Page ContentBright Futures is a national health promotion and prevention initiative, led by the American Academy of Pediatrics. 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 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 moreBright Futures WebinarsMake 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 moreBright Futures EQIPP CoursesThese 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 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 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 October 10, 2017Family Engagement Quality Improvement: A "How-To" Implementation Toolkit The National Center for Medical Home Implementation conducted a nation-wide family engagement quality improvement project to enhance family engagement in the pediatric medical home. This Web-based toolkit provides tools and resources needed for implementing family engagement quality improvement projects in clinical practice or through multi-site learning collaboratives. Examples of resources included within this toolkit are Institutional Review Board applications, quality improvement change package, data collection instruments, and lessons learned tip sheet. Implementation of this project can also be used for Maintenance of Certification credits. All resources are customizable and free to download.October 2, 2017Celebrate National Child Health Day!Join Bright Futures in celebrating National Child Health Day, the first Monday in October, by joining with American Academy of Pediatrics and Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau, to raise awareness about the importance of children’s health and the great work you currently do within the MCH community. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter by using the hashtag #ChildHealthDay. Discover how others are changing the lives of children on National Child Health Day. View the contents of the recently released Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children and Adolescents, 4th Edition, the companion 4th Edition Pocket Guide and latest Bright Futures/American Academy of Pediatrics Periodicity Schedule - essential resources to support your efforts of improving the well-being of our children. October 1, 2017What's the Latest with the Flu - October 2017The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy “Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Children, 2017-2018” offers updated recommendations for routine use of seasonal influenza vaccine and antiviral medications for the prevention and treatment of influenza in children. For additional information, refer to the updated Vaccine Status Table and Influenza Resource Page within Red Book Online, which have been updated to reflect the 2017-2018 influenza policy statement. Also see the recent AAP News article for an overview of these expanded recommendations.October 1, 2017Upcoming Influenza-Focused WebinarPlan to participate in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) pediatric-focused influenza prevention and control webinar on Tuesday, November 7, 2017, at 2:00pm ET/1:00pm CT. Flor Munoz, MD, FAAP, member, AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases, will present on behalf of the AAP. Angela Campbell, MD, MPH, FAAP, will present on behalf of the CDC. To receive a calendar appointment, e-mail DisasterReady@aap.org. Additional information will be provided in the next “What’s the Latest with the Flu” message.September 29, 2017The AAP is serving as a hub to implement AAP Transition ECHO in October 2017 and is looking to recruit spokes. The aim of the ECHO clinic is to help build practice capacity to ensure that all youth and young adults, including those with epilepsy, successfully transition into adult care. The clinic will incorporate quality improvement techniques to support transition planning, transfer of care and integration into adult care. All healthcare professionals and office staff who are interested in improving transitional care for youth and young adults, including those with epilepsy, are invited to participate. If interested in participating, please complete the registration link here by October 4th.For more information, contact Amy Shah at ashah@aap.org August 30, 2017Many health care professionals are often faced with questions about breastmilk sharing. In observance of National Breastfeeding Month, members of the AAP Section on Breastfeeding have developed a new podcast that focuses on Formal Milk Sharing. The podcast is now available to listeners! To listen to the podcast, visit http://radiomd.com/show/healthy-children.August 9, 2017Beyond the Basics: The Impact of Zika Virus on Vision and Hearing WebinarBabies born with Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome (CZVS) can have other findings beyond microcephaly. Often, these infants are seen with vision and hearing abnormalities that may be present at birth, however, these can emerge later. Experts are seeing a wide range of severity of issues, and are using different methods to treat these infants. During this webinar, participants will learn more about the vision and hearing findings seen in infants with CZVS, new research in this area, the CDC guidance for evaluation and treatment, and about long term care strategies. Submit questions ahead of time to DisasterReady@aap.org or live during the Q&A portion of the webinar.Tuesday, September 5, 2017 1 PM ETClick here to registerAugust 9, 2017Understanding Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome for the General Pediatrician WebinarIn 2012, the AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn published a clinical report on Neonatal Drug Withdrawal summarizing the clinical presentation of neonatal withdrawal consistent with maternal use and intrauterine exposure of certain drugs during pregnancy and provided therapeutic options for the treatment of withdrawal. Since publication, use of prescription opioid medications in pregnant women and rates of NAS have reached epidemic proportions. This webinar will review evidence on improvements in the identification of at-risk infants, standardized treatment, and best practices for discharge and post-hospital follow-up for infants with NAS. Wednesday, August 23, 2017 1 PM ETClick here to registerAugust 4, 2017National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is an annual observance held each August to emphasize the importance of vaccination for preventing serious diseases throughout all stages of the lifespan. Healthcare professionals play a critical role. Parents consistently cite their child's healthcare professional as their most trusted source of vaccine information, and this is true even of those parents who have vaccine concerns.AAP members are invited to participate in a CDC webinar about how to have positive vaccine conversations with parents. “Getting Parents to Yes! Vaccine Conversations That Work For Providers and Parents” webinar will provide strategies and tips to use when speaking with parents about childhood and adolescent immunization. Additional NIAM resources, including communication toolkits and graphics, can be found on the CDC and National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC) websites.August 25th, 2017 12:00 PM ESTClick here to register.August 2, 2017Call for Applications: Innovative and Promising Practices in Pediatric Medical Home ImplementationAre you implementing pediatric medical home? Showcase your work through the National Center for Medical Home Implementation (NCMHI) by completing an application for innovative and promising practices in pediatric medical home implementation. All pediatric medical home stakeholders are eligible to apply. Applications will be reviewed by an expert panel on an ongoing basis and selected innovative and promising practices will be published on the NCMHI Web site. Complete an electronic submission or email medical_home@aap.org to receive a Microsoft Word® Document application.August 2, 2017Behavioral Health Intervention with AdolescentsSubstance use and mental health are major concerns among youth. Pediatricians have an important role in preventing, identifying, and treating substance use and mental health concerns. The AAP, thanks in part to the Friends of Children Fund, is offering free access to simulations which provide participants with effective brief intervention techniques. Use of the simulations are FREE to AAP members and can be accessed at kognito.com/aap.Expiration: December 15, 2017August 2, 2017Artificial Perfection: Talking to Teens About Performance Enhancement The AAP has partnered with Kognito to develop a digital simulation, Artificial Perfection: Talking to Teens about Performance Enhancement, which prepares pediatricians and other child health professionals to have real-life conversations with teens about appearance and performance-enhancing substances. This free simulation is takes approximately 35 minutes to complete and more information can be found in the attached flyer. Please note, the digital simulation must be accessed via a desktop computer. this resouce can be used for continuing medical education. More CME credit information is provided within the simulation. This simulation can be accessed at kognito.com/aap.July 24, 2017The new Quality Improvement Implementation Tools and Resources page is designed to be a central clearinghouse for the tools, ordersets, measures and educational materials needed to implement rigorous quality improvement projects. The first posted topic relates to the new AAP guidelines, “Brief Resolved Unexplained Events (Formerly Apparent Life-Threatening Events) and Evaluation of Lower-Risk Infants.” July 24, 2017New Service! National Technical Assistance Resource Center on ScreeningThe Screening in Practices Initiative is designed to improve the health, wellness, and life course of children through practice and system-based interventions for early childhood screening, referral, and follow-up for developmental/behavioral concerns, maternal depression, and social determinants of health. One of the major components of the Initiative is the National Technical Assistance Resource Center on Screening (NTARCS), which provides evidence-informed technical assistance and resources to assist practices in implementing effective screening processes. Technical assistance is provided through a toll-free hotline, an online resource center, and forthcoming in-person and web-based trainings. For assistance or to sign up for updates via the NTARCS eNewsletter, email screening@aap.org.July 24, 2017Updated Fact Sheets Educate Parents on Appropriate Antibiotic UseThe AAP, in conjunction with the Choosing Wisely campaign, has an updated set of fact sheets for parents on appropriate antibiotic use. Written in plain language, and available in English and Spanish, these fact sheets help parents understand how antibiotics work and when – and when not – they should be prescribed to treat childhood illnesses.