Cultivate Connection Facilitator FAQs

Questions about the Cultivate Connection Course

What is Cultivate Connection?
  • Cultivate Connection is a peer-to-peer Parenting Course facilitated BY parents FOR parents. It is an 18 Module Course which equips parents and caregivers with a holistic understanding of their child’s needs and development while empowering them with the tools and strategies to effectively meet those needs, build trust, and help their child heal and grow. 
  • The training focuses on a wide range of topics, including:
    • The impact of a person’s history
    • What parents bring to the parent-child relationship
    • The fundamentals of attachment
    • The impact of stress on behavior
    • The importance of meeting a child’s sensory processing, nutritional, and other physiological needs
Is this an 18 week course?
  • Cultivate Connection includes 18 sixty-minute modules that can be delivered flexibly based on your community’s needs.
    • Many Facilitators opt to provide 9 weeks of 2-module sessions.
    • Some provide 18 weeks of 1-module sessions
    • Others provide 3 Saturdays of 6-module sessions.
Is this course Christian-based?
  • Cultivate Connection is a faith neutral parenting course that is appropriate for any audience.
  • However, for facilitators or course participants who are affiliated with Christian churches and ministries, there is a robust supplement called the “Theology of Connection Guide.” It is available for Christian audiences to use alongside the course modules. Theology of Connection can also be used as a stand-alone resource.
There’s a Facilitator in my area, but they are not hosting a course.
  • Cultivate Connection Facilitators set their own training schedule and logistics based on the needs of their community and their availability. The expectation is that Facilitators will host approximately 1 course per year. Email local Facilitators using our “Find a Facilitator” map to find out when the next course will be!
There are no Facilitators in my area.
  • We are growing our network of Facilitators through our 3x a year Facilitator Training.
  • Check back every few months to see an updated “Find a Facilitator” map. If you are a leader in your community, consider becoming a Cultivate Connection Facilitator!
Do I have to pay to attend a Cultivate Connection Course as a participant?
  • Yes! To participate in Cultivate Connection, you’ll be required to purchase your Participant Guide from Empowered to Connect (using a purchase code provided by your local Facilitator).
  • Depending on your location, you may also pay your Facilitator directly for some of the logistical/programming costs such as facility, child care, or refreshments.

Questions about being a Facilitator

Who are Cultivate Connection Facilitators?
  • Cultivate Connection Facilitators are parents who have personal experience parenting children who have experienced trauma, medically complex needs, adversity, or who are neurodiverse. These Facilitators bring Cultivate Connection to their local communities to provide peer-to-peer parent support.
What are Cultivate Connection Facilitators expected to do?
  • Cultivate Connection Facilitators have lots of responsibilities! After completing their training, the first step is logistics. Facilitators are responsible for securing a location, marketing their course, and getting participants from their local community to sign up.
  • Then, they’re responsible for delivering the course. The course is flexible and designed to be able to be delivered in many different environments.
  • Then, they support course participants! In addition to leading classes, Cultivate Connection Facilitators foster a community of parents who can lean on one another throughout life’s many seasons. 
  • Cultivate Connection Facilitators are expected to host a course approximately 1 time per calendar year to maintain their “Active” Facilitator designation.
Once I become a Facilitator, can I use the material however I want?
  • Facilitators have freedom to provide courses in their local community with some flexibility, but the course must be facilitated in its entirety – not changed and adapted for other purposes.
  • Cultivate Connection was primarily intended for in-person courses for parents.
  • Facilitators may provide online courses in instances where there is a relational connection between the Facilitator and Course Participants, with prior approval from the ETC Team.
  • Every course participant is required to purchase their course materials ($49-$159) through the Empowered to Connect website.  Materials may not be copied, distributed or reproduced.
Are Cultivate Connection Facilitators paid employees of Empowered to Connect?
  • No. Cultivate Connection Facilitators are parents in their local communities who bring this course to parents in their sphere of influence! Once trained, Facilitators can flexibly deliver this course to various parent audiences near them.
After I become a Facilitator, are there other associated costs?
  • Once you’re a Cultivate Connection Facilitator, you’ll receive ongoing training and support from Empowered to Connect at no cost to you.
  • Not all Facilitators spend money to run their courses, but some do! Facilitators may spend money running Cultivate Connection Courses in their community to cover logistical expenses including location rental, food or refreshments, and child care costs.
Can I charge money to provide these courses?
  • Cultivate Connection Facilitators sometimes charge money for participation in Courses to cover some of the logistical expenses.
  • When deciding if and how much to charge, we ask that you keep in mind that every course participant will be spending at a minimum $49-$159 to purchase their Course Materials from the ETC website, before any additional charges that Facilitators may need to cover.
Do course participants sign up through Empowered to Connect?
  • No. Course participants communicate with local Facilitators to sign up for Cultivate Connection Course offerings. 
  • However, every course participant is required to purchase their course materials ($49-$159) through the Empowered to Connect website (using a code pr.  Materials may not be copied, distributed or reproduced.
Can my organization pay for course material for participants?
  • Yes. Organizations can fill out a memorandum of understanding and sponsor all or part of the materials cost for course participants. 
  • Participants or their sponsoring organization must purchase the participant materials for all participating caregivers. Materials may not be copied, distributed or reproduced.

Questions about Facilitator Training

What are Cultivate Connection Facilitators paying for?
  • Cultivate Connection Facilitators are trained to bring over 20 hours of content back to their communities.
  • Additionally, they are trained in best practices for facilitating discussions, supporting parents, leading courses, and handling logistics.
  • They participate in a total of 50 hours of training with Empowered to Connect Staff, including time for personal questions, reflections, and applications along the way.
  • While participating in the in person Phase 2 Training, meals and materials are provided.
  • They receive a Facilitator Manual and Slide Decks for the 18 Modules, which accompany the Participant Guide that their course participants will purchase and use.
  • They receive access to a growing network of Cultivate Connection Facilitators across the globe.
  • They receive ongoing support and training from the Empowered to Connect Team – a lifetime benefit with no additional costs.
  • See “I want to become a Facilitator but… I can’t afford the training cost” if the cost is prohibitive for you or your family!
Do I have to participate in Phase 1 live? Do I have to come to the in person Phase 2?
  • Yes and yes! In order to become a Facilitator, you must complete 8 weeks live online before traveling to our in-person training weekend.
I want to become a Facilitator but… I am not a parent.
  • Because our course is peer-to-peer, only parents may become Cultivate Connection Facilitators. 
  • Professionals – we strongly encourage you to think about becoming a TBRI® Practitioner through the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development!
I want to become a Facilitator but…I can’t attend the Phase 1 online training during the scheduled time.
  • We offer Facilitator Training 3x per year. Phase 1 must be completed live online and Phase 2 must be attended in person. 
  • 2 Facilitator Trainings a year offer evening times for Phase 1.
  • 1 Facilitator Training a year offers day times for Phase 1. 
  • If you are living internationally, fill out a “Contact Us” form to let us know you’d be interested in a future training opportunity – we’re currently gauging interest for a fully online International Cohort that works with your time zone.
I want to become a Facilitator but… I can’t attend the Phase 2 in person training weekend.
  • If you are living internationally, fill out a “Contact Us” form to let us know you’d be interested in a future training opportunity – we’re currently gauging interest for a fully online International Cohort. 
  • If you live in the United States, keep an eye on our website! Future in person training locations will vary, and you may be able to come to a training nearer to you at a future date. At this time, ALL Facilitators must participate in the in person training weekend.
I want to become a Facilitator but… my spouse/parenting partner doesn’t want to attend the training or can’t because of their work schedule.
  • We accept applications for both COUPLES and INDIVIDUALS to become Facilitators!
  • If an individual would like to become a Facilitator, their spouse/partner is NOT required to attend the in person portion of Facilitator Training, but they ARE required to attend the 8 week online training portion. This is to ensure that our Facilitators are on the same “parenting page” as their spouse/partner!
  • If a couple would like to Facilitate together, both must participate in Phase 1 and 2. 
  • If you and your spouse/partner have participated in a Cultivate Connection Course or another Empowered to Connect parenting course in the past 2 years, your spouse/partner may qualify for an exception to this requirement. Reach out to becca@empoweredtoconnect.org if you are in this situation or have more questions about this requirement!
I want to become a Facilitator but… I can’t afford the training cost
  • We acknowledge that the training cost can be a big lift for some applicants!
  • See “What am I paying for?” to understand the associated costs of Facilitator Training.
  • Many of our applicants have a portion of their training cost covered by their organization, nonprofit, or church. If you plan to facilitate the course with or for an organization, consider asking them to support the training expense.
  • Some of our applicants also do personal fundraising. There are many creative ways to get the funds needed to bring Cultivate Connection to your community!
  • Stay tuned for future scholarship opportunities!

Questions about ETC’s partners/sponsors

Is Cultivate Connection Facilitator Training the same as TBRI® Practitioner Training?
  • No. TBRI® Practitioner Training is provided by the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KPICD), and is appropriate for professionals who desire to bring trauma-informed, attachment-rich TBRI® to their organizations. 
  • Cultivate Connection Facilitator Training is provided by Empowered to Connect and is appropriate for parents who desire to bring trauma-informed, attachment-rich parenting material to other parenting in their local communities.
  • ETC has a long history and partnership with KPICD so Cultivate Connection is informed by and aligned with TBRI® Principles. Some individuals opt to participate in both trainings.
How are ETC, the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development, and Show Hope connected?
  • History
    • Empowered to Connect has historically served primarily through trainers leading the Connect and Prepare courses in their communities, as well as our participation with the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development in Show Hope’s annual conference (Formerly called the Empowered to Connect Conference, currently called Hope for the Journey Conference). 
    • The origin of the work of ETC was a collaborative effort between Dr. Karyn Purvis and Michael and Amy Monroe to co-author the Connect Course and the Created to Connect Study Guide. 
  • Continued Collaboration
    • TCU/Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development: Our team is continuing to build on the rich history and long relationship between ETC and KPICD as we serve and resource families and communities nationally and globally. Additionally, ETC is a TBRI® Ambassador Organization working in the State of Tennessee through our Safe & Secure Tennessee Program. 
    • Show Hope: As one of our partners, supporters, and champions, Show Hope is instrumental in moving our work forward. We continue to participate in the annual Hope for the Journey Conference, as well as collaborate on current and new projects.