DAISY ACADEMY / Educator preparation
New Parent Educator Training
Prepare educators to teach practical newborn and early-parenthood skills through accessible, participatory classes and individualized learning support.
Pre-sale · program in development
Your self-paced learning timeline
Enrollment opensOct 16, 2026
Online access opensFeb 1, 2027
Full content targetMar 8, 2027
Study available online lessons at your own pace in Wix Online Programs. The opening date marks the earliest online access. The full-content date is a development target, not a student completion deadline. Complete the required live sessions, practice and assessments for your program.
Pre-sale purchase provides access to a course still being developed. The full course is not available at purchase. Complete online study at your own pace, with required live sessions, practice and assessment.
Workshops & labs
Scheduled workshops begin at least three weeks after the full-content target for all associated programs and pathways. Complete the required preparation before attending; online study remains self-paced.
- New parent educator demonstration and teach-back studioMay 15, 2027Virtual6 instructional hours · Location: Virtual — joining details to follow · Time: TBD
Included in the listed tuition and instructional hours. Breaks do not count as instruction. Workshops and simulations do not replace required supervised client or teaching practice. Entry requirements and program assessments still apply.
Who this is for
Doulas, newborn care specialists, nurses, lactation professionals, community health workers, parenting educators, and perinatal professionals who teach families during pregnancy or the first year.
What you will learn
- Use adult-learning principles, health-literacy strategies, teach-back, accessible materials, and inclusive facilitation.
- Explain normal newborn transition, appearance, reflexes, behavioral states, cues, crying, sleep, feeding, elimination, and early development.
- Demonstrate routine newborn-care skills and teach them in ways that build parent confidence.
- Provide balanced, nonjudgmental education about breast/chestfeeding, pumping, bottle feeding, formula, combination feeding, and referral.
- Teach current safe-sleep, injury-prevention, home-safety, and emergency-planning concepts.
- Describe common newborn procedures, screening, pediatric follow-up, urgent warning signs, and when families should seek medical care.
- Support bonding, attachment, co-regulation, temperament awareness, infant mental health, and developmentally appropriate play.
- Address postpartum recovery, matrescence/patrescence, relationship changes, siblings, extended family, return to work, childcare, and diverse family-building pathways.
- Recognize perinatal mood/anxiety concerns and make appropriate referrals without screening or diagnosing beyond training.
- Design and deliver an engaging, evidence-informed parent-education course online or in person.
Entry & readiness
No clinical license required. Orientation and scope agreement; infant CPR training before in-person infant-care demonstrations with families.
How learning works
Paced blended cohort. Suggested pace: 6-8 weeks, followed by completion of the 8 verified teaching-practice hours.
Practice & application
8 supervised hours: 2 hours observing parent education, 4 hours teaching adult learners under an approved educator and 2 hours of mentor feedback and reassessment. At least one complete 60-minute teaching session is directly observed. Independent lesson drafting is recorded in study, not counted again in practice. Infant demonstrations may use dolls; access does not depend on recruiting a live infant.
Completion requirements
Complete every module and assigned artifact. Pass the knowledge assessment at 85% with all critical safety and scope items correct. Pass the applied assessment at 17/20 or higher, with at least 3/4 in each of five dimensions: accuracy, role boundaries, communication and inclusion, applied judgment, and documentation/reflection. Any critical error requires feedback and reassessment before completion. Live skills sessions are mandatory; missed instruction requires an equivalent assessed make-up.
Scope & credential clarity
The new parent educator provides general education, demonstration, confidence-building, and resource navigation. The educator does not diagnose, prescribe, replace pediatric or postpartum care, provide individualized treatment plans, install car seats unless separately credentialed, or present personal parenting preferences as the only acceptable choice.
The Daisy Academy award reflects the Academy’s own competency requirements. It does not confer licensure or automatically establish external accreditation, insurance recognition or third-party certification.
Course syllabus
Teaching schedule. Instruction includes simulation and assessment; independent study and verified client practice are counted separately.
Module 01PE01 Role Scope Ethics Adult Learning and Inclusive Facilitation
Differentiate education from clinical advice and identify learning barriers. Facilitate a short activity with an observable outcome and inclusive participation.
270 minutes instruction + 90 minutes independent study.
Topics: Teaching identity and access; Adult learning in practice
Assignment: Facilitation micro-teach, accessibility audit, and scope/referral cases.
Module 02PE02 Transition to Parenthood Birth Experience Bringing Baby Home and Values
Elicit family priorities without assuming household roles or birth experience. Develop a realistic homecoming plan with support and contingency options.
210 minutes instruction + 60 minutes independent study.
Topics: A new family system; Planning the first days
Assignment: Bringing-baby-home plan and family values/support-map exercise.
Module 03PE03 Normal Newborn Transition Appearance Reflexes States and Cues
Describe newborn appearance, reflexes and behavioral states at educator level. Teach parents to respond to cues and seek help for concerning changes.
195 minutes instruction + 60 minutes independent study.
Topics: Newborn observations; Cues and response
Assignment: Newborn-cue video analysis and normal-versus-refer sorting activity.
Module 04PE04 Hands On Newborn Care and Daily Routines
Demonstrate diapering, holding and bathing with safe setup. Coach a learner through a routine and correct unsafe steps respectfully.
270 minutes instruction + 75 minutes independent study.
Topics: Everyday care demonstrations; Parent return demonstration
Assignment: Doll-based skills circuit and learner teach-back.
Module 05PE05 Infant Feeding Education
Explain human milk, formula and mixed feeding without coercion. Demonstrate responsive bottle feeding and use current preparation guidance.
270 minutes instruction + 75 minutes independent study.
Topics: Feeding options and goals; Practical feeding education
Assignment: Balanced feeding-options lesson, paced-bottle demonstration, and referral cases.
Module 06PE06 Infant Sleep Safe Sleep and Responsive Routines
Explain variable infant sleep and demonstrate a safe sleep space. Design rest strategies that preserve feeding and safe sleep.
195 minutes instruction + 60 minutes independent study.
Topics: Sleep biology and safety; Responsive routines
Assignment: Safe-sleep environment audit and myth-correction teach-back.
Module 07PE07 Newborn Health Procedures Screening and Care Seeking
Explain routine newborn screening and the purpose of follow-up. Differentiate emergency action from routine pediatric questions.
270 minutes instruction + 75 minutes independent study.
Topics: Care seeking and screening; Urgency and referral
Assignment: Care-seeking decision scenarios and newborn-procedure education practice.
Module 08PE08 Safety Car Seat Education Choking and CPR Awareness and Home Preparedness
Identify hazards and explain car-seat instruction and CPST referral. Construct a family emergency plan with current CPR training access.
195 minutes instruction + 60 minutes independent study.
Topics: Home and transport safety; Emergency preparation
Assignment: Home-safety audit and external CPR/CPST referral plan.
Module 09PE09 Attachment Infant Mental Health Development Play and Neurodiversity
Explain responsive interaction without imposing rigid developmental predictions. Build an age-appropriate play plan with clear referral prompts.
195 minutes instruction + 60 minutes independent study.
Topics: Development and connection; Play and referral
Assignment: Create a first-year developmental-play guide with referral notes.
Module 10PE10 Family Adjustment Postpartum Well Being Relationships and Return to Work
Describe recovery and family changes with mental-health referral boundaries. Create a return-to-work and shared-care plan.
195 minutes instruction + 60 minutes independent study.
Topics: Parent recovery and relationships; Work and support transitions
Assignment: Family transition case conference and PMAD referral role-play.
Module 11PE11 Curriculum Design Teaching Practicum Evaluation and Business
Design a class with timed practice and assessment matched to objectives. Deliver and revise a scored lesson and cost a sustainable class.
135 minutes instruction + 45 minutes independent study.
Topics: A complete parent class; Teaching quality and business
Assignment: Submit a complete class plan and deliver a scored 20-minute teach-back.
Final assignment
Submit a complete parent-education class plan, accessible handout and referral directory; deliver a scored 20-minute teach-back, revise after feedback and submit verified teaching-practice evidence.
Materials and preparation
Digital course workbook, scenario pack and assignment templates; access to a device for reading and submitted work. Use fictional or de-identified examples. Faculty assign selected readings within the stated study hours.