United Parents

What United Parents does

United Parents is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Camarillo, California, founded in 1990 by Norm and Ellen Linder under the principle "parents helping parents." The organization serves families throughout Ventura County raising children ages 2-22 with mental health, emotional, and behavioral challenges, reaching over 1,000 families per year through peer-led support, advocacy, and respite services.

The core service portfolio includes the FAST/Parent Partner Program, which pairs families with trained parent partners who have personal lived experience navigating behavioral health systems; Respite Care Services providing up to 10 hours per month per child of short-term caregiver relief; Educational Advocacy assisting parents with IEP and 504 Plan navigation; the Parents and Caregivers for Wellness (PC4W) statewide advocacy project; Enhanced Care Management (ECM) coordinating physical, mental, dental, and social services for Medi-Cal members with complex needs; two Parent Drop-In Centers in Oxnard and Fillmore offering walk-in support groups, community resources, referrals, and food pantries; and workshops including the Vision Builders Youth Workshop and a Co-Parenting Spanish Speaking Series. Client-reported outcomes include 95% knowing where to find help, 98% recommending services, and 98% reporting culturally sensitive staff.

The business model relies on Ventura County Behavioral Health government contracts (one-year, renewable positions), Medi-Cal ECM reimbursements through Gold Coast Health Plan and Kaiser, individual donations via the Zeffy platform, an annual fundraising event (Green Hearts, Gold Futures), a monthly GEMS giving program, and retail affiliate programs with Ralphs and Walmart. All services are provided free of charge to families. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on peer staff, school and clinic outreach, and physical drop-in center presence rather than paid marketing or digital distribution.

Name

United Parents

Legal name

United Parents

Website

https://unitedparents.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

United Parents is a Ventura County, California 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1990 that delivers peer-led respite care, educational advocacy, parent partner support, and Medi-Cal care management to over 1,000 families annually raising children with mental health, emotional, and behavioral challenges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Support Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH), Co-Parenting, Father Engagement & Caregiver Inclusion Programs (EDACALAI), Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF)

Keywords

• Parent peer support
• Respite care services
• Educational advocacy
• Behavioral health navigation
• Family support programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Camarillo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts: Funded through contracts with Ventura County Behavioral Health for services including Educational Advocacy and other programs. Positions are funded as one-year contracts with possibility of extension based on continued funding and performance.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations through online portal (Zeffy), annual fundraising event (Green Hearts, Gold Futures), monthly giving program (GEMS), in-kind donations, and stock gifts.
3. Affiliate/Shopping Programs: Partner retail programs through Ralphs Community Contribution Program and Walmart Spark Good that generate donations when supporters shop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

United Parents is a community-based nonprofit that provides free family support services for parents and caregivers raising children with mental health, emotional, and behavioral challenges in Ventura County, California. Its core offerings include peer support from trained parent partners, short-term respite care, educational advocacy for IEPs and 504 plans, Enhanced Care Management for Medi-Cal members, drop-in centers, and workshops and support groups. All services are provided at no cost to families and funded through government contracts, donations, and fundraising.

Product overview

United Parents operates as a community-based nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of family support services focused on empowering parents and caregivers raising children with mental health, emotional, and behavioral challenges. The core offerings include the FAST/Parent Partner Program providing peer support from trained parent partners; Respite Care Services offering short-term breaks for caregivers; Educational Advocacy helping parents navigate the special education system; Parent/Caregiver Advocacy through the PC4W collaborative project; Enhanced Care Management coordinating Medi-Cal benefits; two Parent Drop-In Centers in Oxnard and Fillmore; and various Workshops and Support Groups including youth-specific programming. Additional services include Vision Builders Youth Workshop, a Co-Parenting Spanish Speaking Series, and community events like the Family Wellness and Resource Event. The organization serves Ventura County families primarily through in-person support at multiple locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FAST/Parent Partner Program Family Access Support Team (FAST) program that pairs experienced, trained parent partners who have personally navigated the behavioral health system with families needing support. Parent Partners work collaboratively with Ventura County Behavioral Health clinicians to assist parents through non-adversarial advocacy and collaborative support, free of charge.
• Respite Care Services Short-term break service providing trained respite care providers to care for children with emotional, behavioral, or mental health challenges in or out of the home. Families receive up to 10 hours per month of respite care per child, plus quarterly fun events, at no cost.
• Educational Advocacy Specialized advocates who have navigated Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and the school system assist parents of children ages 2–22 in obtaining educational resources through a non-adversarial approach that works effectively with school personnel.
• Parent and Caregivers for Wellness (PC4W) Collaborative project strengthening the voice of parents and caregivers through community engagement, education campaigns, training, and local/statewide advocacy to improve services and supports for California families.
• Enhanced Care Management (ECM) Medi-Cal benefit assigning a Lead Care Manager to coordinate all health care (physical, mental, dental) and social services for members with complex needs, serving Gold Coast Health Plan and Kaiser members meeting eligibility criteria such as homelessness, serious mental health needs, foster care involvement, or transitions from incarceration.
• Parent Drop-In Centers Two welcoming centers in Oxnard and Fillmore offering support groups, community resources, referrals, food pantry, and assistance accessing services with no applications or referrals required. The Oxnard center is open Monday–Friday 12:00pm–7:30pm and Saturday 8:30am–1:30pm; the Fillmore center is open Saturday 8:30am–1:30pm.
• Workshops and Support Groups Various support groups for parents, caregivers, fathers, and youth including Spanish-speaking groups, English-speaking groups, rural support groups, and youth wellness groups held at multiple locations throughout Ventura County.
• Vision Builders Youth Workshop Youth workshop providing young people with tools and guidance for building their vision and future.
• Co-Parenting Spanish Speaking Series Eight-week series helping co-parents strengthen communication, build consistency across two homes, and create calmer, connected routines for their children with practical tools and supportive conversations, delivered in Spanish.
• Family Wellness and Resource Event Community event providing families with mental health resources, wellness activities, and connections to support services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of clients know where to find help when their child is having a problem
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gold Coast Health PlancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGold Coast Health Plan is a partner for Enhanced Care Management (ECM) services. ECM is a Medi-Cal benefit for members with complex needs, and Gold Coast Health Plan members meeting eligibility criteria can receive comprehensive care management through United Parents.
• Kaiser Health PlancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKaiser is a partner for Enhanced Care Management (ECM) services, serving Kaiser health plan members who meet ECM eligibility criteria including homelessness, serious mental health needs, or foster care involvement.
• Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government funding partner providing contracts for Educational Advocacy and other programs. Parent Partners work with VCBH clinicians toward treatment goals. Many client referrals come through VCBH mental health clinics.
• Parents and Caregivers for Wellness (PC4W)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative project launched by United Parents and partners to strengthen the voice of parents and caregivers and improve services and supports for families statewide and locally. PC4W offers community engagement, training, and local/statewide advocacy activities.
• Turning Point Wellness CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner location for Spanish Parent Support Group (3rd Wednesday monthly) and Youth Wellness Group. Located in Oxnard at 2697 Saviers Road.
• Ralphs Community Contribution ProgramminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRetail partner program where shopping at Ralphs generates donations to United Parents through the community contribution program.
• Walmart Spark GoodminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRetail partner program where shopping at Walmart generates donations to United Parents through the Spark Good program.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Parents Anonymous: National nonprofit running parent-led mutual support groups and family strengthening programs. Directly comparable parent-helping-parent peer support model, though operating at national scale.
• Family Network on Disabilities: Florida-based parent training and information center providing family advocacy, IEP support, and parent-to-parent mentoring for families of children with disabilities. Comparable parent-led advocacy and training model.
• Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health: National family-run organization dedicated to children's mental health, providing family peer support, advocacy, and policy work. Comparable as a parent-led peer support organization in the children's behavioral health space.
• Parents Helping Parents: California-based nonprofit providing parent support, training, and advocacy for families of children with special needs and developmental disabilities. Closely comparable peer-driven, parent-led support model targeting IEP/504 navigation and family advocacy.
• Parents Place (JFCS Bay Area): Bay Area program of Jewish Family & Children's Services offering parent coaching, support groups, and education for families of children with special needs. Comparable parent coaching and group support model.

Broad incumbents

• Child Mind Institute: National nonprofit providing clinical care, education, and resources for children with mental health and learning disorders. Comparable in serving the same family population but as a larger clinical/research-oriented organization.
• Children's Mental Health Network: Policy and advocacy network focused on children's mental health systems. Comparable advocacy orientation for families navigating behavioral health and special education, though primarily a policy/advocacy organization.
• Mental Health America: National nonprofit addressing the full spectrum of mental health needs through advocacy, education, and peer support. Overlaps with United Parents in family/peer support for children's behavioral health but operates at a much broader national scale.
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness): Nation's largest grassroots mental health organization offering family support groups (Family-to-Family) and advocacy. Comparable as a peer-led family support provider for families of individuals with mental health conditions, though far broader in scope.

Emerging players

• Help Me Grow: Network helping communities coordinate early childhood systems and connect families to services. Partial overlap with United Parents' care coordination and resource navigation for families of children with developmental/behavioral needs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/unitedparentsorg
• Xx.com/unitedparents2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about United Parents