appropriate organization could be able to give you advice and training on-the-job, so you can learn valuable experience as you go.

4 tips to build the business of a parenting coach

Getting education and expertise as a coach for parents is just the beginning if you want to learn how to become a coach for parents and coach, it is also important to be able to establish your business and sell your services. Below are some tips to help.

Find your target audience

The initial step in making a business successful is knowing the people you want to reach.

It's tempting to consider "my intended audience are parents, evidently". And you're not wrong. If you're looking to create a successful brand, you need to get specific about which parents you'd like to collaborate with, and the best way to assist the parents.

As an illustration, imagine that you're an expert in coaching coach for parents who are sleep deprived. If that's the case, you'll want to target new and expecting parents, not parents of teens, because they're the ones who're likely to be in need of and will require the services you offer.

In order to help you identify the right audience for your project, ask yourself these questions:

  • Who is my ideal client?
  • What problems are they struggling with?
  • What are their main wants and needs?
  • Which demographics are they? E.g. age range, location, income level
  • What are their views and beliefs?
  • What are they searching for?

Select a business model

The process of establishing your company as a parenting coach will also require you to decide what you'll offer to your clients - including what kind of business strategy you'd like to employ.

The majority of parenting coaches begin by offering private 1:1 coaching sessions to their clients. A parenting coach may charge a flat fee for a 60-minute online sessions with parents.

While this may be an effective way to get started with your own parenting business it's not the only method to earn a living by being a parent coach. Also, it's not the most efficient way to earn money. Why? because when working one-on-one with clients there's a limit to the number of parents you're able help as well as how much you'll earn through coaching.

There are three other alternative business models that you can think about instead:

  • Group coaching Many parents are struggling with the same challenges, and group coaching is an immensely beneficial approach to parenting coaching, giving an opportunity to support more parents and introduce the social aspect in your coaching service too.

There's no right or wrong approach to offering your coaching services for parents and you'll always can add other products or services at any time. If, for instance, you've established yourself as a parent coach and you're able to add a membership product for a fresh source of income for your business.

Build your network as a coach

The process of starting a business as a parenting coach is a lot easier to start if you build a list of connections. A lot of parenting coaches' businesses operate on word-of-mouth advertising as well as referrals. However, there are tons of methods you can use to increase your brand awareness and get your message to the right people.

Here are a few techniques to consider:

Network of parenting experts

Connect with other professionals in your niche to grow your parent coaching business - including counselors, educators, trainers, industry experts and many others.

You are able to create your networks both physically as well as online. This includes:

  • Events in the industry
  • Conferences
  • Webinars
  • Social media

Do not be afraid to say hello - lots of people will be happy to connect with you. It's simply a the matter of opening up and establishing a connection.

Collaborate with relevant brands

If you're coaching online, you can cast the net wide and focus on expanding your reach through partnerships with other companies. This not only gives you access to a wide range of interesting people in your field, but it could aid in the creation of more leads for your company.

Here are some ideas to collaborate:

  • Podcast guests: Look for podcasts that fit your field and talk to producers or hosts for an opportunity to be invited to join them. Make sure you show what you can bring to the table by demonstrating the knowledge, experience and passions.
  • Articles and blogs written by guest bloggers: You can also look out for blogs and websites that share your ideal audience. You can offer to write a guest post for them to show off your credibility and create more publicity for your company.
  • Social media takeover: If you're looking to expand your social media following, suggest hosting a social media takeover with a relevant company, influential person, or fellow parenting coach. It's a great approach to grow your following and increase your followers in the process.

Draw on your network

Don't undervalue the value of your current connections and past clients to level up your business - keep on top of those relationships to generate more leads down the line.

When you've built an established clientele You can request reviews and testimonials to use as social proof across your website and social media to help build trust with new clients. if they can read about the achievements from your past clients, they're more likely to decide to try your services for themselves.

Be clear about your mission

The key to successfully marketing your brand - whether you're an individual, or an international company - is being clear about the mission of your brand.

Your mission statement for your brand defines your mission, goals as well as what you expect to achieve as a parenting coach.

  • What are you hoping to help parents with?
  • The reason why you're taking on the job you're currently doing?
  • What do you want to achieve?

If you have a clear message and an understanding of your values and motivations and values, then you can directly communicate with your audience on the internet. Whatever you decide to do it is possible to always refer back to this core message in your marketing.

Here's an example:

Crystal Haitsma's parenting coaching firm has been based on the simple message of "Helping you parent calm, confident kids that you enjoy being around".

4 successful examples of parenting coaches

Do you want to feel inspired by your quest to be a parent coach? Look at these examples from online parenting coaches who started their business out of scratch.

          Good Inside

Psychotherapist Dr. Becky Kennedy built a parent coaching business that sold digital items, including a best-selling book podcast as well as online classes. The brand she runs Good Inside offers membership subscriptions for parents, offering a variety of parenting classes and workshops covering everything from toilet training to conquering problem behaviors.

          Michelle Gambs

Over the course of 20 years, parents coach Psychotherapist and coach for parents, Michelle Gambs wrote a book "Stay Away From Option D' to help parents recognize that it is okay to not be perfect. She then turned her expertise into a podcast, YouTube channel and a 4-week program for parents. Her philosophy? "I have never claimed it would be easy, I just said it would be worth it ."

          Parent Hope Project

The Parent Hope Project is a social enterprise built by parents for the purpose of helping them build confidence and gain self-awareness to better aid their children's mental wellbeing and overall wellbeing. The project was created by Dr. Jenny Brown, the Parent Hope Project offers online coaching to parents along with professional-level classes for those looking for ways to be the parent coach of their own.

          Consciousness Academy

Writer and coach Rhonda Victoor guides parents on how to be conscious, mindful parents, while also advancing as individuals. This includes lessons about how to encourage curiosity, dealing with advice from other people and also how to build an attitude of presence as parents. Victoor also serves as a professional speaker, leader as well as a coaching in communication.

Ready to learn the steps to becoming parenting coach?

There's a better way than ever to become a parenting coach and begin your own parenting coach business. From coaching online to digital products and memberships, there's a whole range of opportunities to earn money from your expertise and assist more parents.

When you're ready to start, try at no cost and discover what you can accomplish.