Page ContentBright Futures is a national health promotion and prevention initiative, led by the American Academy of Pediatrics and supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration. The Bright Futures Guidelines provide theory-based and evidence-driven guidance for all preventive care screenings and well-child visits. Bright Futures content can be incorporated into many public health programs such as home visiting, child care, school-based health clinics, and many others. Materials developed especially for families are also available. Features For ProfessionalsBright Futures GuidelinesAt your fingertips, this manual provides the most respected recommendations for the top 10 areas of child development in 1 volume, along with the most up-to-date well-child supervision standards by visit.Learn moreBright Futures Tool and Resource KitThis kit provides an organized compilation of current forms and materials for seamless and effective inclusion of preventive health supervision and health screening for infants, children, and adolescents.Learn morePerforming Preventive ServicesDesigned to accompany Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents, 3rd Edition, this manual provides effective ways to deliver the preventive services that are suggested in the Guidelines.Learn moreAchieving Bright Futures For clinicians, insurers, regulators, lawmakers and others - learn what Bright Futures recommends and how these services are reported and reimbursed.Learn moreImplementing Bright Futures in Public HealthProfessionals can hear recorded audio stories of Bright Futures implementations and read highlights of how Bright Futures is being used by state agencies as the standard for well-child care and as essential content throughout many public health programs. Learn moreFor FamiliesFamily Pocket Guide—Available in English and SpanishDeveloped for families by families, in partnership with the AAP and other professionals, this convenient, attractive resource is based on the AAP’s Bright Futures: Guidelines for the Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents, 3rd Edition.Learn moreBright Futures Activity Book—Available in English and SpanishTo encourage parent-child interaction, the Bright Futures Activity Book provides a fun, informative, and interactive overview of the 10 themes from the Bright Futures Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents, 3rd Edition.Learn more Highlights and Announcements September 16, 2016Tobacco Cessation Clinical Practice Training The AAP Richmond Center is seeking applications for a clinical training course held on November 11 & 12 that will teach clinicians to screen and counsel families about tobacco cessation and secondhand smoke exposure. Clinicians will be taught how to effectively integrate these strategies into practice.For more information and to complete the application, visit the AAP Richmond Center.September 16, 2016Updated AAP Family Readiness KitSeptember is National Preparedness Month, an annual campaign to encourage Americans to prepare for emergencies and disasters. The AAP recently developed and released an updated AAP Family Readiness Kit. The purpose is to assist families to get disaster-ready. Consider sharing this kit during routine office visits as a way to encourage families in planning for emergencies. The AAP Family Readiness Kit can be found here. September 16, 2016What’s the Latest with the Flu?The AAP policy “Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2016-2017” offers updated recommendations for routine use of seasonal influenza vaccine and antiviral medications for the prevention and treatment of influenza in children. Important details are highlighted in the AAP News articles “Intranasal Flu MISSED its Target” and “AAP Updates Recommendations for Flu Vaccine in Children”. In addition, review the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report “Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices” for more information. All What’s the Latest with the Flu messages will be archived here.September 1, 2016Adolescent Immunizations: Strongly Recommending the HPV Vaccine - Free CourseThis PediaLink course discusses office strategies for strongly recommending the HPV vaccine and offers information to help pediatricians address their patients’ concerns about the vaccine.By the end of this course, participants will be able to:- Employ communication strategies to aid parents in making a decision to vaccinate their adolescents against HPV.- Answer FAQs about HPV vaccination with accurate, succinct, and compelling responses.- Explain the critical role of communication between parents and everyone in your practice in increasing the likelihood of the patient’s full protection with HPV vaccination.Click here to register.September 1, 2016Emerging Health Care LandscapeExamining the social determinants of health and addressing housing, education and community infrastructure are key to improving population health, experts said at the annual health forum at Duke University, moderated by AAP CEO/Executive Director Dr. Karen Remley. Christopher Koller (president of the Millbank Memorial Fund) suggested reallocating health care resources to focus on primary care and increasing collaboration among health care providers to help improve the system.August 31, 2016NIHCM Webinar - Pregnancy & Oral Health in the ACA Era: How Are Expectant Moms Faring?This Webinar will explore ways to connect women to dental coverage and care during pregnancy, including the following:- The impact of the ACA on dental insurance options during pregnancy, such as coverage through Medicaid and the ACA’s marketplaces- Strategies to integrate dental screenings and referrals into prenatal care- Efforts to educate pregnant women about the importance of dental care and connect them to servicesTuesday, September 27, 2016 1:30 - 3:00 ETClick here to registerAugust 30, 2016Video Series - Implement Mental Health Priorities in Practice Engaging families to uncover and clarify mental health needs requires skill and practice. Implementing Mental Health Priorities in Practice: Strategies to Engage Patients and Families features six videos demonstrating examples of patient/family encounters, can help physicians start these discussions. The videos encompass the most difficult conversation areas in the area of mental health, including depression, disruptive behavior, inattention/impulsivity, social-emotional health, substance use and suicide/self-harm.August 30, 2016Hurricane Season - Family ResourceDisasters can be particularly difficult for families with children and youth who have special needs. During hurricane season, begin the conversations with families about potential disasters in their area. Share the new AAP/Family Voices handout. Also, follow the Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator on Twitter for the latest information and resources during hurricane season.August 30, 2016Fluoride Varish - ReminderThe AAP, as well as the United States Preventive Services Task Force, recommends that all children, from tooth eruption through age 5, receive fluoride varnish applications to prevent decay. To learn more about this recommendation read the AAP Clinical Report or visit the AAP Oral Health Web site.August 29, 2016Transitioning Youth from Pediatric to Adult-Centered Care MOC Part IV ModuleThis Web-based, self-directed QI module will evaluate adequacy of participant documentation of patients' transition from pediatric to adult-centered care within the 6 Core Element framework developed by Got Transition: Center for Health Care Transition Improvement. The module is ideal for general and subspecialty physicians who actively evaluate pediatric patients with chronic diseases on a frequent enough basis to report data on 30 patient visits over a one year period. Participants who successfully meet completion criteria are eligible to receive 25 Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part IV credits and 20 CME credits towards maintaining American Board of Pediatrics MOC. Through March 31, 2017, this module is FREE if you mention Got Transition.org, University of California San Diego/Rady Children’s Hospital.To register and for more information, contact Kim Rose at krose@naspghan.org. August 29, 2016Morning Madness Parent - free WebinarJoin Dr. Jennifer Shu, a pediatrician, mother of two, award-winning parenting book author, and Medical Editor of HealthyChildren.org, as she shares 7 secrets to a smoother morning routine!Monday, September 12, 2016 12noon CTClick here to register.August 29, 2016Pediatricians can help children thrive in school by promoting physical and social-emotional health and cognitive development, according a new AAP policy entitled, The Pediatrician's Role in Optimizing School Readiness. A key recommendation is for pediatricians to optimize children’s physical well-being using Bright Futures Guidelines.August 29, 2016Countering Vaccine Hesitancy - ResourcesThe AAP published a clinical report and a policy statement to help equip pediatricians discuss hesitancy with parents, and provide the public-policy support we need for high immunization rates in every state.Clinical Report: Countering Vaccine HesitancyPolicy Statement: Medical Versus Nonmedical Immunization Exemptions for Child Care and School Attendance Additional resources can be found here.August 22, 2016Focus on Back-to-SchoolHealthychildren.org has posted a number of relevant Back-to- School tips for parents here.August 19, 2016The National Center for Medical Home Implementation (NCMHI) released two new resources for pediatric clinicians.State Pediatric Medicaid and CHIP Medical Homes Initiatives: At-a-Glance TableThe NCMHI, in partnership with the National Academy for State Health Policy, recently updated its “State at-a-glance” table. The table provides an overview of publicly funded state programs that support the implementation and spread of the pediatric medical home model of care and states that have active Medicaid payment for pediatric medical home programs.Language Access in Primary CareCreated in partnership with the National Center for Cultural Competence, this article defines language access and provides examples of strategies to enhance language access services in pediatric primary care practices.