Targeting Parenting in Early Childhood: A Public Health Approach to Improve Outcomes for Children Living in Poverty

Abstract

In this article, the authors posit that programs promoting nurturing parent–child relationships influence outcomes of parents and young children living in poverty through two primary mechanisms: (a) strengthening parents’ social support and (b) increasing positive parent–child interactions. The authors discuss evidence for these mechanisms as catalysts for change and provide examples from selected parenting programs that support the influence of nurturing relationships on child and parenting outcomes. The article focuses on prevention programs targeted at children and families living in poverty and closes with a discussion of the potential for widespread implementation and scalability for public health impact.

South African adult caregivers as “protective shields”: Serving as a buffer between stressful neighborhood conditions and youth risk behaviors

“…When the caregiver has a strong support system, it also improves their capability to parent effectively (Casale et al, 2015;Lindsey et al, 2008Lindsey et al, , 2012Ward, Gould, Kelly, & Mauff, 2015). This remains salient even if they reside in areas that are impacted by poverty (McKay et al, 2014;Morris et al, 2017).…”

A qualitative study of cultural congruency of Legacy for Children™ for Spanish-speaking mothers

“…There is a strong body of evidence that indicates targeting early parent-child relationships through intervention and prevention programing is a promising approach to impact children’s development and mitigate the negative effects of poverty (Morris et al, 2016). As such, parents are the first line of prevention, promoting healthy physical and socio-emotional development in their young children and addressing the long-term deleterious effects associated with poverty by building strong relationships among mothers and children (Sandler, Ingram, Wolchik, Tein, & Winslow, 2015).…”

“…Parenting programs designed for families experiencing poverty have established evidence supporting improved health and developmental outcomes (Morris et al, 2016). However, parenting programs are rarely evaluated with a diversity of racial/ethnic groups and are often only available in English.…”

MATERNAL PERCEPTIONS OF PARENTING FOLLOWING AN EVIDENCE‐BASED PARENTING PROGRAM: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF LEGACY FOR CHILDRENTM

“…These results align with the literature on supporting positive parenting. Positive parenting can promote the long‐term health and well‐being of children (Morris et al., ; Sandler, Ingram, Wolchik, Tein, & Winslow, ). For example, parental sensitivity in early childhood, as demonstrated in this study, can result in long‐term positive child outcomes such as enhanced social skills and academic achievement (Raby, Roisman, Fraley, & Simpson, ).…”