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\nResearchers found that fewer children displayed behavioral and socioemotional problems when their low-income mothers participated in a public health program promoting positive parenting. Results published in the American Journal of Public Health were based on evaluation data from Legacy for ChildrenTM, a public health intervention program designed to improve child outcomes by promoting positive parenting among low-income mothers of infants and young children. Read the articleexternal icon. The findings from this article are summarized below.
\nThis paper reports on a study of how mothers\u2019 participation in the Legacy for ChildrenTM intervention (Legacy) improves the health and well-being of children born into poverty. Children of mothers who took part in randomized controlled trials in either Los Angeles or Miami were followed from birth to age 5 years. These children were evaluated on their language and thinking ability, behavior, social skills, and physical health. Children whose mothers participated in Legacy were compared with a group of children whose mothers did not participate in Legacy. This paper focuses on the effect of Legacy on children\u2019s behavior and social skills. Overall, the study found that children benefited from their mothers\u2019 participation in Legacy, although the affected factors differed by site:
\nLegacy Miami
\nLegacy Los Angeles
\nThese results show that Legacy had a positive impact on child behavior when mothers participated in the program. The reported effects on behavioral, social, and emotional problems in children of mothers participating in Legacy compare favorably to other well-known early childhood programs (1): Early Head Start (2), the Infant Health and Development Program (3), home visiting (4), family support programs (5), center-based early education (6) and behavioral parent training (7).
\nThe early years of a child\u2019s life are very important for his or her health and development. Healthy development means that children are able to grow up where their social, emotional and educational needs are met. CDC conducts research to learn more about healthy child development and to better understand certain conditions that affect children. This information is used to create health education and intervention programs, help communities plan for services, and determine what additional studies are needed.
\nInvesting in our children is investing in our future, because early childhood investment can reduce social costs later (8-10). This includes tangible costs such as special education, foster care, welfare, medical care, law enforcement, social security, and social services, and intangible costs such as physical and emotional pain experienced by children with developmental delays and their families.
\nThe results presented here are from the research study of Legacy for Children\u2122. It is an evidence-based program whose aim is to improve child outcomes by promoting positive parenting among low-income mothers of infants and young children. The Legacy program is based on the belief that parents can have a significant effect on their children\u2019s development, regardless of their circumstances. Research has shown that children\u2019s success later in life is linked consistently with how parents interact with their children. Even children who face various challenges, such as family poverty or poor neighborhoods, are more likely to overcome these challenges when their parents are involved and invested in providing a safe, stable, and nurturing base of support.
\nLegacy was developed by CDC in collaboration with the University of Miami, UCLA, and RTI International, and designed as a randomized controlled trial to test the idea that the Legacy intervention during early childhood might improve children\u2019s development. Two sites?one in Miami, Florida, the other in Los Angeles, California?were selected to evaluate the intervention and how it could be adapted to their communities.
\nLegacy was designed as a model that allowed for the two sites to adapt the program to their communities rather than using a single prescribed, standardized program.
\nEach site recruited low-income mothers and children to participate. The intervention began before birth in Los Angeles and lasted until the child was 3 years of age; it began at birth in Miami and lasted until the child was 5 years of age. Legacy at these sites had both a pilot phase and a main study phase. This study led to the development and implementation of the Legacy curricula and two additional studies to evaluate and implement Legacy.
\nYou can read more about the Legacy program.
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