Transforming Together: Implementation Guide
The Case for Compensating Parents
In recent years, there has been a growing shift toward compensating parents who participate in government-sponsored advisory committees—not just as a gesture of goodwill, but as a matter of equity and effectiveness. While many agencies have long acknowledged the importance of parent perspectives in shaping public systems, the practice of unpaid participation often has placed undue burden on families, especially those with limited income or inflexible work schedules. While local jurisdictions may have resource constraints, particularly in a challenging funding and budgetary landscape, compensation can help remove barriers that families face and support more consistent, representative, and meaningful engagement. At the same time, agencies operate within a constrained fiscal environment, often balancing rising service demands, workforce shortages, and competing program priorities. Acknowledging these realities underscores the need for sustainable, equity-driven funding strategies, those that make it possible to compensate families fairly while maintaining program viability and long-term impact. Paying parents acknowledges the real cost of participation—whether it’s taking time off work, arranging child care, or navigating transportation. Without compensation, these costs can exclude the very families whose perspectives are most critical to informing equitable policies and services. In contrast, offering payment levels the playing field, allowing families from a broader range of backgrounds to take part and stay involved over time.
Compensation also strengthens the quality and sustainability of parent participation— when parents are compensated for their time and expertise, they are better able to prepare, contribute actively, and remain engaged over time (see here). This in turn develops deeper relationships, more informed feedback loops, and ultimately more responsive decision-making by agencies. Moreover, valuing parent expertise alongside professional or technical expertise helps shift power dynamics in a way that builds trust and shared accountability (see here). This evolving practice reflects a broader movement toward more inclusive and equitable public systems—where families are not only heard, but supported as equal partners in shaping the policies that affect their lives. Some helpful resources county leaders can use to make the case for compensation of parent involvement and to determine when, how and how much to compensate include: • Engaging Community Members: A Guide to Equitable Compensation (prepared by the
Center for Health Care Strategies) • Parent Compensation Tools website
(prepared by the National Health Council) • Evaluating Incentive Strategies on Parental Engagement (prepared by the National Library of Medicine)
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