Empowering Change
Who We Are
Parenting Inside Out(PIO) is a program of The Pathfinder Network, a 501©(3) non-profit. We offer an evidence-based parenting skills training program specifically designed for justice-involved parents. Our collaborative effort supports both incarcerated and community-based parents, focusing on enhancing parenting skills, reinforcing family connections, and aiding in successful reentry and the reduction of recidivism.
This program is offered in collaboration with the Oregon Social Learning Center.
The development team was led by Dr. J. Mark Eddy, a licensed psychologist and scientist at the Oregon Social Learning Center (OSLC). Primary team members included Dr. Rex Newton, a staff member of Pathfinders of Oregon and a prison psychologist who had worked with parents in prison and on probation and parole for over three decades; Dr. Charles R. Martinez, Jr., a licensed psychologist and scientist at OSLC and a faculty member at the University of Oregon; Dr. Leslie Leve, a developmental psychologist and scientist at OSLC; and Ms. Tracy Schiffmann, an instructional designer, adult learning specialist, and experienced parent educator. To launch the development process, the team conducted numerous focus groups and individual interviews with incarcerated parents; conducted an extensive literature review of parenting programs for families at-risk, incarcerated parents, and children of incarcerated parents, and consulted with practitioners working with incarcerated parents. A key starting place for PIO was the wealth of knowledge derived from experience with the cognitive-behavioral parent management training (PMT) programs developed at OSLC from the 1960’s to the 1990’s.
Working within five correctional facilities of the Oregon Department of Corrections, the curriculum was developed, pilot-tested, and refined over three years. Following this work, an initial outline for the program was created, and sessions were drafted, pilot-tested, and refined. The parenting coaches who taught the initial drafts of the program, including Ms. Barbara Chow, Ms. Ashley Brown, Mr. Pernell Brown, and Ms. Laura Olin, played important roles in shaping the curriculum. Following the pilot, the curriculum was reviewed by practitioners, advocacy group representatives, researchers, and incarcerated and caregiver parents, and final revisions were made. Throughout the development process, members of the State of Oregon Children’s Project gave key input, as did the members of the Lifer’s Club at the Oregon State Penitentiary. The final draft was completed in 2006.
The development of PIO was supported by four primary funders: the National Institute of Mental Health, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the Oregon Department of Corrections, and Pathfinders of Oregon, now The Pathfinder Network. With a $2.1 million grant from the National Institute of Health in 2003, PIO underwent rigorous evaluation in the Parent Child Study, leading to its placement on the National Registry of Evidence-based Practices and Programs in 2012. In 2014, PIO was placed on the Federal of Prisons family programs list.
Continually evolving, PIO’s second edition, released in 2017, incorporates the latest in trauma-informed and gender-responsive practices interventions, addressing modern parenting challenges. In 2020, PIO was placed on the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare. Today, PIO continues to grow to meet the needs of justice-involved parents and the agencies that serve them.
The Goals of PIO
Parenting Inside Out provides tools and skills to support parental, child, and family resilience and foster family connections that lead to positive outcomes for the whole family.
Reduce the impact of parental incarceration on children by maintaining parent-child contact
Reduce recidivism through building and maintaining family connections
Give justice-involved parents skills to be effective parents whether they are inside an institution or in the community
The Parenting Inside Out Team
Sparrow Whitchurch
PIO Program Specialist
Sparrow leads the Parenting Inside Out Program and has been with The Pathfinder Network since 2023. They have a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in Multicultural Gender Studies and a minor in Health Promotion. They are motivated by their lived experience of familial criminal justice involvement and bridging gaps in resources for others who share those experiences. With a background in service and advocacy, Sparrow is eager to collaborate with diverse partners implementing the Parenting Inside Out curriculum with impact.
Jason Botel
PIO Coach Trainer
Jason has been with The Pathfinder Network for over seven years. He has a Masters degree in Education with a focus on Adult Learners. His work began delivering curriculum at the state penitentiary and expanded to several other Oregon institutions. He is the Parenting Inside Out Coach Trainer and supports the organization as a member of the Training Support Team.
Marcia Perez
Partnered Impact Department Manager
As the Partnered Impact Department Manager, Marcia helps to drive the expansion of Parenting Inside Out, bringing over a decade of experience in equity-focused program development and justice-centered strategies. She fosters strategic partnerships to expand PIO’s reach, ensuring that families impacted by the justice system have access to transformative, evidence-based supports across systems.
Leticia Longoria-Navarro
Executive Director
As Executive Director at The Pathfinder Network, Leticia partners with agency team members to provide leadership, vision, community and support to the organization to ensure our greatest impact. She was a prior PIO Coach and is passionate about supporting others implementing PIO. Leticia brings lived experience of parental and family criminal justice system-involvement.
Sheri Sandoval
Director of Training & Development
Sheri joined The Pathfinder Network in January 2013 as a facilitator/coach for our parenting and cognitive-behavioral corrections programs. She has held numerous positions including Parenting Inside Out Coach Trainer, Administrative Support Specialist, Eastside Institution Manager, Eastside Training and Development Manager and Director of Corrections Programs. She is a certified Parenting Inside Out Coach Trainer and is currently the Director of Training and Development.
Parenting Inside Out Collaborators
J. Mark Eddy
J. Mark Eddy, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and prevention scientist and the Margie Gurley Seay Centennial Professor in Education at The University of Texas at Austin. He has served as the lead scientist on multiple randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of programs delivered within systems of care relevant to children and families. He led the development of Parenting Inside Out and was the principal investigator on the first RCT of the program.
Pajarita Charles
Pajarita Charles, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the School of Social Work and an affiliate of the Institute for Research on Poverty and the Center for Law, Society, and Justice at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research centers on the development, implementation, and testing of family-focused preventive interventions to promote positive outcomes for children and families affected by the criminal justice system.
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