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Parents’ House civil franchise

 

The Parents’ House Institution

The Parents’ House cultural and mental hygienic institution was founded in 2007 by social politician Judit Regős in Budapest, the XI-th District ’Eleven Center’. The main activities of the institution include:

  • direct and indirect development of the parental competence
  • bio-psycho-social strengthening of the family as the basic unit of society
  • empowerment
  • community building

Areas:

  • alternative childcare primarily for families raising 0-12 years old children (with or without parental supervision, occasionally or regularly)
  • counseling
  • cultural programs for children and families
  • club sessions, courses for parents, families

 

Professional methodology

At Parents’ Houses, pedagogues of special psychological and sociological education are employed.  With this expertise they are able to build trust relationships with families; recognize and handle upcoming problems and issues in parenting and family relationships; facilitate a community and help to keep connection to make sure real integration actually happens.

The business model

The business model is a special cooperation including the venture (70-80% of revenues), the local government, the state (support and tenders) and the business sector (CSR-based cooperation).

Sustainability, expansion

The model is based on the above mentioned logic that ensures long-term sustainability. This makes it possible for Parents’ House to become a national civil franchise network and to provide support and cost-saving for its partners. The business model provides opportunity for small entrepreneurs to operate according to a viable, proven economic model while taking local opportunities and needs into consideration as well.

 

Contents of the Parents’ House program:
  • Standardized, continuously improved professional program – continuous quality control
  • 120 hour long training for employees, extension courses
  • Support in developing the business plan
  • Central marketing, PR, procurement
  • Handing over a working model, support in cooperation with local governments in the interest of families in need
  • Channeling corporate subsidies for families in need through the national foundation of Parents’ House. The founder of the foundation is Dénes Kemény, PhD.

 

Goals of the Parents’ House initiative:

  • supporting viable, sustainable, good quality service providers
  • ensuring professional quality
  • expanding children daycare places
  • innovation in family policy

 

Presentation of the House of Parents Program

Judit Regős founded Parents’ House in 2007 together with other high-skilled and authentic experts.  She is a family counselor, social politician and an active analytical therapist. Parents’ House is a special childcare institution and social environment, targeting not only children aged between 0 and 12, but also their families or parents expecting their first child.

However, it is not only a simple childcare, but one dedicated to guide parents and their children throughout the first important years of their personality development.

The program consists of the following activities:

  • alternative childcare activities mainly for families with younger kids (aged between 0-12) (together with the parents or without them, occasionally or regularly)
  • consultancy (to provide help to families directly or indirectly)
  • cultural programs for children and for the entire family
  • club activities, courses designed for parents, families

Parents’ House is a cultural and mental health institute that was created to give support for families during the very first years in order to be great parents and become a real family both physically and mentally.

The founder and manager of Parents’ House is Judit Regős, family consultant, social politician, active analytical therapist. She developed the system together with several high-skilled and authentic experts.

The Parents’ House Family Center, Mini-Nursery, which is based on the Regős Methodology, is well known all over Hungary. In 2009, Judit Regős won a competition called „Többet érsz” (‘You are worth more’) by Vodafone, won a prize for Családbarát Média (‘Family-friendly Media’), and since 2012 she has collaborated as an expert at different media channels that discussed family topics, and became an expert consultant of the Ministry of Human Resources.

Today, the program has been recognized by other experts; furthermore the European Council and the World Bank highlighted it as a great example to follow and to support. In 2016, Parents’ House won another prize, called “Családbarát munkahely” (‘Family-friendly workplace’) due to its supporting activities to make the life of families easier and smoother.

The first center was founded in January 2007 in Budapest, where you can find a playhouse and two smaller rooms for special programs. It was a deliberate choice to start this activity within a shopping mall, in order to bring our service closer to the target group.

Our main target is families with young children and those that are expecting a child.

We are looking for parents, who would like to:

  • enroll their child aged between 0,5-3 years to a small nursery
  • take their child to a social environment for a couple of hours where they can play or attend to a music lesson, creative activity or sport
  • leave their kid with a skilled teacher at a familiar place
  • organize a birthday party or any other event outside of home
  • look for advice and help regarding their relationship, family or children’s education through personal consultations, trainings or thematic events

The aim of this structure is to create more and more places where we can help and support families and provide alternative childcare that operates according to the Regős Methodology.

The franchise system helps its members to act more efficiently: integrated methodology, standard outlook, professional trainings and services.

In order to achieve the above mentioned benefits, the next step is to open Parents’ House at new locations.

 

Reason for the existence of the program

Nowadays, one of the greatest problems is the separation of mothers, children and families and their atomized existence. In previous centuries, families struggled with different challenges. Today`s latest challenge is recognizing the pitfalls of the so called “I can do everything alone” attitude and realizing new horizons, experiencing the strength of community and cooperation in a way that is more advanced than previous periods.

Previous communities were fundamentally based on hierarchical structures and they usually relied on the – often overstated – human adaptability. People of the 20th century refused all this and have chosen separation and atomization instead. However, we started to recognize that peer relationships, cooperation and the communities that own these characteristics ensure survival, elevation and a higher level of living standards.

The Parents’ House Program recognised this trend. Building on the strength of a cooperative community we created our institutional program where children, parents can be together in a room and they can acquire new knowledge and coping strategies. They can build new relationships here and as a result, the social network widens and the participants’ quality of life and sense of security improves significantly.

The program connects generations, brings different social strata together which bring about real integration. The program also greatly supports women reintegration. Women, besides participating in the program itself, have an opportunity to establish their own Parents’ House unit as an entrepreneur.

Network-like operation supports small enterprises too. It has a positive effect on social affiliation; develop the competence level of parents, minority’s acceptance – Roma minority in particular. Belonging to a community strengthens the sense of emotional security which may contribute to having more kids. It helps develop the level of children’s and parents’ emotional intelligence, the level of empathy and improves their bio-psycho-social and mental hygienic conditions.

Our professional methodology, besides parents’ support, also focuses on environmental consciousness, energy saving, parents’ education to reach material goods, and provides flexible children day care.

 

Results, Recognitions, Awards

In 2012, the Parents’ House program was awarded “Best Practice” by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound). Two important reasons were highlighted as for this great achievement. On the one hand, the support of parents was built upon collaborative communities. As a result of this, not only professional specialists (family therapists, psychologists and animators) but also the community of parents are able to help the parents by providing solutions for problems of certain families.

On the other hand, the Parents’ House operation model was founded on several pillars, creating financial sustainability and the possibility of developing a social network. The aforementioned pillars include child welfare assistance provided by the government, various grants rewarded by certain departments and the EU, and access to the CSR programs of the business sphere in addition to the profit of the enterprise itself.

Our program was also admitted as a best practice by The World Bank, headquartered in Washington, in 2014. They recognized that our innovative and global know-how could be adapted locally and could work in different European countries too.  Generally, European counties struggle with same social problems that of Hungary. Our business and professional model is flexible, ensures other countries to consider local conditions and based on this, develop their own local model.

The first Parents’ House Family Center and Playhouse was created in 2007 in Újbuda. During the pilot period we provided support for more than 1000 families both with ability to pay and in need.

After the Újbuda unit, Parents’ House ‘Győr’s Heart’ Family Center was opened in 2014. Then, in 2015 the ‘Warmth of Home’ unit in Érd opened which was the first Parent’s House Community Family Daycare where the acknowledged method of Parents’ House was combined with the family daycare format. In 2016 another new unit opened, the Parents’ House ‘Child Nest’ Family Daycare has been waiting for the families since then. So, currently we welcome the families at 4 locations across the country.

Within the framework of the program, we introduced the International Festival of Parents. Together with other family organisations and the State Secretary of Family and Youth Affairs of the Ministry of Human Resources, we helped the people in need with a large-scale charity event.

Furthermore, we were involved in CSR programs and supported the voluntary work of Vodafone.

In the summers of 2015 and 2016, the Ministry of Human Resources selected us to organise the summer camp for the children of their staff.

In 2015, the Parents’ House Foundation was founded and then launched its ‘Tegyél Jót!’ (‘Do Good!’) campaign. The aim of the campaign is to integrate those families into the community, sport and art life that could not do so due to lack of financial resources. The campaign is justified as the disadvantaged families are often isolated, live in their own closed communities and they have no opportunity to create new relationships or break out from the neediness-trap. Sport and community programs, networking with peers in better social situations provide opportunity for them to create new relationships, get new experiences and break out.

In December 2015, Judit Regős’s book ’You weren’t born to be a mother’ was published. It is a book about becoming a family without any taboos. Judit Regős has been supporting families as a counselor for 20 years over which thousands have turned to her for advice. She is the one behind the ’Regős Methodology’ that is used at the Parents’ House network and at the foundation wearing the same name (Parents’ House Foundation). Furthermore, she is the mother of four kids. In her book, Regős summarizes her experiences at these two fields of life, each of which being very far-reaching by itself. The main idea of the book is that ’the parent is also a person’.

The book gives answer to some 150 actual questions, thereby offering an authentic alternative for those planning to have a baby or already raising some: FAMILY. It does not list readymade solutions for issues, but highlights those connections that bond or cause clashes among family members. The content is enriched by personal stories and examples of well-known interviewees and quotes taken from the ’Társalgó’ (Chat) column of BABANET clearly prove that the book discusses relevant issues.

Awards and prizes:

2016     Family-friendly Workplace award

2014     Introduction of the program for the World Bank located in Washington

2012    Eurofound Best Practice qualification

2011, 2012 Graham Maher international award nominations

2009    Full-time Angel („Főállású angyal”), Winner of the ‘You are Worth More’ Program (Többet Érsz Program), Vodafone Hungary

2008    ‘Family-friendly Media’ Award („Családbarát médiáért” díj), Media for the Family Foundation