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Project Details

California Parents Kit Evaluation

Photo of California Parents' Kit
Project Summary: 

The California Children and Families Commission (First 5) distributed the Parents Kit to almost half a million parents each year. The Kit included a set of videos on parenting, the Parents Guide [link to that project], and a board book for babies. Health Research for Action studied the kit's short- and long-term impact on parents through a longitudinal survey of parents, and interviews and focus groups with providers.

Main Findings: 

• 87% of mothers and 52% of their partners used the kit in the first two months.
• Parents showed significant gains in knowledge and positive parenting behaviors after receiving the kit.
• Both short- and long-term gains in knowledge were twice as large as those found in more intensive and expensive parent education
efforts.
• The kit was most effective when distributed in a prenatal visit, as compared to a delivery hospital or a home visit.

Policy, Practice or Research Impacts: 

The complexity and scope of this evaluation and the successful results inspired duplication of the program in other states (link to Arizona Parents Guide) and helped First 5 assess its investment and maintain this large-scale intervention.

Project Type: 
Guide
Survey Research
Topics: 
Parenting
Populations: 
Contact Person: 
Linda Neuhauser
Contact Person's Email Address: 
lindan@berkeley.edu
Department/Center: 
Health Research for Action, UC Berkeley
Principal Investigators: 
Professor Linda Neuhauser
Research Publications and Reports: 

Final Results for the Parents Kit Evaluation
An Executive Summary of the Long-term Evaluation Results for the Parents Kit.
http://healthresearchforaction.org/evaluation/parents-kit-evaluation.pdf

Funder/Client: 
First 5 California Children and Families Commission
Location - States: 
CA
Product: 
Guide
Video
Publication Date: 
2011

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