Bright Futures Resources for Families

The resources below can help you protect and promote your child's health by increasing your knowledge of children's health issues, providing assistance on partnering with health care providers, and linking you to helpful organizations and tools. ​

The Well-Child Visit: Why Go and What to Expect 

Consistent with the Bright Futures Guidelines, tips written in plain language for parents of children and teens of all ages to help prepare them for their well-child visits. This tip sheet is available in English and Spanish.

• HealthyChildren.org is the official American Academy of Pediatrics Web site for parents. Backed by 66,000 pediatricians, HealthyChildren.org offers general information about children's health as well as specific guidance on parenting issues. Parents can find information on their child's ages and stages, healthy living, safety and prevention, family life, and health issues, as well as newsletters and interactive tools like the KidsDoc Symptom Checker​, Ask the Pediatrician, and the Physical Developmental Delays: What to Look For Too​l​​​​.
• The Screening Technical Assistance & Resource (STAR) Center is part of the Screening in Practices Initiative that envisions a system of care in which every child receives the screening, referral, and follow-up needed to foster healthy development. A family video was recently produced to highlight the positive impact that screening, referral, and follow-up can have on a family in need.
• Family Voices is a nonprofit family-led organization that works to keep families at the center of children's health care. Through its national grassroots network and partnerships with families, professionals, and state affiliates, Family Voices promotes quality health care for all children and youth with special health care needs and serves as a trusted resource for families, youth, and professionals. Resources developed by Family Voices include:
  • The National Center for Family/Professional Partnerships offers information on how to connect with the Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2F HIC) in your state. These family-staffed organizations provide support, information, resources, and training to families of children and youth with special health care n​eeds. For example, F2F HICs provide assistance to families and professionals in navigating health care systems; guidance on health programs and policy; and collaboration with other F2F HICs, family groups, and professionals.
• The Well-Visit Planner creates a personalized visit guide for parents or guardians of children ages 4 months to 3 years old who are scheduled to have a well-child visit. Families answer questions about their children's health and pick what they want to talk about at their next visit. The Planner then makes a printable guide that families can bring to the visit and use with the doctor. The tool was developed by the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative and is based on Bright Futures Guidelines, with support from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration.
• Bright Futures Activity Book, 2nd Edition​ provides a fun, informative, and interactive overview of the 12 Bright Futures themes that can be explored together by children and their parents. It is in English and Spanish.
• Bright Futures at Georgetown*​ offers family and professional tools and materials including:
• Tip sheets
• Information on what to expect and when to seek help
• Health record forms
• Nutrition fact sheets​
  *Many of these resources are available in both English and Spanish
• C​​enters for Disease ​​​​Control and Prevention​​ offers family and professional tools and materials including:
  • Milestone Tracker Mobile App - Track your child’s milestones from age 2 months to 5 years. Share your child’s summary with your pediatrician, get tips for encouraging your child’s development, and find out what to do if you ever become concerned about how your child is developing.​
  • Milestones in Action - Check out photos and videos demonstrating milestones from 2 months to 5 years of age. This library was created by CDC to help parents learn about typical developmental milestones.​
  • Milestone checklist​ - You can celebrate your child’s milestones by tracking them with a free milestone checklist and sharing it with your child’s doctor.
  • How to Help Your Child/How to Talk to the Doctor
  • Learn the Signs. Act Early.​​​​​
  • Developmental Milestones​
  • Essentials ​for Parenting Toddlers and Preschoolers​
  • Positive Parenting Tips
• Head Start offers resources for early child care professionals and families including:
  • The Medical Home and Head Start Working Together
  • Caring Connections Podcast
  • Early Childhood Health and Wellness​​​
  • Engaging Fathers ​
  • Family Support & Well-being​
  • Parenting Your Child
  • Health Tips for Families​​​​
• Parents as Teachers is an evidence-based home visiting model that promotes the optimal early development, learning, and health of children by supporting and engaging parents and caregivers. As part of their resources, Parents as Teachers produced a podcast series called Intentional Partnerships where each episode offers a real-world perspective from people exploring shared values around family engagement
• The QuestionBuilder App from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) helps parents and caregivers prepare for medical appointments and maximize time during the visit. The app is available at no cost through the Appl​e App store and Google Play.
  
  Access a one-page handout about the QuestionBuilder App.