READY, SET, PARENT!
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Parenting is the most important job we’ll ever have- but can also be the most challenging. There are no training requirements, little recognition, and not enough attention on building the necessary parenting skills prior to birth. This leaves many parents, especially those of the underserved populations, without skills, support systems, access to resources, and mental & physical wellness tools to ensure their children can get a strong start and promising future.
Ready, Set, Parent! Is a national award-winning program, focusing on babies’ social-emotional health and development. Parents grow in confidence and are able to feel connected, supported, and prepared for this new adventure.
The program is 10 sessions, including (but not limited to) the following topics:
- Knowing Yourself as a Parent
- Tuning into Your Child
- Taking Care of Yourself
- Learning to Talk
- Brain Development
- Learning Through Play
- Communicating with Doctors
- Advocating for Your Child
Parents also get to experience personalized Doctor Talks on Infant Sleep/Nutrition and Safety/ Childhood Illnesses, as well as a Newborn Parent Panel, community resource events, and collaboration with hospitals and doulas.
Through an in-depth partnership with the University of Buffalo’s School of Social Work, Ready, Set, Parent! Was the subject of an ongoing 4-year research project. Results have shown that participants who engage in Ready, Set, Parent! at a high level interacted more with their children, had higher parental confidence, higher parental self-efficacy, and realized better outcomes for their children. Children of participants also score higher on a nationally standardized examination across five developmental domains: cognitive, language, gross motor, fine motor, and personal/social.
- Across the board, children of participants evaluated scored above the national mean approximately 77.5 % of the time.
- 75% of parents demonstrate increased literacy and parenting knowledge and confidence, and a decreased feeling of isolation.
- 90% of parents participating in the Dr Talks report that the presentation promoted a positive change in attitude toward parenting their children.
- 97% of parents participating in the Dr Talks stated that the information in these workshops will help them to positively modify their behavior toward their children.
