Last Updated: May 29, 2012
This article appeared in the May 2012 Rural Policy Matters.
Editor's note: Links are free and current at time of posting, but may require registration or expire over time.
The "BabyFACE" project will be the subject of the next Rural School Innovation webinar on June 13 from 2:00 until 3:00 p.m. EST. This is the fifth in a series of webinars featuring successful, innovative educational strategies in rural districts.
BabyFACE was awarded a federal Investing in Innovation (i3) grant to provide services to high-need Native American children and their families from the child’s prenatal stage through age 3. Participating families come from 24 Bureau of Indian Affairs schools. The goal of the project is to improve educational outcomes for these children and is supported by evidence from prior evaluations with various populations.
BabyFACE is implemented by Parents as Teachers, a national organization which supports work with parents during the early years of their children's lives, from conception to kindergarten. The concept for Parents as Teachers was developed in the 1970s when Missouri educators noted that children were beginning kindergarten with varying levels of school readiness. Research showed that greater parent involvement is a critical link in the child's development of learning skills, and early childhood professionals suggested that a program to provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues, and education to help parents understand their role could help improve school readiness and parent involvement.
Presenters for this event are Marsha Gebhardt, who is the BabyFACE project director and Judy Pfannenstiel, senior research associate with Research and Training Associates, Inc.
A link to registration can be found here. A day prior to the event, you will receive an email with dial-in instructions and a PDF of the presentation.
Read more from the May 2012 Rural Policy Matters.