Using the Parenting Newslettters
We know quite a bit about the kinds of parenting that are
better – or worse – for children’s development. But
how can we get that information into the hands of parents, in a form they
can really use? Extension’s age-paced newsletters may be delivered
by hand as an adjunct to existing programs (like home visiting programs
and pediatric practices) or may be sent to parents through the mail. The
parenting newsletters are especially useful for the high risk parents
who avoid face-to-face programs.
Do you need professional "parent education" materials?
Many professionals need inexpensive, high quality, written materials to
help them efficiently do the "parent education" part of their
work. These parenting newsletters may be just the ticket.
Parenting the First Year
and Parenting the Second and Third Years
are 12 issue sets of eight page newsletters with practical advice for
parents that is based on the latest child development research. The newsletters
are also tailored to the specific age of the child. Thus the parents of
a 12 month old can find information about the physical, intellectual,
and social skills being developed by children this exact age. The newsletters
also contain less time specific information such as how to select good
child care, prevent lead poisoning and live with children who have challenging
temperaments. Each newsletter series is written at the 5th grade reading
level, so 91% of the U.S public can read it. Although the newsletters
are very simply written, the content is not “dumbed down.”
Parents love them! The newsletters are also available in Spanish.
Evaluations of both newsletter series have shown that parents
find the newsletters very useful and actually make use of the advice.
A quasi-experimental study showed that parents who received the Parenting
the First Year newsletters were significantly less likely to slap
or spank their babies, compared to parents who had not received the newsletter.
Parents who received the newsletters were also significantly more likely
to provide their children with an intellectually stimulating environment,
although this effect was limited to parents who were socially isolated
from other young parents.
Parenting the First Year
and Parenting the Second and Third
Years are currently used by physicians, child care teachers, parent
resource libraries, home visitors, high school teachers, and other parent
educators. In other words: they fit flexibly into many types of programs.
The newsletter series are also used by many county extension agents, both
here in Wisconsin and in 15 other states. The Parenting
the First Year newsletters are even being used in Great Britain!
One common strategy to fund and distribute the newsletters
has been through a 3-way partnership between the university county extension
office, a local maternity hospital, and local Kiwanis clubs. Other local
partnerships have included city or county health departments, hospital
auxiliaries, home and community education clubs (HCE), Lioness clubs,
Optimist International clubs and private businesses. Local extension offices
have accomplished distribution in many different ways, creatively responding
to local opportunities.
The set of 12 issues of Parenting the First Year or Parenting
the Second and Third Years are available for sale, and very reasonably
priced. Each set costs only about $7.50 per family per year. For ordering
information, click here.
You may also purchase a license and have the newsletters
printed with your own organization's name and referral number. Over 100
organizations in Wisconsin currently do this, including 77 maternity hospitals,
22 city or county health departments, and untold private medical practices.
We have kept the license fee cheap to encourage wide use.
For information on licensing, click here.
  
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