We are very excited to announce the relaunch of the critically acclaimed Bringing Baby Home program! The first Educator Training has been scheduled and will take place in Seattle, WA on October 26 – 27, 2013. Over the course of the next few weeks on The Gottman Relationship Blog, we will explore the history of the program, explain its updated curriculum, and share our vision for its future. Without further ado, we would like to formally welcome you to the all-new Bringing Baby Home (BBH) program!
The BBH program is a research-based, early educational prevention program for parents, designed to help promote the healthy social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development of children. Our aim was to promote social change by making the BBH workshop available as part of the standard birth preparation program offered to expectant couples in hospitals throughout the nation. This was accomplished first in the state of Washington, and is now being provided across the U.S. and worldwide.
The project began in 1999 as a small pilot study designed by Dr. John Gottman and Alyson F. Shapiro. This study later grew into a full-scale program enhancement project in 2001 and was concluded in 2005, when the youngest of our research participants reached two-and-half years old. Formerly sponsored by the Relationship Research Institute, which is in transition due to grant funding, the BBH program has been absorbed by The Gottman Institute.
The transition to new parenthood holds potential for great joy; yet research shows that soon after the birth of a child, approximately two-thirds of couples experience a significant drop in relationship quality. Furthermore, many parents experience not only the “baby blues,” but also postpartum depression and other mood disorders. The result of these changes is compromised parenting and decreased quality of parent-child interactions, which can have negative effects on infant development.
The first year of life is a crucial time in the healthy development of a child. A foundation of trust develops for children when they consistently experience that their world is safe and approachable. Effective parenting can help children build this essential foundation of trust. Experts have discovered that the relationships and emotions children are exposed to in their earliest years influence them for the rest of their lives. The early relationship established between parent and child lays the foundation for all of the child’s other relationships.
We hope you will join us on The Gottman Relationship Blog as we discuss the BBH Program over the next few weeks! Interested in the October 26 - 27 Educator Training? Click here for more information and to register. Space is extremely limited as attendance will be restricted to 90 participants. Are you already a BBH Educator? We would love to hear about your experience implementing the program is your community! Join the conversation on our Facebook page.
Until next time,
Michael Fulwiler
TGI Staff
Michael Fulwiler
TGI Staff