CenteringParenting Clinical Intervention on Kindergarten Readiness in Early Childhood

Description

Disparities in health begin in early childhood. Early life experiences influence brain development and have significant implications on future health and developmental outcomes. Low-income children are at greater risk of developmental delays in large part due to a lack of an enriched environment. Disparities in early childhood development increase risk for stunted academic achievement throughout the life course. Primary care is a universal exposure in early childhood and therefore is also a significant entry point for promoting optimal child development. There is a need to provide effective, low-cost, and scalable interventions in primary care to support early childhood development.The CenteringParenting intervention is designed to reduce negative health and developmental outcomes within a model of group routine child health care. To date, there is no evidence of the benefits of the CenteringParenting intervention on school readiness, or improvements in parental behaviors that support optimal developmental milestones and achievement. The intent of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the CenteringParenting intervention on school readiness in early childhood, as measured by language development at 24 months, (in addition to health care utilization, child routine care maintenance, parenting stress, caregiver behaviors and attitudes).

Conditions

Parent-Child Relations, Parenting, Child Development, Child Behavior

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

Disparities in health begin in early childhood. Early life experiences influence brain development and have significant implications on future health and developmental outcomes. Low-income children are at greater risk of developmental delays in large part due to a lack of an enriched environment. Disparities in early childhood development increase risk for stunted academic achievement throughout the life course. Primary care is a universal exposure in early childhood and therefore is also a significant entry point for promoting optimal child development. There is a need to provide effective, low-cost, and scalable interventions in primary care to support early childhood development.The CenteringParenting intervention is designed to reduce negative health and developmental outcomes within a model of group routine child health care. To date, there is no evidence of the benefits of the CenteringParenting intervention on school readiness, or improvements in parental behaviors that support optimal developmental milestones and achievement. The intent of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the CenteringParenting intervention on school readiness in early childhood, as measured by language development at 24 months, (in addition to health care utilization, child routine care maintenance, parenting stress, caregiver behaviors and attitudes).

Evaluation of the Impact of the CenteringParenting Clinical Intervention on Kindergarten Readiness in Early Childhood

CenteringParenting Clinical Intervention on Kindergarten Readiness in Early Childhood

Condition
Parent-Child Relations
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Boston

Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02118

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Practice provides care to patients who are covered by public insurance and/or uninsured (no minimum threshold: all insurance types eligible)
  • * Practices have at least 3,000 primary care visits per year
  • * Index child age must be 0-3 months
  • * Parent must be female
  • * Parent must be 18 years of age and older
  • * Parent and child must attend one of the 10 study clinical sites
  • * Parental consent
  • * Parent must be fluent in English or Spanish
  • * Does not accept public insurance
  • * Child born prior to 34 weeks gestation
  • * Child with chronic conditions known to affect neurodevelopment
  • * Child with a positive screen on the Children with Special Healthcare Needs screener

Ages Eligible for Study

to 3 Months

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Collaborators and Investigators

Boston Medical Center,

Renee Boynton, MD, ScD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Boston Medical Center

Study Record Dates

2026-01