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. This tip sheet is available in English and Spanish.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

  • December 11, 2019

    ​Archived Webinar: Bright Futures and Oral Health: Strategies for Promoting Oral Health Within the Well-Child Visit

    December 11, 2019 

    The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) hosted a webinar that featured speakers from the Bright Futures National Center and the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Oral Health. The webinar provided attendees with important insights related to the promotion of oral health within the well-visit, and review strategies for overcoming common barriers. Presenters discussed valuable resources that can be used to assist states and communities in reaching their oral health promotion goals.  

    Click here for an archived recording. 

  • December 3, 2019

    ​Safe and Sound: Responding to the Experiences of Children Adopted or in Foster Care 
    Children and youth who have experienced trauma and adversity need the adults in their lives to recognize and understand how those events may affect their lives—especially their development and behavior. Safe and Sound: Responding to the Experiences of Children Adopted or in Foster Care was developed by the AAP with support from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Jockey Being Family. This informational series targets the adults in the lives of these children and youth: parents, caseworkers, early education and child care providers, teachers, counselors, and others. The series examines, from diverse perspectives, the effects of early trauma, strategies on how to address the effects, and resources for more information and help.

  • December 3, 2019

    Supporting Youth who are Addicted to Nicotine 

    ​The AAP Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence and Section on Tobacco Control are pleased to share a new resource, “Supporting Youth who are Addicted to Nicotine: Advice for Pediatricians.” This resource is intended to help pediatricians talk with youth about nicotine addiction, and support them in attempts to quit using tobacco and e-cigarettes. For more information about addressing tobacco and e-cigarettes in practice, visit the AAP Richmond Center webpage.

  • December 3, 2019

    ​A step forward to protect children from dangerous sleep products

    At the AAP's urging, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously to propose a new standard that essentially would ban inclined sleep products and require all infant sleep products to meet safety standards. 

    Click here for more information.


  • December 3, 2019

    AAP Voices: Vivien Thomas and Racism-Based Structural Bias in Medicine​

    Joseph Wright, MD, FAAP, recounts the long untold story of Vivien Thomas, an African-American lab supervisor who developed a surgical procedure to treat blue baby syndrome, and an infant girl who died decades later because her family was never offered the life-saving procedure. "Hidden history around development of what should clearly be called the Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt--and a condition that is so fundamentally pediatric--reminds me of just how important it is to be fully transparent about structural inequities, their root causes, and the beliefs that perpetuate them," Dr. Wright says in a new "AAP Voices" post.

  • December 3, 2019

    ​5 Tips for Health Care Professionals to Help Babies Exposed to Zika

    Health care professionals play a key role in ensuring that each baby born to a mother exposed to Zika during pregnancy gets the care the baby needs. The CDC released a new video with Shana Godfred-Cato, DO, FAAP, providing information for health care professionals to help babies exposed to Zika, including how to work together with parents to identify health problems early and recommended care and services to improve a child's ability to learn new skills and overcome challenges.

    This video covers 5 tips for health care professionals to help babies who are born to mothers exposed to Zika virus during pregnancy.

  • November 26, 2019

    Now Recruiting Pediatricians: The National SEEK Study

    The Safe Environment for Every Kid (SEEK) program is an evidence-based program recognized by the CDC to prevent child abuse and neglect. There is an opportunity to participate in the program as part of the National SEEK study funded by the NIH. This study offers an excellent opportunity to help address prevalent problems, such as parental depression and substance use, and to advance knowledge and practice in primary care serving children and families.

    This study is recruiting pediatric and family medicine primary care practices in the U.S. If you'd like to learn more, click here for an overview and/or contact Howard Dubowitz, MD, MS, FAAP at hdubowitz@som.umaryland.edu. 

  • November 25, 2019

    ​Lead Exposure and Children's Health Social Media Toolkit

    Over 500,000 children in the U.S. have elevated blood lead levels. These children are more likely to have learning difficulties, behavior and speech problems, hearing loss, and other health and developmental concerns. At its highest levels, lead exposure can even result in death.

    The good news is that childhood lead poisoning is 100 percent preventable. Use this social media toolkit to raise awareness and inspire change. Download the toolkit to use on your own social channels and make sure to tag @NICHQ so we can like and share your post. 


    Click here to download the toolkit. 

  • November 25, 2019

    ​Health and Parent Groups Urge Trump Administration to Stand Strong and Implement Plan to Clear the Market of All Flavored E-Cigarettes – Kids’ Health Must Not Be Compromised

    The American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association, American Medical Association, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Parents Against Vaping e-cigarettes (PAVe) and Truth Initiative have issued a joint statement releated to e-cigarettes. 

    To read the full statement, click here.



  • November 25, 2019

    New Podcasts on "Food Insecurity" and 2019 AAP National Conference & Exhibition "Innovations in Obesity Forum Highlights"

    The Conversations About Care Podcast series, created by AAP Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight, in partnership with the AAP Bright Futures National Center, has two new podcasts for health care professionals about important themes.

    In Episode 2, Sandy Hassink, MD is joined by Ryan Buchholz, MD, FAAP, to discuss food insecurity as a social determinant of health, and go over examples of what food insecurity may look like for different families. They also share ideas and challenges about screening tools, use of local and national resources, and hopes for the future. 

    In a bonus episode, Victoria Rogers, MD, FAAP and Jennifer Groos, MD, FAAP meet to reflect on the 2019 Innovations in Obesity Prevention, Assessment and Treatment Forum at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition. To listen, visit the Conversations About Care Podcast series  webpage.

  • November 25, 2019

    New Bright Futures Article in AMCHP Pulse​

    Bright Futures staff authored an article titled "Resources for Promoting Healthy Behavioral and Emotional Development in Adolescents" that is featured in the most recent edition of the AMCHP Pulse newsletter. 

    The article highlights ways in which various tools and resources from Bright Futures and the American Academy of Pediatrics can be used to promote healthy behavioral and emotional development in adolescents in clinic and community settings. 

    To read the full article, click here.

  • November 22, 2019

    ​Webinar: Bright Futures and Oral Health: Strategies for Promoting Oral Health Within the Well-Child Visit

    Date: Wednesday, December 11th, 2019 

    Time: 11am CT - 12pm CT

    AMCHP is excited to host an upcoming webinar in partnership with the Bright Futures National Center and the Section on Oral Health at the American Academy of Pediatrics. The webinar will provide attendees with important insights related to the promotion of oral health within the well-visit, and review strategies for overcoming common barriers. Presenters from AMCHP,  the AAP's Section on Oral Health, and Bright Futures will highlight valuable resources that will assist states and communities in reaching their oral health promotion goals.  

    To register for the webinar, click here. 

  • November 20, 2019

    ​Recruiting for Healthy Weight Quality Improvement Projects​

    The AAP's Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight (in partnership with the Bright Futures National Center) is excited to offer two brief, virtual quality improvement projects for pediatric practice/clinic teams, that will kick off in January of 2020. The project offerings will focus on:

    • Option 1: Improving obesity risk assessment and prevention (focused on children ages 2 and above) in the Childhood Obesity in Primary Care (COPC) Project
    • Option 2: Improving early feeding assessment, counseling and obesity prevention (focused on children under age 2) in the Optimize Infant and Toddler Feeding for Obesity Prevention Project.

    During each project, participating teams collaborate with one another and receive education, coaching, and resources from national experts in obesity prevention, assessment, and counseling. Pediatricians who meet participation requirements may be eligible for Maintenance of Certification points and CME credits (if approved).

    We are recruiting teams that represent diverse types of practices/clinics (eg, group or solo practices, Community Health Centers/Federally Qualified Health Centers, medical school-affiliated, government, non-government, or non-profit clinics, etc.), patient populations and geographic locations, that are interested in making practice changes to improve their obesity assessment and prevention care.  Teams will be selected based on a brief, online application. The application period for both will close on November 25, 2019.

    We encourage you to learn more about each project before applying since each team will be asked to select only one of the two projects at the beginning of the online application.  
    For more information about both projects and/or to apply for one of the projects, please click here. 

    If you have any questions about either of these projects, please contact Stephanie Womack at swomack@aap.org or 630.626.6612. 

  • November 20, 2019

    PCO Webinar—Introducing the New ADHD Clinical Practice Guideline from the AAP

    Don't miss this this month's free Pediatric Care Online (PCO) webinar:

    Introducing the NEW AAP Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children and Adolescents 

    Friday, November 22, 2019 | 1:00 - 2:00 pm EST

    The objectives of this webinar include:

    1. Review the 2019 ADHD clinical practice guideline revision and its Key Action Statements.

    2. Describe the clinical care algorithm for primary care management.

    3. Assess existing barriers to care—do they provide opportunities?

    To view the webinar on Friday, November 22, please click here or use the following url: https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1270510&tp_key=f429e2eebb

  • November 14, 2019

    ​AAP Project ECHO currently recruiting practices for several projects: Neurodevelopment, Opioid, Lead Testing, and Substance Use

    Many of the programs offer CME, MOC Part 2 and MOC Part 4 credit to participants.  Please see below for opportunities to participate in an upcoming AAP ECHO project, and if you have any questions, please reach out to Shannon Limjuco at slimjuco@aap.org. 

    AAP Neurodevelopment ECHO

    This ECHO serves as a forum for pediatric primary care practices to develop knowledge and capacity to improve the monitoring, screening and follow-up care for children aged birth through 8 years with functional impairments of neurocognition, self-regulation, and adaptive functioning.  This ECHO incorporates quality improvement work and will meet monthly December 2019 through July 2020.  More information is available in the AAP Neurodevelopment ECHO project flyer; to participate, please complete the AAP Neurodevelopment ECHO application.

    AAP Maternal- Infant Health and Opioid Use ECHO

    This ECHO will serve as a forum for staff from pediatric primary care practices to implement clinical interventions to improve the health outcomes of families affected by prenatal opioid exposure. This ECHO will incorporate quality improvement work and will meet monthly from January to August 2020. More information is available in the AAP Opioid ECHO project flyer; to participate, please complete the AAP Opioid ECHO application.

    AAP Substance Use ECHO

    The AAP Substance Use ECHO program serves as an interactive forum for healthcare professionals to learn and implement best practices for addressing substance use, focusing on screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT), to improve the quality of care for pediatric and young adult patients (ages 11-21). This ECHO will incorporate quality improvement work and will meet monthly from January – August 2020.  More information is available in the AAP Substance Use ECHO project flyer; to participate, please complete the AAP Substance Use ECHO application.

    AAP Lead Testing ECHO

    This ECHO serves as a forum for pediatric primary care practices to improve knowledge, skills and self-efficacy around blood lead screening, testing and follow-up care in order to better prevent and treat children affected by lead exposure. This ECHO incorporates quality improvement work and will meet monthly January through July 2020.  More information is available in the AAP Lead Testing ECHO project flyer; to participate, please complete the AAP Lead Testing ECHO application.

 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
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 Screening Time Online Course


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