Bright Futures

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Bright Futures is a national health promotion and prevention initiative, led by the American Academy of Pediatrics and supported, in part, by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)​, Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB)​. 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 Professionals

    • Bright Futures Implementation Tip Sheets

      These NEW and UPDATED tip sheets offer practical advice to help you integrate the Bright Futures approach, tools and resources into your daily practice.Learn more

    • Bright Futures Tool and Resource Kit, 2nd Edition NEW!

      Completely updated Toolkit corresponding with the Bright Futures Guidelines, 4th Edition, with key documents that work as an integrated system to assist a health care professional carry out an efficient Bright Futures health supervision visit.Learn more

    • Bright Futures Guidelines

      At your fingertips, this manual provides the most respected recommendations for the top 12 areas of child development in 1 volume, along with the most up-to-date well-child supervision standards by visit. PDF versions are now available for reference.Learn more

    • Medical Screening Reference Tables

      The tables provide an easy-to-use reference table for each Bright Futures well-child visit. Each table compiles the relevant history, risk assessment questions, and action to take if the risk assessment shows a positive result.Learn more

    • Bright Futures Webinars

      Make sure to sign up for the latest Bright Futures webinars beginning in April 2017. Learn about the revised and updated Bright Futures Guidelines, 4th Edition from the editors themselves. Learn more

    • Bright Futures EQIPP Courses

      These courses are designed to help physicians interpret the Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children and Adolescents into everyday practice, with practical suggestions for implementation.Learn more

    • Implementing Bright Futures in Public Health

      Professionals 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 more

    • Performing Preventive Services

      Designed 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 more
  • For Families

    • The Well-Child Visit: Why Go and What to Expect

      This NEW handout, The Well-Child Visit: Why Go and What to Expect, helps families prepare for their regular check-ups. Learn more

    • Bright Futures Activity Book—Available in English and Spanish

      To 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

  • May 9, 2019

    The AAP Partnership with ZERO TO THREE Think Babies – What Pediatricians Can Do to Advocate for Early Childhood Policies: Webinar

    Join the American Academy of Pediatrics' Council on Early Childhood and the AAP Partnership with the ZERO TO THREE Think Babies campaign, for this free, 1-hour Webinar featuring a panel of AAP Chapter leaders, as they discuss strategies for pediatricians to elevate early childhood policies within their communities and states. This is an opportunity to hear examples of AAP Chapter policy strategies and from individual pediatrician advocates, as they share tips about how to bring attention to what infants and toddlers and their families need to thrive.

    As a result of attending the Webinar, participants will be able to:

    • Understand key early childhood issues and related policy opportunities.
    • Recognize that advocacy activities can be accomplished in various modalities.
    • Identify concrete strategies for pediatricians to move forward early childhood advocacy priorities in their own communities and states.

    Benefiting all AAP members, this free, 1-hour webinar will include 10-15 minutes for questions. The Webinar will be recorded and made available on the Council on Early Childhood Webpage (www.aap.org/coec).

    May 20, 2019; 11:00am CT
    Register here.

    Questions?  Contact Charlotte Zia at czia@aap.org

  • May 9, 2019

    ​Novel Tools for Caring for Infants with NAS: The Eat-Sleep-Console (or ESC) Experience: Webinar

    As the incidence of NAS continues to increase, pediatric providers are actively contributing to the evolution of NAS care approach with goals to provide best outcomes for the mother-infant dyad with Opioid-Use Disorder in pregnancy. Despite its prevalence and evolution, the scoring and thus treatment systems currently in use for NAS were developed in the 1970s and neither scoring nor treatment cutoffs have ever been validated. This session will describe a novel scoring tool for NAS, the "Eat-Sleep-Console" (or ESC) score, developed by Dr Grossman, which prioritizes the functional status of the infant. Dr Grossman will review the ESC score and the quality improvement project he led at YNHCH which combined nonpharmacological interventions with the ESC score to successfully reduce length of stay. Current challenges and future directions for the treatment of NAS will be discussed.

    Date: May 23, 2019   |    Time: 10am CT

    Register here.

  • April 25, 2019

    ​Book offers newly updated guidance for parents of children with autism spectrum disorder

    April is Autism Awareness Month and this fully updated and revised book "Autism Spectrum Disorder: What Every Parent Needs to Know" helps parents understand how ASD is defined and diagnosed and the most current behavioral, developmental, educational, and medical therapies. Topics covered align with the DSM-5 updates and include symptoms and prevalence; accessing care; services in the community; behavioral and developmental treatment; medical treatment of coexisting conditions; the role of integrative, complementary, and alternative medicine; adolescence and transitioning into adulthood; and more. Parents will also find inspirational and relatable stories from "Autism Champions" who share their personal experiences as people with ASD or parents and other family members of those with the disorder

  • April 25, 2019

    Updated autism spectrum disorder booklet helps answer parents' questions

    This newly updated booklet, sold in packs of 10, will answer parents most frequently asked questions about autism spectrum disorder. It provides an overview of early signs; diagnosis; associated medical disorders and conditions; associated behavioral, emotional, and developmental conditions; treatment strategies; and more.

  • April 22, 2019

    ​Medical Home Care for the Child with Medical Complexity: Care Coordination and Shared Decision Making Webinar

    Jointly organized by Optum Health Education and United Healthcare, this webinar will discuss the population of children with medical complexity and the importance of effective care coordination in addressing and improving care. The webinar is free to the general public and provides CME credit for interested individuals. Faculty include Dennis Z Kuo, MD, MHS, FAAP.

    June 4, 2019; 1:00pm ET
    Click here for registration.

  • April 19, 2019

    Caring for Children and Youth with Epilepsy: What Primary Care Providers Need to Know: Webinar Series

    This series, developed with the organizations participating on the CYE Stakeholder Forum, will educate primary care providers on their role in treating children and youth with seizures. Topics that will be covered include:

    • Epilepsy and Seizures Overview
    • Testing and Diagnosis 
    • Comorbidities of Children and Youth with Seizures
    • Care Coordination
    • Seizure Management and Safety 
    • Communicating with Schools
    • Transition  

    Webinars will be held from Noon – 1 PM ET and will provide CME credit at no cost. To view the full schedule and topics and to register, click here.

  • April 19, 2019

    ​Clinical Innovations in Lead Testing and Management

    As part of the AAP project, "Increasing Capacity for Blood Lead Testing and Interpretive Guidance for Blood Lead Results", the AAP is hosting a 4-part webinar series in partnership with the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU) program. The webinars, presented by pediatric lead experts from the AAP and the PEHSU program, aim to educate primary care providers on the various aspects of lead exposure prevention, testing, treatment, and case management. 
    Tuesday, April 23, 2019;  2:00 pm ET
    Registration link: https://aap.webex.com/aap/onstage/g.php?MTID=ef73187ecda1842ba5dce4306c8b98ba6

  • March 13, 2019

    ​Spring 2019 HPV Vaccination Update: Supporting Your Office Efforts
    This webinar will cover a range of topics:
    - latest trends in HPB disease prevalence and prevention
    - effective HPV vaccination communication strategies all office staff can use
    - evidence-based techniques for increasing HPV vaccination rates
     March 26, 2019  1pm ET
    Click here to register.


  • March 4, 2019

    ​Coding for Pediatric Preventive Care, 2019 Booklet is Now Available
    The AAP provides coding newsletters and fact sheets that outline the various ​codes for patient visits. View the newly released Coding for Pediatric Preventive Care, 2019 booklet​​. 

    For specific coding questions, submit via the AAP Coding Hotline​.

    For more information, visit the Coding at the AAP web pages to learn about:

    • Tools for Payment
    • Resources to Educate
    • Solutions for Coding Challenges

  • February 25, 2019

    ​2019 Bright Futures/AAP Periodicity Schedule is Now Available
    Updated footnotes on blood pressure, anemia and lead are the only changes in the new Bright Futures/AAP Periodicity Schedule, the guide to recommended screenings and other preventive care of healthy patients from infancy to adolescence.

    The AAP policy statement 2019 Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care (Periodicity Schedule) is from the Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine and the Bright Futures Periodicity Schedule Workgroup. The recommendations cover screenings, assessments, physical examinations, procedures and anticipatory guidance for well-child visits in conjunction with the Bright Futures Guidelines. Children with developmental, psychosocial and chronic disease issues may require more frequent visits.

    Updated from April 2017, the Periodicity Schedule is available at aap.org/periodicityschedule and announced in the March issue of Pediatrics.


  • February 15, 2019

    ​Pediatric Antibiotic Stewardship Program Toolkit is Released
    Deaths from antimicrobial-resistant infections could surpass cancer by 2050 as the number #1 cause of mortality worldwide if no meaningful interventions occur. Local prevention of antibiotic resistance is necessary to change outcomes globally.

    The AAP Section on Infectious Diseases, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and Health Care Without Harm developed a toolkit that guides pediatric antibiotic use in inpatient, outpatient, urgent care and emergency department settings.

    The Pediatric Antibiotic Stewardship Program Toolkit explains how to start an inpatient or outpatient antibiotic stewardship program and links to reference materials from the AAP and other stakeholders. Access the toolkit at www.pids.org/asp-toolkit.html. 

  • February 15, 2019

    February is National Children's Dental Health Month
    In a new public service announcement (PSA) for National Children's Dental Health Month, the AAP offers tips on protecting children from tooth decay. In the PSA, pediatrician Dr. Lanre Falusi advises parents brush baby teeth as soon as they emerge. The PSA, "Oral Health," can be accessed on YouTube or share it from @AmerAcadPeds and @HealthyChildren. This PSA is part of a monthly series of PSAs produced and distributed by the AAP. To see the entire series, go to the AAP YouTube channel.

    Also, during February, the AAP is offering a new communications toolkit to raise awareness around the importance of oral health during pregnancy. The Tiny Teeth Toolkit is designed to get the public thinking about the need for pregnant women to receive dental care and helps health care professionals talk to patients about oral health. Check out the toolkit for videos, posters and infographics you can share with parents.

  • February 15, 2019

    National Dissemination Webinar: Medication Assisted Treatment: Identifying the Need for Youth and Young-Adult-Specific Strategies and Current Initiatives

    The CMS Medicaid Innovation Accelerator Program's (IAP) Reducing Substance Use Disorder (SUD) program area is hosting a national learning webinar about strategies to prevent and treat substance use, including opioid use, for youth and young adults. This webinar will shed light on the growing, national need for unique strategies and on two innovative approaches.
    Click here to register.
    Monday, March 4, 2019 at 3:30 – 5:00pm EST


  • February 14, 2019

    ​New CMS Funding Announcements
    Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released funding announcements for two highly anticipated initiatives, the Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) and the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) models. The InCK Model is designed to improve the quality of care for children under 21 years of age covered by Medicaid and CHIP through prevention, early identification, and treatment of behavioral and physical health needs. The MOM Model aims to improve quality and expand access to care for pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder and their infants. More information about how AAP chapters can partner with their state Medicaid agencies to get involved with the projects (should their states apply) will be released soon. 

    A CMS webinar about the InCK Model funding announcement is Tuesday, Feb. 19. A CMS webinar about the MOM Model funding announcement is Thursday, Feb. 21.

  • February 12, 2019

    ​New Recommedations for Perinatal Depression Prevention
    The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a final recommendation statement on interventions to prevent perinatal depression. The USPSTF found that counseling can help prevent perinatal depression in persons at increased risk. Click here to view the recommendation and the evidence on which it is based. Click here to read a related New York Times article.

 BRIGHT FUTURES/AAP PERIODICITY SCHEDULE (UPDATED MARCH 2019)
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Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care in Practice​

 About Bright Futures Video

 CORE PRACTICE TOOLS
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Access Core Tools for Each Well-Child Visit

  • Previsit Questionnaires
  • Visit Documentation Forms
  • Parent/Patient Education Handouts
Learn More

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 Screening Time Online Course


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