Inventory of Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs) for Healthy Start Programs

Evidence-based practices include actions, activities, strategies, or approaches that improve the health of women, before, during, and after pregnancy in order to improve birth outcomes and give infants up to age two years a healthy start. Also included in the collection are informational materials and tools that make it easier to implement evidence-based practices. To search by title, use the main search box located at the top of this page.

Most Recently Added EBPs:

Number of results: 9


Boston Basics

The Boston Basics Campaign is inspired by the fact that 80% of brain growth happens in the first three years of life. During this period, skill gaps between socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic groups become clearly apparent, but this does not need to be. Everyday interactions between children, their parents, and other caregivers provide abundant opportunities to give children from every background a more equal start in life. The Basics are five, fun, simple, and powerful ways that every family can give every child a strong start beginning from birth: 1) maximize love, manage stress, 2) talk, sing and point, 3) count, group and compare, 4) explore through movement and play, and 5) read and discuss stories. The Basics Community Toolkit provides multi-media resources that healthcare and community-based organizations can use to engage and support parents and other caregivers in practicing these basics.The Boston Basics website and materials are also available in Spanish.

Topics:

Parenting Education Socio-emotional Development for Children

Approaches:

Strengthen Family Resilience

Benchmarks:

Father/Partner Parenting Involvement Father/Partner Prenatal Involvement Reading to Child Daily

Evidence Rating: III. Expert guidelines—Protocols, standards of practice, or recommendations based on expert consensus.

Reach Out and Read

Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based non-profit organization of medical providers who promote early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by integrating children’s books and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud into well-child visits. Reach Out and Read builds on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers to develop critical early reading skills in children, beginning in infancy.

Topics:

Other Parenting Education

Approaches:

Strengthen Family Resilience

Benchmarks:

Reading to Child Daily

Evidence Rating: II. Promising practices—Innovative practices employed in the field, based on state-of-science knowledge about what works to improve outcomes, and gathering evidence of effectiveness.

Partners for a Healthy Baby

Nationally recognized, research-based, practice-informed curriculum used by many home visiting models to meet their program goals including improving birth outcomes, reducing rates of child abuse, strengthening families, enhancing child health and developmental outcomes, and promoting family stability and economic self-sufficiency. The curriculum addresses issues of child health and development within the context of the multifaceted needs of expectant and parenting families. Five-volume book series for different stages in pregnancy/parenthood, accompanied by a set of handouts for the home visitor to use when planning visits. Handouts for families can be purchased in English or Spanish and help the home visitor introduce subjects that may otherwise be difficult to talk about.

Topics:

Father/Partner Involvement Home Visiting Parenting Education

Approaches:

Promote Quality Strengthen Family Resilience

Benchmarks:

Father/Partner Parenting Involvement Father/Partner Prenatal Involvement Initiating Breastfeeding Reading to Child Daily Safe Sleep Sustaining Breastfeeding

Evidence Rating: III. Expert guidelines—Protocols, standards of practice, or recommendations based on expert consensus.

Strengthening Families

Strengthening Families is a research-informed approach to increase family strengths, enhance child development and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. It is a systems development approach based on engaging families, programs and communities in building five protective factors: parental resilience, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, concrete support in times of need, social and emotional competence of children. Supported by helpful material that can be adopted and adapted for any program or service sector, including a program self-assessment to improve practice, an online data system, an online training curriculum, and the Strengthening Families national network.

Topics:

Other Parenting Education Socio-emotional Development for Children

Approaches:

Strengthen Family Resilience

Benchmarks:

Intimate Partner Violence Reading to Child Daily

Evidence Rating: I. Evidence-based practices—have been rigorously evaluated and shown to be effective by MCH experts.

Legacy for Children

Legacy for Children is primarily a group-based intervention approach, featuring regular group meetings of mothers, that include mother-only time and mother–child time. The meetings provide mothers with an opportunity to develop and explore goals for their children with other mothers in similar circumstances. Intervention specialists assist mothers in identifying and practicing ways to help their children realize those goals. The group sessions encourage exploration and trying out a variety of ideas and practices that have been associated with positive outcomes, allowing mothers to decide what is right for themselves and their children. Legacy also includes one-on-one sessions with mothers.

Topics:

Parenting Education Socio-emotional Development for Children

Approaches:

Strengthen Family Resilience

Benchmarks:

Reading to Child Daily

Evidence Rating: II. Promising practices—Innovative practices employed in the field, based on state-of-science knowledge about what works to improve outcomes, and gathering evidence of effectiveness.

The Incredible Years

The Incredible Years (IY) Series is a set of interlocking and comprehensive training programs for parents, teachers and children. There are four basic parenting programs that target key developmental stages: IY Baby Program (0-8 months); IY Toddler Basic Program (1-3 years); IY Preschool Basic (3-6 years); IY School Age Basic (6-12 years) plus three adjunct parent programs focusing on cross-cutting issues. IY program goals include: Improved parent-child interactions, improved parental functioning, increased parental social support and problem solving, prevention and treatment of early onset conduct behaviors and emotional problems in children, and promotion of child social competence, emotional regulation, academic readiness and problem solving. For children over age 3, there are two child programs and one Incredible Teacher Classroom Management Program for teachers of children ages 3-8 .

Topics:

Parenting Education Socio-emotional Development for Children

Approaches:

Strengthen Family Resilience

Benchmarks:

Father/Partner Parenting Involvement Reading to Child Daily

Evidence Rating: I. Evidence-based practices—have been rigorously evaluated and shown to be effective by MCH experts.

Parents as Teachers (PAT)

PAT aims to increase parent knowledge of early childhood development and improve parenting practices, provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues, prevent child abuse and neglect, and increase children’s school readiness and school success. The PAT model consists of one-on-one home visits, group connections/meetings, health and developmental screenings for children, and a resource network for parents. Program lasts for at least two years, beginning as early as pregnancy and ending at the child’s 3rd birthday or at kindergarten entry.

Topics:

Home Visiting Parenting Education Socio-emotional Development for Children

Approaches:

Promote Quality Strengthen Family Resilience

Benchmarks:

Father/Partner Parenting Involvement Father/Partner Prenatal Involvement Reading to Child Daily Well Child Visits

Evidence Rating: I. Evidence-based practices—have been rigorously evaluated and shown to be effective by MCH experts.

Learn the Signs, Act Early

: Learn the Signs, Act Early aims to improve early identification of children with autism and other developmental disabilities so children and families can get needed services and support. The program has three components: a health education campaign, the Act Early initiative, and research and evaluation. The campaign promotes awareness of healthy developmental milestones during childhood, and the importance of tracking each child’s development and acting early if there are concerns. The Act Early Initiative works with state, territorial and national partners to improve early childhood screening and referral systems. The program website includes many free materials for providers, health centers and parents, videos and other multimedia tools and training programs for providers.

Topics:

Parenting Education Socio-emotional Development for Children

Approaches:

Strengthen Family Resilience

Benchmarks:

Reading to Child Daily

Evidence Rating: III. Expert guidelines—Protocols, standards of practice, or recommendations based on expert consensus.

PASOs

“PASOs (or “steps” in Spanish) aims to improve health of Latino families in South Carolina by educating Latino parents and caregivers on issues related to healthy pregnancies and prenatal care, as well as appropriate child development and resources for child health, and by advocating for better, more accessible services for Latinos. PASOs provides a free, comprehensive 14-hour prenatal empowerment course, community health outreach and individual interventions to Latino families, and consultative services for maternal and child health providers and policymakers throughout South Carolina.

Topics:

Parenting Education Prenatal Care and Education

Approaches:

Improve Women's Health Promote Quality Strengthen Family Resilience

Benchmarks:

Initiating Breastfeeding Reading to Child Daily Reproductive Life Plan Sustaining Breastfeeding Well Child Visits Well Woman Visits

Evidence Rating: II. Promising practices—Innovative practices employed in the field, based on state-of-science knowledge about what works to improve outcomes, and gathering evidence of effectiveness.