Reach Out and Read Trains 10,000 Pediatric Clinicians in the Promotion of ERH |
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Over the last three years, Reach Out and Read (ROR) has supported the wide-scale promotion of Early Relational Health (ERH) through training that equips pediatric primary care communities to effectively promote positive parent/caregiver-child interactions through shared reading.
In 2019, the value of ROR in the promotion of ERH was recognized in the launch of ROR’s Next Chapter strategy with the mission of maximizing the potential of pediatric primary care to promote the positive interactions that foster healthy development during the critical early years of a child’s life.
Recognizing that support for ERH through pediatric care plays a critical role in a larger movement, ROR committed to partnering with others to collectively transform communities, systems, policies, and programs. In particular, ROR has partnered with CSSP’s ERH Coordinating Hub and Columbia University Department of Pediatrics in a collective impact project funded by the Einhorn collaborative bringing:
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- A simple, evidence-based early literacy model of promoting positive, language-rich parent/caregiver-child interactions, which has been successfully integrated into millions of pediatric well-child visits across the country.
- Connections to tens of thousands of pediatricians, family physicians and nurse practitioners who provide pediatric primary care and well-child visits.
- An infrastructure of local partnerships with thousands of medical clinics and practices that supports scalability with fidelity to an effective model.
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ROR has been simultaneously preparing their network of affiliates that provide local support for the ROR community to reinforce the core training with additional messaging, training, and materials. This combination of online and in-person, reflective training will optimize the capacity and enthusiasm of clinicians to not only promote ERH through their delivery of ROR but also drive a movement for promotion of ERH as a standard of pediatric care.
ROR has embarked on a multi-pronged initiative to communicate the importance of ERH and build momentum for change within the pediatric primary care workforce. The work began with revising the core ROR training, an online accredited training that is a prerequisite for all clinicians joining the ROR community. Working with a team of pediatric care providers, the training was updated to reflect the organizational emphasis on the promotion of ERH through ROR, including:
- The wealth of evidence for the importance of promoting ERH
- The critical role that pediatric care clinicians can play in promoting ERH because of their near-universal contact with families with young children in health care visits
- Guidance about how to enhance promotion of ERH through ROR by encouraging parents/caregivers to find moments of connection with their infants, toddlers, and preschoolers through shared reading.
The revised training was launched in April 2021, and as of August 2022, the training has been taken by 9,972 clinicians and clinic staff, including 2,998 family physicians, 3,161 pediatricians and 1,917 pediatric residents. The effectiveness of this training was demonstrated in the post-training evaluation where:
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- 92% of clinicians agreed that the training provides useful information about the importance of ERH in a child’s development.
- 78% agreed that the training changed how they considered their role as pediatric primary care provider in the promotion of ERH.
- 51% strongly and 47% moderately agreed that this training helped them feel confident to promote ERH through delivery of ROR during well-child visits.
ROR has been simultaneously preparing their network of affiliates that provide local support for the ROR community to reinforce the core training with additional messaging, training, and materials. This combination of online and in-person, reflective training will optimize the capacity and enthusiasm of clinicians to not only promote ERH through their delivery of ROR but also drive a movement for promotion of ERH as a standard of pediatric care.
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Introducing: Parent Perspective |
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As we continue to center equity within our ERH movement, parent partnership and the voices of those with lived experiences are essential. Hence, we will now feature a monthly "Parent Perspective” that brings a reflection from one or more members of the ERH Family Network Collaborative in answer to a question that emerges from the main article of the newsletter. |
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Question: What is the most important guidance to Reach Out and Read physicians as they seek to advance ERH in partnership with families?
Claudia Aristy, Parent Leader: "The best way to promote ERH is by living it and demonstrating it in the way you listen and talk to the families you serve. Do you want to encourage caregivers to find everyday moments to emotionally connect with their babies? Role model the same. Never underestimate the power of your actions when you are a trusted partner with the families you serve."
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Updates from the Early Relational Hub at CSSP |
Applications are open to join this exceptional and highly acclaimed hybrid training program designed to advance the quality of mental health services for infants and young children in the context of their earliest relationships. Formerly at UMass Boston, the 2022-2024 UMass Chan Fellowship in Early Relational Health has been redesigned in a hybrid format, including both in-person and remote-learning sessions, requiring 6 intensive four-day retreats in Worcester, MA, in addition to 10 interspersed remote learning weekends, over the course of 18 months. This part-time learning experience, including approximately 300 learning hours, supports professionals to integrate their learning into their current work settings. |
The AAP has created a new initiative under their ERH work. The project, Addressing Social Health and Early Childhood Wellness (ASHEW), improves well-child care through relationship building and family strengths-based screening, discussion, and referrals for perinatal depression, social drivers of health, and social-emotional development.
The project:
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Provides evidence-based resources and technical assistance for integrating screening, referral, and follow-up into pediatric primary care practices through the Screening Technical Assistance & Resource (STAR) Center
- Improves screening, discussion, referral or linkage to community resources, and follow-up through the Quality Improvement Learning Collaborative.
- Provides strategic guidance and recommendations for interorganizational/interagency collaboration through the National Advisory Board.
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What is Early
Relational Health?
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Early Relational Health is the state of emotional well-being that grows from the positive emotional connection between babies and toddlers and their parents when they experience safe, stable, and nurturing relationships with each other. ERH is foundational to children’s healthy growth and development and parents’ sense of competence, connection, and overall well-being. These resilient and enduring relationships also help to protect the family from the harmful effects of stress. |
Perspectives on ERH Video Series
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Alio, A. P., Dillion, T., Hartman, S., Johnson, T., Turner, S., Bullock, S., & Dozier, A. (2022). A Community Collaborative for the Exploration of Local Factors Affecting Black Mothers' Experiences with Perinatal Care. Maternal and child health journal, 26(4), 751–760. March 2022. Read Here.
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Arbour, MK et al, Benefits of a Universal Intervention in Pediatric Medical Homes to Identify and Address Health-Related Social Needs: An Observational Cohort Study, Academic Pediatrics, July 2022. Read Here.
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Capita, New Report: The Ties That Bind and Nurture. July 2022. Read Here.
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Farhang, L., and Gould S., Racial Justice and Power-Sharing: the Heart of Leading Systems Change, Chapter 2, in Leading System Change in Public Health: A Field Guide for Practitioners. February 2022. Read Here.
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Early Relational Health Initiative Vision:
Harness the Power of Early Relationships
for the Flourishing of All.
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The mission of the National Early Relational Health Initiative 3.0 is to ensure that all infants, young children, and their families benefit from supports and social connections that advance early relational health and its contribution to lifelong well-being and thriving.
Parents know that positive connections with their children matter, regardless of their circumstances. However, social, racial, cultural, and economic injustices and challenges can overload families and communities, often taking a toll on parents, young children, and their relational health. Because of barriers created by lacking family policies, families do not have access to supports that are responsive to their needs.
To promote Early Relational Health in every community, we need to first listen to parents to understand the challenges they are facing and what supports and services work best for them. We must then work together with families to create a shared vision to transform our communities, systems, programs, and policies, so each and every family can experience the emotional well-being and joy that come from those first days, months, and years of connecting and nurturing.
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Center for the Study of Social Policy
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