Engaging Families

In the National Survey of Early Childhood Health, less than half of parents of young children reported that their pediatric primary care provider offered thorough “anticipatory guidance” related to their child’s health and development, and only 57 percent reported their child’s development had ever been assessed at a pediatric primary care visit.*  Additionally, because patient and family education to build self-management skills is considered a critical characteristic of high performance pediatric care coordination** providing adequate resources and education to families is critical to improving the health and development of young children.  Ultimately, families that understand the components of and have expectations of quality well child care will result in a greater demand for services and has the potential to improve the delivery of these services for all children. 

ABCD states recognized that by providing useful information and tools to families to promote health physical, mental, social and emotional development, children will be able to better reach their full potential.  States used various approaches to provide education to families regarding expectations of their child’s health and development, including pamphlets, brochures, web-based resources, and surveys.  Additionally, states developed resources and materials to support providers in their efforts to effectively identify children at-risk for developmental delay thus improving the delivery and quality of anticipatory guidance.   

This section includes tools created to educate families and promote the healthy development of young children.

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*Halfon N, Olson L, Inkelas M, et al., ”Summary statistics from the National Survey of Early Childhood Health, 2000,” National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat; 15, No. 3 (2002).

**Antonelli RC, McAllister JW, and Popp J, Developing Care Coordination as a Critical Component of a High Performance Pediatric Health Care System: Forging a Multidisciplinary Framework for Pediatric Care Coordination. (New York, NY: The Commonwealth Fund, Forthcoming 2009).