Responses from Presentation: Powered by VROOM, A Parent Success Initiative
After 5 years, can parents receive a different set of developmentally appropriate tips? Is Vroom applicable to kids over 5? What happens when you miss the 0-5 window, but the need is still there?
Vroom is focused on parents with children ages zero to five because this is the period that is most active for brain development. However, it is never too late. Children’s brains remain very malleable throughout adolescence. Vroom tips for 4-5 year olds can easily be used with older children and we encourage parents to adapt and adopt them.
There are other wonderful resources available for elementary and middle school students, specifically through Mind in the Making Seven Essential Skills Modules (an 8 Module community-based training program now in 15 states and communities across the country). Mind in the Making has a birth-through-age-eight focus and the majority of the more than 6000 people who have been trained with the Modules work with or are parent of children these ages, but 37% work or care for children 8-12, 23% with children 12-14, and 19% with children 14-18.
Are there versions in other languages with similar online supports in those languages?
Vroom digital content and tools are available now in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Part of the Vroom pilot program in South Seattle is to look at which additional languages are most useful. The Vroom mobile app (available in the Google Play store for Android devices) and the Vroom website (www.joinvroom.org) are in English and Spanish.
Mind in the Making Seven Essential Skills Modules are in Spanish and English.
Can this be a tool for spreading parental self-care tips?
Thank you for this wonderful suggestion! Vroom content has been designed to promote positive interaction between parents and children. What is good for the child is inherently good for an adult as well. We look forward to adding additional content for parents and will take “self-care” into consideration.
Mind in the Making Seven Essential Skills Modules are structured to begin with the adults in children’s lives—both family and professionals. Each of the 8 training Modules helps adults see why the Executive Function (EF) Life Skill is important in their own lives, how they fare on each one, and then to make concrete plans to improve this skill in themselves. Mind in the Making provides tools for helping adults not only care for themselves but learn life skills.
How can research be combined with implementation?
Science, and specifically neuroscience, is the engine driving everything Vroom. Vroom is at its core science in practice. All Vroom content was sourced from the best early childhood research available and has been “translated” into actionable tips that parents and caregivers can employ with children.
Similarly, Mind in the Making takes research and applies it to action that families and professionals use to promote Executive Function (EF) Life Skills in themselves and their children.
In addition to the Seven Essential Skills Training Modules, we have selected a library of 42 children’s books that promote EF Life skills (two books for infants-toddler, two for preschoolers, and two for school-aged children on each skill) that are available at greatly reduced prices for programs serving low-income children through First Book. In addition, there are free tip sheets for each book. To access all 42 Tip Sheets and the Book List visit: http://mindinthemaking.org/firstbook/. Since these were launched, they have been downloaded 90,000 times and we are currently expanding the Mind in the Making library to include 90 books, games and tip sheets.
How can Vroom be integrated with health and developmental screenings?
Vroom content can be easily incorporated into screenings and check-ups. In fact, it was designed to be universal enough to easily and appropriately fit into a wide-range of settings. During our pilot test, we’ll be gathering lots of data on how to do this well.
Can home visitors, hospitals, and caregivers have a version of the app?
We do not have customized versions of the mobile app for providers as it is designed specifically to layer onto parents’ existing daily routines. However, we are open to the idea of adding new sections for providers to help integrate the content into their work.
Mind in the Making is in the process of testing a one-hour version of the Seven Essential Skills Modules developed for pediatricians and health care professionals in partnership with Sherri L. Alderman, MD, MPH, IMH-E, FAAP, a board-certified Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician who has just been appointed as Child Development Coordinator within the Oregon Health Authority Transformation Center. Together, we are developing tools to help health care professionals turn behavioral problems into opportunities to promote Executive Function Life Skills within Well Child Visits. Likewise, Mind in the Making is developing 90 tips sheets that health care professionals can share with families during Well Child Visits that respond to frequently asked parental questions. This project is called Prescriptions for Learning.
How can Vroom be used to reach the unmotivated, stressed, overwhelmed parent? How do you get the Vroom message to parents who don't have a lot of time with their children?
Vroom’s central message is all parents have what it takes to be a brain-builder. Whatever time you have is all the time you need. All of the content and activities are designed to fit into existing routines without requiring a lot of time or any money.
How can Vroom improve the work of partner organizations? What does the cost to use and partner with Vroom look like for CBOs? Which organizations is Vroom working with?
The results of the pilot program will inform the availability of Vroom materials and cost implications. However, there are already tools that can be used by anyone for free, including the mobile app and downloadable tip cards. We encourage widespread use of these resources now and look forward to sharing more detail post pilot. The organizations involved in the current field test are part of the Road Map Project and include childcare, home visitors, social services agencies, housing authorities and community health agencies.
Mind in the Making takes a community-based approach with its Seven Essential Skills Modules. When entering a community, we bring together cross-sector leaders (child care, family friend and neighbor care, school, health care, museums and libraries, higher education, etc.) for joint training. Since the training is reflective, personal and inspiring, as well as informative, we see this as an opportunity to promote better cross-sector system alignment for children.
It is a “train the trainer” model so those leaders who have been trained go out and train others, again using a cross-sector approach (i.e., someone from the early childhood field might be conducting training with an elementary school principal).
In addition, we ask that parents and professionals learn the Modules together and as such, we are redefining family engagement away from a top-down, expert to parent approach. Providence Rhode Island just received a $3 million i3 grant from the Department of Education, for example, to train professionals and families entering kindergarten together, in all of their schools.
How does Vroom address the technology and parent literacy gap (lack of internet, phones, ability to read)?
Vroom materials include physical and digital resources so everyone will have the opportunity to access the information. All of the tips are short (250 characters) and in easily understandable language. Additionally, community based, frontline organizations are an important delivery point and will work with all populations to understand and the messages ensuring we are reaching the hardest to serve families. Vroom aims to be as visual as possible to reduce language and literacy barriers.
I'm impressed by all the research on executive function, but am surprised that even with that research; schools are still so focused on test scores. How can we bridge that disconnect?
Mind in the Making is taking a community-by-community approach to this issue. We are now in 15 states, and our work is leading to the rethinking of how to evaluate children. For example, the state of New Mexico is using Mind in the Making to bring together state standards, Mind in the Making skills, and Common Core State Standards as a way of promoting leadership through the University of New Mexico Family Development Program and the New Mexico School Leadership Institute.