Supporting prenatal families
Perspectives from Early Head Start staff
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7155595 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Eleanor Fisk (0000-0001-5165-2082, Human Development and Family Sciences University of Connecticut Storrs Connecticut USA, corresponding author), Caitlin Mcpherran Lombardi (0000-0003-0261-8210, Human Development and Family Sciences University of Connecticut Storrs Connecticut USA), Kyle Demeo Cook (Boston University Boston Massachusetts USA) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | e70041-e70041 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Infant Mental Health Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0163-9641 • E-ISSN: 1097-0355 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/imhj.70041 |
| PMID | 40984739 |
| OpenAlex | W4414449320 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 44 |
Early Head Start (EHS) serves prenatal families through their home visiting programs, offering support, referrals to services, and help preparing for parenthood. EHS programs individualize services to meet prenatal families’ unique needs, yet we do not understand the full nuance of how this individualization occurs. In this study, we sought staff perspectives from those who work directly with prenatal families and/or have knowledge of how their EHS program serves prenatal families. We conducted interviews with nine EHS staff members (67% white, 22% Latina, 11% Black; 66% held a Bachelor's or Master's degree) with an average of 11 years’ experience working for EHS from rural (56%) and urban (44%) EHS programs across the United States. Staff identified challenges they faced working with prenatal families (e.g., ensuring families had access to needed services) and successes they wanted to celebrate (e.g., individualizing service provision to meet families’ unique needs). Findings from this study lend themselves to practice recommendations for improving EHS prenatal services even further, such as building out networks of community programs to support prenatal families, and additional research on cumulative benefits for families who enroll in EHS prenatally
Early Head Start · Head start · Prenatal care · Program evaluation · Service delivery framework · Family and Disability Support Research · Infant Development and Preterm Care · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Parent Involvement in Early Childhood Home Visiting
Promoting Child Development During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Poverty stigma, mental health, and well‐being
Understanding barriers to parent involvement in Head Start
Inside home visits
Theories of change and outcomes in home-based Early Head Start programs
Supporting optimal child development through Early Head Start and Head Start programs
Building successful home visitor–mother relationships and reaching program goals in two Early Head Start programs
Associations between parental involvement and school readiness for children enrolled in Head Start and other early education programs
Predicting family engagement in Early Head Start
Implementing an Attachment‐based Parenting Intervention Within Home‐based Early Head Start
Possibilities and power during early Head Start Home visits
Examining Long-Term Effects of an Infant Mental Health Home-Based Early Head Start Program on Family Strengths and Resilience
The effect of prenatal adversity on externalizing behaviors at 24 months of age in a high‐risk sample
The Effectiveness of Early Head Start for 3-Year-Old Children and Their Parents
Shared Decision-Making and Evidence-Based Practice
The transition to parenthood as a critical window for adult health
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Parenting Challenges and Opportunities among Families Living in Poverty
Sample Size in Qualitative Interview Studies
Flexible Coding of In-depth Interviews
| Highly cited | No |
|---|