Parents as Teachers National Center and Brazelton Touchpoints Center Co-Author book that aims to support healthy pregnancies and families
Parents as Teachers National Center and the Brazelton Touchpoints Center (BTC) at Boston Children’s Hospital have co-authored a new book: Promoting Healthy Outcomes During Pregnancy and Beyond: The Role of Community and Social Service Providers. It is designed to help home visitors, community health workers, and family support professionals build stronger, more trusting relationships with pregnant and postpartum clients to equip them with tools for healthier outcomes for them and their babies.
Rooted in a social determinants of health framework, this practical guide translates research into actionable strategies for professionals working to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. It explores the physical, mental, and social dimensions of well-being from preconception through the first year of life, emphasizing the critical role of community-based support in preventing complications and disparities.
“At a time when maternal and infant health disparities remain unacceptably high, this book provides a timely, evidence-based resource for the professionals who stand beside families every day,” said Constance Gully, President and CEO of Parents as Teachers National Center. “It reflects our shared belief with the Brazelton Touchpoints Center that relationships between families and providers can set a foundation for lasting health and resilience.”
Co-authored by an interdisciplinary team of experts from both organizations, the book bridges research and practice through real-world case studies, reflective questions, and tools that providers can use to support healthy pregnancies and postpartum experiences.
“This collaboration between our organizations highlights the power of partnership in translating research into meaningful, real-world impact,” said Dr. Joshua Sparrow, executive director of Brazelton Touchpoints Center (BTC) at Boston Children’s Hospital. “By equipping community and social service providers with practical tools, we aim to help reduce preventable adverse outcomes and strengthen family well-being.”
The 196-page volume includes chapters on mental and physical health, substance use, healthcare access, maternal mortality, breastfeeding, and relationships. It culminates in a call to action for all professionals working with families to advance health equity.
Promoting Healthy Outcomes During Pregnancy and Beyond: The Role of Community and Social Service Providers is available in paperback, hardback, and eBook formats through Routledge and major book retailers.
About Parents as Teachers National Center
Parents as Teachers builds strong communities, thriving families and children who are healthy, safe, and learning. We match parents and caregivers with trained professionals who make regular personal home visits during a child’s earliest years in life, from pregnancy through kindergarten. The internationally recognized evidence-based home visiting model is backed by over 40 years of research-proven outcomes for children and families. Parents as Teachers currently serves over 188,000 families annually in all 50 U.S. states, 138 Tribal organizations, and six other countries. Parents as Teachers National Center, Inc. is located in St. Louis, MO.
About Brazelton Touchpoints Center
Together with families, providers, and communities, the Brazelton Touchpoints Center (BTC) develops and applies knowledge of early childhood development to practice and policy through professional and leadership development, organizational learning and change, research and evaluation, advocacy and awareness, and serving as a resource for proven practices. BTC is home to the Touchpoints Approach to family engagement, Brazelton Institute (Newborn Behavioral Observations system and Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale), Indigenous Early Learning Collaborative Institute, Family Connections, National Substance Use Disorder Summit, and Family-to-Family Real Talk Program. Founded in 1996 by pioneering pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton, MD, BTC is based in the Division of Developmental Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. For more information, visit www.brazeltontouchpoints.org