2010/2011 API Accomplishments and Plans

Falling in love with API

Why love API and the work it does

Just over 17 years ago, two special education professionals in Tennessee, close friends and both mothers, were deeply concerned, seeing more than what others saw when working with their students. It was that likely few of these junior high students had learning disabilities but rather, as they engaged in gang activity, fatherhood, and suffered emotionally, these children were really lacking attention and early secure attachment.

These soon-to-be cofounders of a global nonprofit support and education organization, Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker, began to seek out the wisdom of those working in the field of attachment theory, becoming informed, as well as affirmed as much of their learning they were already instinctively applying to caring for their own children. What they learned, all parents needed to know. They faced a major challenge, because what they had to share with other parents was not what parents were accustomed to and not the advice given by the dominate voices in parenting. Soon, the first local parent support group of Attachment Parenting International formed in Seattle in 1997, paving the way for an effective and cost efficient volunteer prevention model of ongoing grassroots support and education.

Within a few years API's mission was a shared one: more Leaders were accredited in API’s Eight Principles of Attachment, experts joined the Board and Advisory Council, 16 more API support groups began to serve more parents. Another 10 years forward...

2010/2011

Today, API personally reaches more than 10,000 families every year, in 70 cities and 10 countries. These numbers are expected to double in the next year. Lysa and Barbara continue their selfless work, traveling, writing, speaking, working with their own local support groups, and urging change and awareness. A global website reaches millions of families with regular information and support. Partnerships extend the reach, growing awareness and influence, and furthering API’s mission and its pillars of education, research, advocacy, and support for a more compassionate world.

Campaigns, Advocacy, and Research

API carried out major education campaigns on healthy attachment for healthy lifestyles “Full of Love;” babywearing awareness and safety “Close to Your Heart,” including its first “Twitter party;” safe and healthy sleep practices; and parent-child attachment-promoting play information and benefits “Families at Play.” API also continued advocacy campaigns related to support for babywearing, cosleeping/bedsharing, breastfeeding, and mothers in the workforce, and awareness raising regarding infant mortality. API supported numerous research efforts on attachment, breastfeeding, sleep, positive discipline, and prevention of child abuse.

Education Resources

API produced materials and programs on single parenting and attachment, custody and divorce, overindulgence and permissive parenting, bullying, spanking, power struggles, separation anxiety, attachment science, discerning media articles and research reports, marriage and parenting, peaceful and playful parenting, and helping children cope with disasters. Resources and webpages were translated into more languages. API opened up The Attached Family online magazine, now freely available to the public. API cooperated in several initiatives as broad ranging as ERGOparent magazine articles, a Korean public television documentary, a chapter in a comprehensive book on motherhood, and continued distribution and promotion of its cornerstone education resource, Attached at the Heart.

Outreach and Collaboration

API participated in and/or presented at 15 conferences across the U.S. and the UK, including the “Global Summit on Ending Corporal Punishment and Promoting Positive Discipline” and the “Symposium on Human Nature and Early Experience.” API engaged in partnerships to further the message of secure attachment with Search Institute, PBS’ This Emotional Life, Ask Dr Sears, Imago, Lamaze, the Center for Effective Discipline, Infant Massage USA, and many more.

Staffing and Leadership

API established committees on safe sleep and judicial education and welcomed dozens of new staff volunteers to its more than 60 dedicated volunteers around the world. Two new resource advisory council members joined API: AP Canada’s Judy Arnall and Infant Massage USA’s Linda Storm; Dr. Peter Haiman joined API’s advisory board; and API welcomed new board member, Martha Sears.

Funding

The Ripple campaign Annual Appeal raised more funds that any previous campaign. An eight week Principles online radio campaign worked to raise funds, and an online auction event was incorporated into API’s funding strategies. API employed iGive, CharityChoice, and corporate giving programs in addition to giving, membership, retail, event, and other fundraising strategies. Economic changes causing reduction of funds from several major donors require major, critical efforts to compensate for lost revenue by engaging new donors and continue programs. API faced and continues to face challenges common to many nonprofit prevention field organizations.

Ongoing Support

API responded daily to parent inquiries for resources and information; it expanded and improved its core impact strategy by equipping API Leaders and support groups, including with new babywearing resources and guidelines and a database of meeting materials; continued to improve its technology and communications tools and strategies; and explored best social networking approaches.

Planned

In store for next year is a new membership and advocacy program; a major outreach initiative with The Attached Family magazine; piloting of API’s Parent Education Program, partnering to reach new populations; new reports that capture API’s increased efforts to collect data and assess its impact; expanding the API Board; and continued efforts to secure API’s financial future.

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