Work will begin September 1, 2000 on a project funded through the Brazelton Foundation in collaboration with the Brazelton Institute: Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life: A Training Program for Physicians in the use of the Clinical Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale with Families in the Postnatal Period. The aim of the project is to establish the newly developed Clinical Newborn Behavioral Assessment Scale (CLNBAS) as a standard assessment of newborns in hospitals throughout the U.S., to be used by as many pediatricians and family practitioners as possible.

The $224,000 grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities will support a 10-site national demonstration program that includes evaluation of the training and its effectiveness in changing pediatric practice to help parents understand their baby better and to help practitioners build a better relationship with parents. Training will be conducted in newborn nurseries throughout the U.S., representing a range of pediatric practices, including inner-city, suburban, and urban settings.

The CLNBAS, a new, short-form protocol that has been in development since 1995 through the dedicated and visionary efforts of Brazelton Institute faculty and staff, is an adaptation of the original Brazelton Scale (NBAS). The impetus for development of this 9-minute protocol came from a survey of pediatricians and family practitioners. Designed under the leadership of Brazelton Institute founder, J. Kevin Nugent, the survey responses were clear and unequivocal: practitioners felt that while the NBAS is a valuable tool, the examination itself takes too long to administer and was therefore deemed impractical in an era of short post-partum stays.

The Foundation was founded in 1996 to seek funds and other resources from individuals and organizations to rapidly expand the Brazelton philosophy of positive relationships among parents, professionals, communities, and the child. The Foundation will receive and administer the grant fund from RMHC, working directly with the Brazelton Institute on project deliverables and reporting.

"In a landmark study (beginning in 1999 and concluding in 2002), supported by our organization and the Ad Council, Public Agenda is tracking how attitudes about children and parents are changing," stated Ken Barun, President and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities. "We have learned from these tracking surveys that overwhelming majorities say giving kids a good start in life is the most important issue facing the country. This Brazelton Institute/Brazelton Foundation project to give every child the best start in life fits right in with our objective to help communities help families. We're pleased to be a partner."

For further information on the Brazelton Foundation, see www.brazelton.org or call 703-934-2036