Page ContentBright 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 ProfessionalsMedical Screening Reference TablesThe 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 moreBright 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 September 18, 2018Advancing Quality in Pediatrics SymposiumThis free, inaugural symposium at The University of Chicago aims to explore the spectrum of quality improvement and its impact in pediatrics, spanning the domains of Safe, Timely, Effective, Efficient, Equitable, and Patient-Centered (STEEEP) care. In addition, speakers are asked to consider the impact QI can play in creating a healthier childhood. Dr Colleen Kraft is the keynote speaker.Thursday, October 4 2018 8:00am-5:30pm CTClick here to register.September 17, 2018AAP Issues Policy Statement On Importance Of PlayIn the New York Times, "The Checkup," Perri Klass, MD, writes that "the American Academy of Pediatrics recently released a policy statement titled 'The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children.'" The AAP "statement characterizes play as intrinsically motivated, involving active engagement and resulting in 'joyful discovery.'" The statement "also says that doctors should encourage playful learning for parents and infants by writing a 'prescription for play' at every well-child visit in the first two years of life." Past AAP president Benard Dreyer, MD, said, "Play is the most important part of childhood."September 14, 2018ICD-10-CM Updates Coming Oct. 1Updates to codes mainly were made in Chapter 16, "Certain Conditions Originating in the Perinatal Period". While these codes are for the first 28 days of life, they may be used beyond the perinatal period if the condition remains, causes morbidity, or contributes to health care utilization. Of note is an update to coding for maternal depression screening.September 10, 2018#VoteKids in November: Help AAP Get Out the VoteThe national midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, November 6th. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate will be contested. In addition, 36 governors, more than 6,000 state legislators, and many other state and local officials across the country will be elected. The American Academy of Pediatrics' Get Out the Vote campaign, #VoteKids, encourages pediatricians and others who care for children to vote with kids in mind this election. The campaign website, aap.org/votekids, includes information on what's at stake for children, how and where to register to vote, and what you can do to speak up for children at the ballot box. The AAP's #VoteKids Toolkit, which is available on the website, includes sample social medial messages, polling time infographics, an Rx to Vote for patients and parents and op-ed guidelines.Children can't vote, but pediatricians and others who care for them can. Please consider joining AAP's efforts to ensure children are heard this election!September 3, 2018Depression During Pregnancy May Alter Babies' Brains, Study IndicatesReuters reports a study published in JAMA Pediatrics indicates that pregnant women with depression and anxiety "may be more likely to have babies with altered brain development that might be linked to behavior problems later in childhood." The researchers "found maternal depression and anxiety linked to changes in what's known as white matter microstructure in the brain, which is involved in communication between different regions of the brain."August 23, 2018Spotlight on Developmental SurveillanceSome tools and resources that can assist with developmental surveillance include:This brief video from the American Academy of Pediatrics highlights important developmental surveillance steps that clinicians should take during each health supervision visit. Pediatrician Dr. Shelly Flais discusses recommendations, tips, and resources available to pediatricians, clinicians, and families. The FREE Milestone Tracker app from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) helps parents to track their child’s milestones from age 2 months to 5 years. Interactive checklists with photos and videos make tracking milestones easy and fun. The app generates a personalized summary to help physicians perform developmental surveillance, offers parents tips for developmental promotion, and provides information about what to do if there’s a developmental concern.For more information on developmental surveillance, visit the CDCs Learn the Signs. Act Early. webpage.July 12, 2018Tool to help pediatricians and parents partner to identify early signs of motor delay The tool, titled Physical Developmental Delay: What to Look For, www.healthychildren.org/motordelay (also en Español) gives parents information about milestones such as rolling over, sitting without support or walking. The AAP clinical report, Motor Delays: Early Identification and Evaluation provides guidance on surveillance, screening, and appropriate testing and referral recommendations.July 11, 2018Measure What Matters: Advancing Multidisciplinary Care Coordination in Primary and Subspecialty Care SettingsWebinar Recording, Faculty Presentations, and Answers to Audience Questions Now AvailablePresented by the National Center for Medical Home Implementation (NCMHI) and the National Center for Care Coordination Technical Assistance, this 2-part recorded webinar series showcases real-world experiences from diverse health care providers with the common goal of capturing the value of care coordination using the Care Coordination Measurement Tool (CCMT)*. Webinar faculty describe their objectives for measuring care coordination, experiences in implementing the tool, and the implications of capturing the value of care coordination. Webinar recordings, faculty presentations, and answers to audience questions are now available on the NCMHI Web site.*An accompanying CCMT Adaptation and Implementation Guide is also available in the public domain.July 10, 2018Early Childhood is Critical to Health EquityThe first few years of life are crucial in establishing a child's path toward—or away from—health and well-being across the entire lifespan. This report, produced in partnership with the University of California, San Francisco, examines some of the barriers to health equity that begin early in life, and promising strategies for overcoming them.July 10, 2018Call for Proposals – Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) Grant ProgramApplications Due: July 31, 2018, 2PM CSTCATCH is a national initiative of the American Academy of Pediatrics that supports pediatricians to collaborate within their communities to advance the health of all children. CATCH is partnering with the National Dairy Council to support pediatricians to conduct community-based projects that improve health outcomes for child health and well-being. Up to $10,000 will be awarded to individual pediatricians and fellowship trainees to plan innovative community-based child health initiatives. July 9, 2018What You Never Realized You Were Teaching Your Child About Grit & Resilience: MIT Study Captures Techniques That Work for Babies as Young as 13 MonthsA new Massachusetts Institute of Technology study has determined techniques for building resilience and perseverance that work for babies as young as 13 months. This article includes a video teaching several of the methods.June 19, 2018The AAP has been a leading voice in opposing separation of children and parents at the border. Below is an excerpt from the AAP Statement, as well as related articles and features: “Separating children from their parents contradicts everything we stand for as pediatricians – protecting and promoting children’s health. In fact, highly stressful experiences, like family separation, can cause irreparable harm, disrupting a child's brain architecture and affecting his or her short- and long-term health. This type of prolonged exposure to serious stress - known as toxic stress - can carry lifelong consequences for children." Full Press StatementWashington Post AAP NewsNew York Times Univision BuzzfeedNBCNPRCNNJune 18, 2018DEVELOPMENTAL SURVEILLANCE: WHAT, WHY AND HOWA new video from the American Academy of Pediatrics highlights important developmental surveillance steps that pediatricians should take during each health supervision visit. Pediatrician Dr. Shelly Flais discusses recommendations, tips, and resources available to pediatricians, clinicians, and families. Together, surveillance and screening are essential components to promote the optimal development of children.June 18, 2018The Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs) program hosts a regularly scheduled webinar series. These webinars are educational presentations by environmental health experts that focus on current and emerging issues in pediatric and reproductive environmental health. These events are free of charge and continuing education (CE) credit is available, including CME and CNE. June 11, 2018The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) State Profiles provide detailed information each state Medicaid program's EPSDT benefit and how this compares to AAP/Bright Futures guidelines and recommendations (supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Health Resources and Services Administration). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) encourages state Medicaid agencies to use this nationally recognized Bright Futures/AAP Periodicity Schedule or consult with recognized medical organizations involved in child health care in developing their EPSDT periodicity schedules of pediatric preventive care. These state profiles were developed by the AAP to promote the use of Bright Futures as the professional standard for pediatric preventive care. NOTE: These state profiles use the former Bright Futures Guidelines, 3rd Edition and 2014 CMS quality data. Find the profiles and other state-by-state fact sheets, highlighting how ACA protections and Medicaid and CHIP support and improve children's health here.