Strengthening Child Rearing in Badger County: Evaluation of Parenting the First Year Instructional Newsletter Series By Jane Smith UW-Extension

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Strengthening Child Rearing in Badger County
Evaluation of Parenting the First Year
Instructional Newsletter Series By Jane
SmithUW-Extension
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What is Parenting the First Year?

• 12 Issue Set of Parenting Newsletters
• Available Monthly to Parents During Their
  Infants First Year of Life
• Matched to Infants Age

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Why a Parenting the First Year Newsletter Series?

• Early Experience Has Big Impact on Child
  Development
• Parents Establish Patterns of Child Rearing Early
  On
• Lack of Knowledge About Children Can Lead to
  Incompetent Parenting

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Advantages of Newsletters

• Age-Paced to Reach Parents at a Teachable
  Moment
• Reaches Socially Isolated Families
• Can Be Shared With Others
• Low Cost
• Available in Spanish
• Easy to Read and Understand (Written at 5th Grade
  Reading Level)

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Developed by University of Wisconsin-Extension
for Two Goals

• To Promote Competent Parenting
• To Prevent Abusive Parenting

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Are the Newsletters Effective? The Evaluation
Study

• Sample Size 112 Families
• Response Rate to Questionnaire Survey 50
• Most Respondents Were Mothers (97)
• Only 5 Were Single Parents
• Over One-Third (38) Were First Time Parents

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5 of Respondents Were Teenagers
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Less Than Half Had a 4-Year College Degree
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About 8 Had Family Incomes in the Poverty Range
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Did Parents Read the News-letters? They Say
Yes!

• 61 Said They Read All Articles in All Issues
• 50 Save the Newsletters as a Reference

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Readership Nearly Doubled By Sharing
"Does anyone else read your copy of
the newsletters?"
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Examples of What Parents Said

• I find your newsletter very helpful enjoyable,
  so does my husband. I have learned many things
  from it.
• My daughters (13, 11, 7) are very active in my
  sons care. They all read the newsletter and it
  has helped them a lot.

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Parents Rate the Newsletters Very Useful for
Advice More Often Than Any Other Source, Except
Doctors or Nurses
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Parents Commented On Their Usefulness

• The newsletter is the best source of information
  that I have come across. It helped me with my
  expectations and how to help provide a nurturing
  environment for our baby.
• I am happy to fill out this questionnaire. It
  gives me a chance to tell you that I really look
  forward to receiving the newsletter. There are
  days where it helps more than you know.

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75 of New Parents Rated the Newsletters Much
More Useful or Somewhat More Useful than
Information Received from the Hospital
"Compared to the other information I received
from my hospital following the birth of my
child, these newsletters are..."
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Parents Like the Age-Pacing of the Newsletters

• It is very helpful that the letters come at the
  different ages, instead of 1 book with all the
  ages information, when the baby is born. Thank
  you for the letters!
• I like the fresh reminder and the fact that I
  dont have to go hunting for it because it
  arrives just before I need a refresher for the
  next stage. Thank you.

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Parents Believe That Reading the Newsletters Has
Improved Their Parenting.

• It was good to know about games to play with
  our baby to help him learn and also some ideas
  for child proofing I never thought of, like
  keeping toilet lids closed and turning down the
  temperature on the water heater.
• Helped me be more patient when my baby cried. I
  know he wasnt doing it to upset me but because
  he needed something.

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Parents Report Changing Child-Rearing Behaviors
in 6 Key Areas
Self-Reported Behavior Change
"Reading the newsletters caused me to..."
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68 Said That Reading the Newsletters Caused Them
to Provide More Things For My Baby To Feel, Look
At, and Listen To

• An Enriched, Stimulating Environment Enhances
  Early Brain Development.
• Newsletters Teach Parents That the Amount of
  Stimulation Must Be Tailored to the Individual
  Needs of Each Baby.

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Examples of What Parents Said

• Play soft music and sing to baby a lot. Also,
  take her out more places like the zoo now that
  she is older.
• I take my son everywhere, on all my errands so
  he gets to see a lot of people. Hes very
  sociable.
• I play the baby games from the newsletter to help
  him develop better.

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62 Said The Newsletters Caused Them To Talk
More With My Baby.

• Babies Are Born Ready to Learn Language.
• When Parents Talk More, Babies Learn Language
  Better.
• Oral Language Skill Lays the Foundation for Later
  Reading Skill.

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Examples of What Parents Said

• Didnt realize how important it was to talk to
  baby. I talk to him more, like when I give him
  his bath or take him out in his stroller.
• I always talked a lot, but now I also read more
  books to her and talk about the pictures.

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60 Said the Newsletters Caused Them To be Less
Angry When My Baby is Difficult.

• Parents Are More Likely to Get Angry If They Have
  Unrealistic Expectations.
• Newsletters Teach Parents What Behaviors to
  Expect From Baby at Each Age.
• Newsletters Also Teach Positive Ways to Handle
  Babys Behavior.

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Examples of What Parents Said

• I like knowing what behaviors to expect from my
  baby so I dont get upset by some behaviors.
• I like to show the newsletters to my relatives
  cause they think I should be slapping his hand
  when he gets into stuff. I can show them hes
  too little to know better.

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46 Said the Newsletters Caused Them to Smile,
Kiss and Hug My Baby More.

• Babies Whose Parents Respond Lovingly and
  Sensitively to Their Needs
• Develop Secure Attachments with Parents.
• Become More Competent, Independent, and
  Self-confident Children.
• Are Less Vulnerable to the Negative Effects of
  Minor Stresses.

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Examples of What Parents Said

• I always hug and kiss my baby, but my husband
  does more of this since reading the newsletters.
  I think before he felt silly.
• Its good that the newsletters tell parents about
  how important showing love to their baby is. You
  hear so much everyday about parents abusing their
  kids.

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45 Said the Newsletters Caused Them to Make the
House Safer for Baby.

• Risk of Accidental Injury is Reduced.
• Safe Homes Allow Children to Explore.
• Safe Exploration Promotes Intellectual Growth and
  Development of Skills.

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Examples of What Parents Said

• Keep our older sons toys away from the baby so
  he cant put them in his mouth.
• Cut hot dogs and grapes into tiny pieces so she
  wont choke on them.
• I never put my baby in a walker since I read how
  dangerous they are.

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38 Said the Newsletters Caused Them to Respond
More Quickly When My Baby Cried

• When Parents Respond Quickly, Infants Stop Crying
  Sooner.
• Babies Learn to Trust That Their Needs Will Be
  Met.
• Babies Who Are Held More Often Cry Less.

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Examples of What Parents Said

• I tried carrying my baby around more in a front
  or backpack and she really seemed to cry less.
  Thanks for the suggestion!
• I get a friend to watch my baby sometimes. It
  really helps to take a break. I can handle the
  crying better afterwards.

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Which Parents Need Child Rearing Information Most?

• First Time Parents and
• Parents Who Experience One or More Socio-economic
  Stressors
• Low income
• Low education
• Teenage parents
• Single parents
• Socially isolated

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Risk Group Parents Reported Greater Change in
Parenting Than Non Risk Parents.

• In Particular, Risk-group Parents Were
  Significantly More Likely to
• Provide More Things for Their Baby to Feel, Look
  at, and Listen to, and to
• Respond More Quickly When Their Baby Cries
• Compared to Non-risk Parents (plt.05).

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Reading the newsletters caused me to...
Percentage of Respondents
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Use of Lie Scale Items to Check for
BiasesParents Were Asked About Something That
Might Have Been in the Newsletter But Wasnt

• Because of the Parenting Newsletters
• I changed how I diaper my baby.
• I changed how I wake my baby in the morning.

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How Reliable Are Self-Report Answers?

• Common Sources of Bias
• Response Set Bias
• Social Desirability Bias

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Only 1 Parent Answered Yes to Both Questions
From the Lie Scale.Their Data Was Removed
Before Analyses.
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Other UW-Extension Research Showed

• Parents Who Received Parenting the First Year
• (compared to those who did not receive it)
• were significantly less likely to think it
  necessary to slap or spank children to get them
  to mind.
• reported actually hitting their children less
  often.

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Summary of Evaluation Results

• Parents Really Read the Newsletters.
• Parents Share the Newsletters With Others.
• Parents Rate the Newsletters Highly Useful.
• Parents Report Positive Changes in Six Key
  Parenting Behaviors.
• Risk Group Parents Reported Learning the Most.

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Recommendation Continue Distribution of The
Newsletter Series.

• Based on Survey Results
• Based on Parents Comments

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Summary Comments From Badger County Parents

• I really enjoy Parenting the First Year. Hope
  you have a 2nd year too. Parents of toddlers need
  encouragement support too. Keep publishing.
• I hope you can continue these newsletters for
  parents for years to come. Wonderful useful
  info for parents, and easy to understand!
• Is there a newsletter for parenting the second
  year? Id love to continue receiving these!!

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Acknowledgment of Project Partners

• Badger County Kiwanis
• Badger County Health Department
• Badger County Maternity Hospital
• Support staff in the Badger County UW-Extension
  office

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Co-Authors of Evaluation Study

• Dr. Dave Riley,
• UW-Madison/Extension
• Dr. Carol Ostergren,
• UW-Madison/Extension

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And of course,We thank the families who
thoughtfully answered our survey.
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Copies of the written report are available from
the Badger County Extension Office.
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