EPIC-Every Person Influences Children

EPIC - Every Person Influences Children, Inc. is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping families, schools, and communities raise children to become responsible and successful adults. EPIC supports the people who have the most influence on children by providing evidence-based programs for parents, a character education curriculum for families and schools, and training for schools and agencies.

EPIC was founded out of a tragedy experienced by founder Robert Wilson. In 1977, his wife was murdered by a 15-year-old neighbor, a foster child they had befriended. Investigation of the child's life indicated that he had been abused, neglected, and placed in 11 different foster homes. He had not experienced love; he only knew anger and violence. While it was too late to change what had happened to his wife, Wilson felt that it was not too late for others.

In 1980 established EPIC in Buffalo, New York with a vision of preventing tragedies like his. EPIC's programs have now been replicated in hundreds of locations throughout New York state and in 16 other states. EPIC workshops and trainings carry out Robert Wilson's mission by involving the entire community in helping children make responsible decisions, understand and respect authority, develop positive self-esteem, plan for the future, and succeed in life.

The EPIC parenting education model is built on the principles of active learning. Workshops are designed to optimize learning, increase abilities, and decrease feelings of isolation and unacceptable behavior choices like hitting or yelling at your children.

Through quasi-experimental design and evidence-based research, EPIC has demonstrated that its parenting programs have a positive impact on children by first positively impacting their parents.

The following outcomes summarize EPIC's research:

• The more engaged parents are in EPIC workshops (attending the majority of workshops in a series) the better their Parental Confidence, the more positive their view of their role as parents, and the greater their levels of interaction with their children.
• When parents increase their levels and quality of interactions with their children, children become better prepared for school and personal success.
• The same positive changes occur, regardless of race or income level.

EPIC's research continues to demonstrate an increase in the capacity of children through parent education, improving their social/emotional skills, their relationship with their parents, and their future academic achievement.

EPIC is currently involved in over 21 different research projects with four university partners, including The University at Buffalo School of Social Work, University of Missouri - St. Louis, Rutgers University, and Canisius College.

EPIC has been a grassroots organization since its inception and continues to place a high value on community involvement and collaboration. This priority placed on community stems from EPIC's values and the very nature of its programs and services.

Implementing EPIC's programs in your community can change families' lives. EPIC trains parents, professionals, and community partners to facilitate its interactive workshops in their own communities through a two-day Facilitator Training. Specialized trainings are available for each of EPIC's programs to give partners the tools they need to successfully deliver the programs in their community. This model ensures that the quality of the program is maintained, while allowing for the greatest number of families to be impacted, a goal which is more attainable through community partnerships.

EPIC invites you to see how its programs and services can meet your school or agency's unique needs. We are happy to consult with you about bringing EPIC to your community. We are also interested in collaborating with agencies and schools to support our common goal of raising responsible and academically successful children.