“Nobody’s Perfect accepted me as who I am and helped me learn who I can be.”

Who is Nobody’s Perfect for?

Nobody’s Perfect is a program for parents of children from birth through age five.

Nobody’s Perfect has been developed for a particular group of parents – those who for one or another reason have little access to other resources. These parents may have difficulty finding resources for several reasons:

“The Nobody’s Perfect program gave me something to look forward to once a week, otherwise I wouldn’t leave the house. I had a chance to socialize with other parents and my son could socialize with other children.”

Nobody’s Perfect gives parents a safe place to meet others with children of the same age and with whom they share interests and concerns. Nobody’s Perfect programs are always free of charge.

Though participants may differ in age or cultural background from one Nobody’s Perfect program to another, all of the parents who participate in Nobody’s Perfect have several things in common.

Nobody’s Perfect does not teach one “right” way to parent. It helps parents to recognize their strengths and to find positive ways to raise healthy, happy children.

The program is not intended for families in crisis or those with serious problems.

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“Thank you so much for this program. It’s made me feel better about my parenting skills and I’m glad I made some great friends.”

Some background information

Nobody’s Perfect was developed in the early 1980s by Health Canada (then known as Health and Welfare Canada) and the Departments of Health of the four Atlantic provinces: New Brunswick; Newfoundland and Labrador; Nova Scotia; and Prince Edward Island. The program was introduced nationally in 1987. Today, Nobody’s Perfect programs are offered in every Canadian province and territory. Nobody’s Perfect parent materials were updated in 1997 and are published in French and English, as well as other languages.

Nobody’s Perfect has been successful since it was introduced. Since that time, over 5,000 community workers, parents and public health nurses have been trained as Nobody’s Perfect facilitators across Canada and many thousands of parents have participated in the program. In Manitoba, there have been over 900 facilitators trained since 1989.  Networks in every province and territory provide ongoing support for facilitators.

Since its beginning, Nobody’s Perfect has had a profound impact on the development of community-based parenting education in Canada. Many other programs have adapted its participant-centred approach, based on respect and support for parents.

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“I would recommend it to friends – a way to make new friends and find mutual support.”

Nobody’s Perfect beliefs

Nobody’s Perfect is based on a few simple beliefs:

Nobody’s Perfect is “participant-centred”. It is based on the understanding that adults learn best:

“I learned the safest, most respectful way to raise my daughter, and to take care of myself.”

The goals of Nobody’s Perfect is to give parents a safe place to meet and a chance to think about their lives, their children and their role as parents. Parents can use the program to:

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“Adult education really works! It was exciting to see things brought out and comments made and to see changes parents could see happening to themselves. Instead of giving me all the information, it came from the parents – they took over.”

How does Nobody’s Perfect work?

The Nobody’s Perfect program builds on what parents already know and do for themselves and their children. It starts with the parents’ own experiences and interests and gives them an active role in the learning process. Nobody’s Perfect helps parents build networks among themselves and encourages them to see one another as sources of advice and support.

The Nobody’s Perfect program is designed to be flexible and can be tailored to meet the needs of both parents and organizations that sponsor programs. Nobody’s Perfect is usually offered as a series of group sessions held over a period of six to eight weeks. Each session is about two hours long. The series can be expanded to cover a longer period (for example, 10 to 12 weeks) and can have longer sessions (for example, 3 hours each). Nobody’s Perfect can also be used one-on-one with individual parents.

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“I learned you’re not alone. Others are going through the same problems.”

Is Nobody’s Perfect effective?

Yes, it is. Nobody’s Perfect is effective for parents, for facilitators and for communities.

Nobody’s Perfect is effective for parents

Nobody’s Perfect has proven to be an effective program for parents who have less access to parenting programs and support. Several major evaluation and impact studies have found that parents who participate in a Nobody’s Perfect program feel less isolated, are more confident and strengthen their parenting skills.  (See Evaluation)

“It works. It works because it allows parents to work with one another and come up with their own solutions.”

Nobody’s Perfect is effective for facilitators

Facilitators find that the skills and insights they develop working with Nobody’s Perfect are helpful in other areas of their lives and careers. Nobody’s Perfect Facilitator Training builds skills and confidence and facilitators find it to be a valuable resource. Many facilitators report that the skills they learn through Nobody’s Perfect have an impact on their work and their daily life.

Nobody’s Perfect is effective for communities 

Through participation in Nobody’s Perfect, parents learn about and seek out other resources and supports in their community. They also get to know and trust other parents and begin to build support networks that strengthen individuals and communities.

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