Parent Leadership Training Institute at RIPIN

A photo collage with six pictures of the RIPIN Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI). Photos are of graduates of the PLTI program.

RIPIN is proud to offer the Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI)—a free, 20-week virtual program that equips parents, caregivers, and community members with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to become effective leaders and advocates for children, families, and communities.

Since launching in 2024, RIPIN’s PLTI has welcomed passionate participants from across Rhode Island who are ready to turn lived experience into leadership. Through weekly sessions, peer support, and a capstone community project, participants gain tools to influence systems and shape policies that matter to them.

Why Join PLTI?

Benefits:

  • Strengthen your voice as a parent and advocate
  • Learn how government and policy systems work
  • Build skills in public speaking, civic engagement, and community organizing
  • Connect with a diverse network of peers, alumni, and mentors
  • Complete 70 hours toward the Community Health Worker (CHW) domain of Advocacy and Capacity Building
  • Design and implement a community project that reflects your passion

What to Expect:

  • 20 weeks of virtual, interactive training
  • Sessions held once a week (with occasional Saturday events)
  • A supportive environment that honors your lived experience
  • Leadership development in real time, with real impact

Apply for the Next Cohort

Applications for the current Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) cohort are now closed.

But the next session is on the horizon—and we’d love to keep you in the loop!

Sign up below to be the first to know when applications open for the next PLTI cohort. You’ll receive early updates, important dates, and details about how to apply before the announcement goes out to the broader community.

✨ Be part of the next wave of parent leaders making a difference for children, families, and communities across Rhode Island.

What Our Alumni Are Saying

“My lived experience and the tools that I have learned from the PLTI program have catapulted me to be a more equipped advocate with data driven results, understanding the seven steps of problem analysis, understanding how the state works, understanding the budget, understanding coalition and the importance of using my voice for the common good of all people.”
— Georgia, Cohort 1 Graduate

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I left with a strong sense of purpose and a new family of changemakers.”
— Jess, Cohort 1 Graduate

“This 20 week program is full of thought-provoking information, two full day sessions, weekly 3 hour classes, small group work and a community leadership project. I read, researched, worked in small groups and read some more. Each and every week myself and my peers showed up. We not only showed up but we discussed, debated, reflected, listened and learned and we each found our own unique voice.”
— Diane, Cohort 1 Graduate

Advocacy in Action

Every PLTI participant designs and leads a community project to address an issue they care deeply about. Here are just a few examples of the incredible impact from our alumni:

  • 📚 Promoting fire safety education and resources for families
  • 🏥 Improving access to pediatric and dental appointments for working parents
  • 🏳️‍🌈 Supporting LGBTQ+ youth in rural Rhode Island
  • 💰 Increasing financial literacy in communities of color

About PLTI

PLTI is a program of the National Parent Leadership Institute (NPLI), a non-partisan, anti-oppression organization that partners with families and communities to improve child outcomes through civic engagement. NPLI works to build a healthier and more equitable democracy by empowering parents, youth, and family leaders to shape decisions that impact their lives.

This program is made available by the RI Department of Health through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems: Health Integration Prenatal-to-Three Program (HRSA-21-078). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS, or the US Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.