Bright Beginnings Parent-Child Program

Bright Beginnings, created by Martha Edwards, PhD, is for parents who are making the transition to parenthood and parents with infants and toddlers. It is a structured curriculum of discussions with parents and parent-child activities designed to help parents promote their children’s mental health, well-being, and school readiness. It consists of four components: Prenatal Group, Parent-Child Group, Home Visiting, and Video Review. We provide training and consultation in NYC and beyond to implement Bright Beginnings.

Bright Beginnings Prenatal Group

The Bright Beginnings Prenatal Component was written by Martha Edwards, PhD and Elana Katz, LCSW, LMT. It consists of six sessions of discussion and activities for expectant mothers. The focus is on developing a strong bond between the mother and her unborn child and promoting self care and healthy support systems during and after pregnancy. The Prenatal Component may also include group meetings with both parents.

Bright Beginnings Prenatal Group: Summary of Topics and Content

Session Topic Content
1 The Story of the Pregnancy
  • Group guidelines
  • The story of the pregnancy
  • Centering exercise – breathing
  • Goals for participating in Bright Beginnings
2 Physical Changes
  • Centering exercise – physical awareness
  • Physical changes in pregnancy
  • Massage – self face massage, hand massage
  • Taking pictures
3 Feelings about the Pregnancy
  • Centering exercise – Letting tension go
  • The joys and challenges of pregnancy
  • Affirmations
4

Getting to Know Your Baby
  • Using affirmations in centering exercise
  • Identify what they know about their babies and how
  • What do they want their babies to know about them, their families, and life
  • Writing letter to baby
5

Reactions to the Pregnancy

 Centering exercise (select one)

  • View of pregnancy in culture/social group
  • View of this pregnancy by significant others
  • Writing about childhood experience to share with baby
6

Social Support

 Centering exercise (select one)

  • Identify and draw social support map
  • Role play ways to ask for or decline support
  • Celebration
  • Questionnaire


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Bright Beginnings Parent-Child Group

The Bright Beginnings Parent-Child Group Component consists of 36 sessions (12 sessions for the first three years of a child’s life), and is based on the conceptual foundation provided by the Parenting Processes Model.1 Sessions are attended by parents with their infant or toddler. Each session is 1 to 1.5-hours and structured around a theme, e.g., how children communicate, what children learn through play, positive guidance. The sessions include discussion about the theme, application of the discussion in parent-child interactive activities, book exploration, and music. Trained group facilitators use a detailed manual to guide the discussion and activities. The facilitator(s) use teachable moments in the group to deepen the discussion on parenting and to observe in real-time the children’s behaviors and how to understand their communication, their play, and then how to respond. The Parent Guide provides participants with weekly at-home activities to reinforce what was covered in the session.

Bright Beginnings is based on the Parenting Processes Model that conceptualizes parenting as a set of four types of processes:  (1) Developing the emotional relationship and secure attachment, (2) Promoting exploration and learning, (3) Promoting language and literacy, and (4) Guiding towards interdependence.

Click on title below to view article (a separate window will open PDF).

1 Edwards, Martha E. (2002). Attachment, Mastery and Interdependence: A Model of Parenting Processes, Family Process, 41, 389-404.

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Bright Beginnings Parenting Model Components Table

The following table shows each component of this model and the content of the Bright Beginnings sessions connected to that component.

Parenting Model Component Conceptual Content of Sessions (Which are translated into everyday language and activities in the curriculum)
Developing the Emotional Relationship
  • Enjoyable time together (warmth, enjoyment, joint attention, shared intention)
  • Emotional resonance (empathy, “tuning in,” contingent communication, repair)
  • Reflective function (curiosity, knowing, understanding acceptance)
Promoting Exploration and Learning
  • See and accept uniqueness of child
  • Provide safe and stimulating environment
  • Maintain focus of attention
  • Use teachable moments
  • Scaffolding – break into smaller steps and help just enough
  • Tolerate tension in the struggle
Supporting Language and Literacy
  • Talk as if the child understands
  • Put objects and experiences into rich and varied language
  • Introduce child to a variety of print material
Guiding Towards Interdependence
  • Establish expectations & encourage positive behavior (routines, instructing, previewing, modeling)
  • Deal with misbehavior (setting limits, using consequences)
  • Encourage collaborative problem solving
  • Engage in reflective dialogue



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Home Visiting Component

The Bright Beginning Home Visiting Component provides an opportunity to individualize the program for each family. The Home Visitors uses the flexible manual to review ideas from the curriculum and to engage parents and their children in enjoyable and engaging activities. They also encourage parents to reflect on their own and their child’s behaviors and the underlying thoughts and feelings. These visits may also provide an opportunity to coach parents in specific parenting behaviors.



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Video Review Component

The Bright Beginnings Video Review Component is another way to tailor the program for individual families and to promote reflection and understanding of both self and child. Parents are asked to play with their child “as they would at home” and are videotaped for 10-12 minutes while they play with toys, explore books, and blow bubbles. Afterwards, parents view the tape with a trained Bright Beginnings facilitator to highlight parenting strengths, to more deeply understand the children’s behaviors, and to reflect on parenting values, beliefs, goals, and behaviors.


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Over the last five years, Bright Beginnings and/or Personal Best have been implemented at:

    • Bright Futures Pregnant and Parenting Teen Program, Washington, DC
    • DC Child and Family Services, Washington, DC
    • Cardinal McCloskey Community Services, Bronx
    • Child Center of New York, Early Head Start Program, Queens.
    • Coalition for Hispanic Family Services, Bushwick, Brooklyn.
    • Elizabeth Ministries Pregnant and Parenting Teen Program, Washington DC
    • Kingsbridge Heights Community Center Early Head Start, Bronx
    • Leake and Watts Mother-Child Residential Program, Manhattan.
    • Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, Manhattan
    • New York Foundling Mother-Child Residential Program, Staten Island and Bronx.
    • University Settlement House, Early Head Start Program, Lower East Side, Manhattan.


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Resources

Click on titles to view worksheets (a separate window will open PDF):

Bright Beginnings

Personal Best

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