How to Become an Online Parenting Coach

Dec 14, 2023

The process of raising children is among the most difficult job you'll ever complete. Or so people say.

However, what if each parent had a coach for parenting in their corner to help them tackle challenges, overcome obstacles, and be better parents?

If you think you are qualified to become a parenting coach You can begin a business helping families learn and apply different methods of parenting and make steps towards building better, happier relationships with their kids.

Here's what you need to know about how you can become a parenting coach - including tips on how to start your own business from scratch and top examples of successful parenting coaches.

Follow along or skip ahead:

How to become a parenting coach

If you'd like to know how to become an effective parenting coach, there are a few steps you need to do before starting to learn.

Here are the essentials of becoming a parent coach

  • You can get a parenting coach certification: To be a highly effective and efficient parenting coach, it's always a good idea to obtain an accreditation for parenting coaches or qualification to help create trust with your clientele and improve your self-confidence in introducing new clients.

For more information Here's a comprehensive guide to becoming an expert in parenting, as well as solutions to the most popular parenting concerns.

7 kinds of parenting coaches

In the field of parenting coaches, there is a variety of distinct areas and areas of expertise to select from. The first step in learning to become a parent coach is deciding which type of parenting coach you'd like to be, and how you will assist.

Here are seven instances of niches for parenting coaches that to consider:

  • Coaching for divorce: These coaching coaches are experts in helping families navigate divorce. They focus on helping parents process their feelings and communicate with their children.
  • Coaching for stress: A lot of parents experience stress, which can have an impact on how they interact with their children. Parenting coaches who specialize in stress-related coaching may help parents discover ways to deal with stress and regulate their moods.
  • The coaching of nutrition for parenting coaches are focused on assisting parents to make educated decisions about child nutrition, finding ways to improve the mental and physical health of children by incorporating a healthy diet.
  • ADHD coaching: For parents of children suffering from ADHD coaching for parents that specialize in ADHD coaching are able to assist in applying specific methods of learning, finding ways to improve concentration, and more.
  • Birth coaching: Parenting coaches may also decide to specialize in coaching for birth, assisting parents before and directly after the birth of their child and also with sleep coaching as well as feeding and finding balance.
  • Coaching in communication: Communication is an essential component of parenting coaching in general, communication coaching focuses on helping parents build their communication abilities in various ways, including conflict-resolution and setting limits with their children.
  • Coaching for co-parenting: Parents in co-parenting relationship can benefit from the services of parenting coaches that specialize in helping parents navigate the many challenges of parenting.

The parenting coach specialization that's right for you is based on a variety of factors such as your prior experiences, your interests, as well as the level of education. For help, try talking to parenting coaches you admire to learn more about their work and their areas of expertise.

What's the difference between a life coach or an adult coach?

A coach for parenting focuses on helping parents discover, understand how to apply various ways of parenting and methods. As an example, a parent coach could assist families in:

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

Parents' coaches are aiming to provide information, support, and encouragement parents so that they can discover ways to overcome various challenges and foster closer connections to the children they have.

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

There aren't any formal requirements or qualifications to be a parenting coach.

Contrary to counseling or therapy parenting coaching does not require some kind of educational or training before you start working on.

That being said, many parenting coaches have various forms of training such as:

  • Bachelor's degree in a related field: It's common that parenting coaches have a bachelor's degree in related fields like education, social work, counseling, as well as psychology.
  • Certification of a parenting coach: Many parenting coaches earn a certification or accreditation before beginning to work as a parent coach through an in-person or online course.
  • Relevant work experience: Work experience in the field of parenting coaching is an advantage if you want to become a parent coach, including working as a volunteer or in coaches' organizations, whether private or public.

You can start a business parenting coaching tomorrow - but, in order to become a confident and reliable parent coach to your clients, it's beneficial to obtain a certification from an established parenting coach certification program with relevant experience, too.

3 steps to become a parent coach

Here are 3 tips to help you learn the steps to becoming a parenting coach, and obtain an accreditation as a parent coach, even with no previous experience.

Choose your specialization

If you're considering ways to become a parent coach, it's difficult to determine what kind of training or certification will be the best for you.

The truth is, there is a wide variety of areas for parenting coaches - and the certifications for parenting coaches will be appropriate for certain individuals may not be right for you.

In order to give your search greater focus, begin by getting clear on what you want to specialize in. If, for instance, you are certain that you would like to become a nutrition and parenting coach select a coach certification program that has the focus on nutrition.

If you're unsure what your area of expertise is, try writing your list of the following items:

  • Your hobbies and interests
  • Your previous experience
  • Your abilities, strengths and educational background
  • How can you uniquely assist parents

Think about the parenting topics that you're most interested in which you're regularly asked for advice on by people around you. If you find yourself talking to your friends and family about the same subjects and issues, that's a signal that there could be an ideal niche or area of expertise for you.

By actively writing down what you're good at and the areas in which you've got most expertise, you can get specific about the path you'd like to pursue with your parenting coach business and begin to create a company that's tailored for your individual strengths and capabilities.

Compare the parenting programs of coaches

Once you've decided on the specific area of parenting coaching you'd like to focus on, you can start by comparing and evaluating different parenting coach certification programs in order to select the one that's most suitable for your needs.

These are some of the things to bear in mind during your research:

  • Experience of instructor of the program
  • Accreditation of programs
  • Course delivery methods e.g. in-person, online, or self-taught
  • Support for students and supervision
  • Course duration
  • Certifications and credentials that you'll get
  • Cost to obtain the certification

The program that's best for you will depend on the content, the flexibility and delivery methods you're looking for. If in doubt, get in touch with the program organizer for a detailed explanation of the value you'll receive from the program.

Completion of the certification

If you've decided on the parenting coach certification you'd like to complete make time for the training to complete the assessment and receive your certificate.

You can use your qualifications as marketing material for your website as well as social media and an email footer that gives your coaching company more credibility and a competitive edge. If you have a formal certification, you could be able to join a parenting coach association or organization to aid in locating clients as well as professional contacts.

Be aware that you do not have to obtain the parenting coach's certification or qualification before you start coaching. It's entirely your choice as to which route you take.

5 best parenting coach certifications

Qualifying Coaching institute Certification needs Programm length Cost
Parent Coach Certification Training Program Parent coaching institute (PCI)
  • Complete 4 Distance Learning Courses
  • 100 hours of coaching
  • 2x monthly telephone classes
  • Additional readings
Twelve months $5,800
Parenting Coach Certification Jai Institute for Parenting
  • 7 hours of study each week
  • Weekly video lessons Plus written assignments
  • Weekly cohort call
  • Weekly coaching calls for practice
7 Months $4500
Conscious Parenting Method Certification Conscious Parenting Institute
  • 8-10 hours of studying every week
  • Weekly group coaching call
  • 4 weeks practical experience
  • Final written assessment
5 month $8500
Parenting Coaching Certification Mindful Kids
  • 3 hours per week
  • Complete video lessons
  • An internship that is practical and involves 2 sets of parents
  • 10 page assignment
12 Weeks EUR2,840 (approx $3030)
Parenting Coaching Certification Anu Family Services
  • 6 hours per week
  • Live classes on a weekly basis
  • Weekly assignments
  • Bi-weekly mentorship for instructors
8 month $3500

Practical experience gained as a parenting coach

As well as getting the right certification or qualification to be a parenting coach, it's also helpful to acquire practical experience as a coach for parents before you begin working with paid clients.

There are a range of options to get practical knowledge - here's a few ideas:

  • Choose a valid certification Some parenting coach certifications offer the opportunity to work in a real-world setting as part of the certification, which gives you the chance to gain hands-on experience before you start your own business as a parenting coach. This is extremely helpful in particular if you've zero prior experience coaching, counseling or a similar area.
  • Begin by working with your people you know: If you're only beginning your journey as a parenting coach, your initial clients will probably be families and close friends. Be clear about your level of experience as well as the fact you're planning to do coaching with them, so they are aware of what they're getting into before you begin.
  • Join a group: Volunteering is also an efficient way of gaining real-world experience as a parent coach prior to working with paid clients. A reputable organization might be able to give you advice and training on-the-job, which will allow you to gain knowledge as you work.

4 suggestions to help you create your parenting coach business

The process of gaining education and experience as a parenting coach is just the start, if you want to learn how to become a parenting coach, you also need to be able to establish your own business and market your service. Here are 4 tips to help.

Find your target audience

The first step towards making a business successful is identifying the people you want to reach.

There is a chance that you think "my primary target market is my parents, evidently". It's true. However, if you're hoping to build a thriving brand then you must be clear on exactly which parents you'd like to collaborate with and how you will assist the parents.

As an instance, suppose you're specializing as a coaching coach for parents who are sleep deprived. If that's the case, you'll be aiming at new or pregnant parents instead of parents of teens, because they're the ones who're going to need and want your services.

To help you find the right audience for your project, ask yourself these questions:

  • Who would be my ideal client?
  • What problems are they struggling with?
  • Which are the primary needs and desires?
  • How do they measure their demographics? E.g. age range, location, income level
  • What are their attitudes and values?
  • What solution are they seeking?

Choose a business model

Building your business as a parenting coach will also require you to decide how you'll sell your services to customers - which includes the kind of method you'd like to adopt.

Many parenting coaches begin by offering private 1:1 coaching sessions to their clients. For example, a parenting coach might charge a fixed price for a 90-minute online sessions with parents.

However, while it's the easiest way to begin your own parenting business this isn't the only option to earn a living as a parenting coach. This isn't the most cost effective. Why? because when working one-on-one with clients there's a limitation on the number of parents you're able help as well as the amount of money you'll earn through coaching.

Here are 3 additional alternatives to business models:

  • Group coaching Parents struggle with similar challenges, and group coaching could be an extremely beneficial way of parenting coaching, giving you the chance to help more parents and introduce the social aspect to your coaching services too.

There's no correct or incorrect method to market your coaching services for parents and you'll always are able to bring other products or services as you go. For example, when you've established yourself as a parenting coach and you're able to add an membership program to open up a new revenue stream for your company.

Make your connections as a coach

Beginning a parenting business can be a lot simpler when you have a list of contacts. Many parenting coach businesses run on word-of-mouth advertising as well as referrals. However, there are a myriad of strategies that you can employ to boost the visibility of your brand and connect with your ideal clientele.

Here are a few techniques to consider:

Network of parenting experts

Meet others in your field to expand your coaching business. This includes teachers, counselors and trainers, experts from the industry and many more.

It is possible to build your network both in person and online, including:

  • Industry events
  • Conferences
  • Webinars
  • Social media

Don't be afraid to ask hello to people - they will want to chat with you. It's simply a an issue of saying hello and establishing a dialogue.

Work with other brands

If you're coaching on the internet You can spread your net wider and focus on growing your network through collaborations with other companies. In addition to giving you access to a wide variety of people who are interesting in your area of expertise, it will also help you generate new leads for your business.

Here are some ideas to collaborate:

  • Podcast guests: Look for podcasts that fit your niche and reach out to the producers or hosts for an opportunity to be invited to join them. Remember to demonstrate what you can bring to the table - including your expertise, experience and passions.
  • Articles and guest blogs: You can find blogs and websites that share the same target market and allow you to write a guest post on their behalf to showcase your expertise and increase publicity for your company.
  • Social media takeovers If you're seeking to grow your social media idea, you could consider hosting a media takeover by involving a relevant brand, influencer, or a fellow parenting coach. This is a really fun approach to grow your following and win more followers in the process.

Utilize your network

Do not underestimate the potential of your current connections and former clients to help you level up your company - stay contact and keep those relationships to generate new leads in the future.

When you've built a client base, you can ask for testimonials and reviews to use as social proof across your website and social media to build confidence with potential clients. if they can hear about the successes of your previous clients as well, they're likely to want to use the services of your company themselves.

Be clear about your mission

The trick to advertising your brand, whether you're an individual, or a global organization - is to define your brand mission.

Your mission statement for your brand communicates your purpose, objectives and the goals you want to accomplish as a parent coach.

  • What do you want to help parents with?
  • Why are you taking on the job you're currently doing?
  • What goals do you have for the future?

If you are able to communicate a clear message and the right set of values or motives, you can speak directly to your target audience online. No matter what you do it is possible to always refer back to this idea in your advertising.

Here's an example of HTML0:

Crystal Haitsma's coaching company can be built around the simple idea of "Helping you parent calm, confident kids that you want to spend time with".

4 successful examples of coaching for parents

Ready to be inspired on your path to becoming a parent coach? Check out these 4 examples from online parenting coaches who built their businesses from scratch.

          Great Inside

Clinical psychologist Dr Becky Kennedy built a parent coaching business selling digital products that include a bestseller book podcast as well as online classes. Her brand Good Inside offers membership subscriptions to parents with a range of parenting courses and classes covering everything from toilet training to tackling problematic behaviors.

          Michelle Gambs

After 20 years coaching parents as a psychotherapist, parent coach and psychotherapist Michelle Gambs wrote a book "Stay Away from Option D' to help parents accept that they may not be perfect. Her expertise was later turned into an online podcast, YouTube channel as well as a four-week parenting course for parents. Her philosophies? "I did not say it would be simple, I just said it would be worth it ."

          Parent Hope Project

The Parent Hope Project is a social enterprise built for parents with the aim to help them gain confidence and restore their self-awareness to better assist their children's mental health and wellbeing. The project was created by Dr. Jenny Brown, the Parent Hope Project offers online coaching to parents and also professional training courses for people looking to develop the skills to become the parent coach of their own.

          Consciousness Academy

Writer and coach Rhonda Victoor teaches parents how to be conscious, mindful parents, while also advancing as individuals. This includes lessons on how to cultivate curiosity, how to cope to advice from others and also how to build the presence of a parent. Additionally, she is a professional speaker, leader as well as a communication coach.

Do you want to know how to become a parent coach?

Now is easier than ever before to master the skills to become a parent coach and to start your own parenting coach business. From coaching online to memberships and products that are digital, there's a whole range of ways you can make money from your expertise and help more parents.

If you're eager to get started, test at no cost and discover how you can use it.