Early Childhood Connections
The goal of Early Childhood Connections is to improve developmental outcomes for young children served by the Missouri Children’s Division and to prevent abuse and neglect. This three year R34 project examines the effectiveness of a personalized approach to connecting families with children under age three to either Nurses for Newborns or Parents as Teachers. Rather than just provide a referral, a known Children’s Division staff person introduces the family to an in-home parenting service by making a personal introduction to the home visitor, eliminating the need for the family to make another phone call or appointment. The research team collects measures of child development, caregiver parenting and well-being, services use and record of maltreatment over time in order to assess the benefits to the participating families.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Melissa Jonson-Reid, PhD
FUNDER
National Institute of Mental Health