Growing up, Maddy watched her mother, Katharine (“Kappy”) Bensinger, (LCPC)—a certified counselor with over 30 years of experience in parenting education—dedicate her life to supporting parents and caregivers through ParenTeach. Over the course of her career, Kappy created Parenting Fundamentals, an evidence-based parenting and education curriculum launched in 1996, and later spearheaded legislation that successfully introduced parenting education into high school wellness curricula across Illinois in 2019. Through her mother’s work, Maddy witnessed the profound impact that access to the right tools, frameworks, and support can have on families at every stage of the parenting journey.
In 2017, they piloted ParentABLE at Maddy’s high school, bringing these resources to her own peers and seeing their impact from a new, generational perspective - inviting young people to reflect on their upbringing early and begin shaping the kind of parent they hope to become.
As someone who is not yet a parent but is deeply invested in preparing for that role, Maddy has often felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and the pressure to “get it right.” She wanted a way to clarify her values, build emotional skills, and start meaningful conversations with her partner long before parenthood officially begins.
That’s why she and Kappy set out to co-create ParentPath: to make the proven, evidence-based frameworks of ParenTeach accessible, adaptive, and genuinely supportive for anyone considering, entering, or already navigating parenthood.
ParentPath is powered by decades of research, real-world experience, and the voices of thousands of families. It’s designed to meet you exactly where you are—whether you’re just starting to think about parenting or looking to deepen your skills as a caregiver. Their hope is that ParentPath helps you feel more prepared, connected, and confident, so you can parent (or prepare to parent) in a way that truly aligns with your values.
