New Findings on VIP's Impact Published in Journal of Pediatrics!

​We have new findings to share on the impact of the Video Interaction Project!

In a recent study, we demonstrated strong evidence that Smart Beginnings boosts parents’ support of their child’s early learning across infancy and the toddler years. This research was published in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Smart Beginnings is a unique parenting program that combines the universal delivery of the Video Interaction Project (VIP) at routine pediatric well-child visits with a second home visiting program called the Family Check Up (FCU), which is provided to families who face particular stressors. In VIP, parents are videotaped with their children for three to five minutes as they play or read with a new book or toy, with immediate feedback from a coach, who provides feedback and reinforces positive parenting behaviors. Parents take home the book or toy, video, and a plan for how to engage their child in reading and play at home. In FCU, parents meet with a social worker in the home to address family management issues or children’s challenging behaviors. Guidance is aligned with family strengths and goals. The social worker also connects parents with additional resources.
 
Families in New York City and Pittsburgh were randomly assigned to Smart Beginnings or a control group at birth and followed across the first two years.
 
Results showed that across time points during both infancy (6 months) and the toddler years (18 and 24 months) parents enrolled in Smart Beginnings had significantly higher scores on broad survey and observational measures of cognitive development and the home environment compared with parents in the control group. This included engaging children in activities such as reading, talking, and playing, and having higher levels of language quantity and quality.
 
These findings suggest that participation in VIP and FCU has robust impacts on a wide range of positive parenting behaviors that persist across time for children of different ages. Results provide additional support for the effectiveness of the Smart Beginnings model in supporting parents during their children’s first years of life.
 
To read the full article visit: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022347622010241