University-Community Partnerships Research Award

These seed grants support research addressing new approaches for sustaining young children’s health and overall well–being locally and globally through collaborations among BU early childhood researchers and community collaborators. We are particularly interested in proposals that address threats to early childhood well–being including the negation of children’s human rights, chronic stress and trauma, poverty, inequities among the social determinants of development, health, and mental health, impact of structural racism, unequal access to high quality early care and education, discrimination based on class, race, sex, gender, and religion, immigration experiences, new and emerging diseases (e.g.COVID–19), and the environmental consequences of global climate change that affect children’s lives.

2024 Awardees

1. Navigating the Transition from Early Intervention to Public School: Experiences, Assets, and Challenges of Vietnamese Families

Project Investigators:

  • Zachary Rossetti, Ph.D., Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, Special Education
  • Emily Feinberg, ScD, CPNP, Brown University School of Public Health & Adjunct Faculty at Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health

Community Partners: Oanh Bui – Founder of Circle of Vietnamese Parents

Abstract: Culturally and linguistically diverse immigrant families face systemic barriers and resultant inequities in accessing health and education services in the United States. Driven by a commitment to cultural responsiveness and support for Vietnamese immigrant families of children with disabilities, this exploratory research project, in collaboration with The Circle of Vietnamese Parents, will examine understanding and navigation of health and education service systems by Vietnamese-speaking families with children aged 2 to 5 years in the Greater Boston area. We will specifically examine the transition from Early Intervention (EI) services to the public school system, which is a time of change fraught with inequities and a need for family advocacy. Data collection will involve semi-structured interviews with a stratified sample of 15 Vietnamese families of children who have already transitioned to public school from EI and 15 families whose children currently receive EI services and will soon undergo this transition. These interviews aim to gather insights into the parents’ experiences, assets, and challenges associated with this transition process. Findings from this study will be used to design an intervention to enhance understanding, provide essential support, and develop advocacy skills among Vietnamese parents to ensure a smoother future integration of their children into the public school system.

2. Families of Color Unite & Support (FOCUS): Reducing Health Inequities with Education and Social Connection

Project Investigators:

  • Simone V. Gill, Ph.D., Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Occupational Therapy
  • Laura Driscoll, PT, DPT, PhD, GCS., Boston University Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy

Community Partners: Myriam Hernandez Jennings – Executive Director of Natick is United

Abstract: Highly educated parents of color with financial resources can choose to live in suburban neighborhoods with well-ranked school systems and access to high quality healthcare. However, two problems threaten their ability to fully support the health and well-being of their children. First, affluent suburban neighborhoods with high-quality educational and health resources often lack diversity, which subjects parents of color who live in these neighborhoods to experiences of discrimination and feelings of social isolation. Second, highly educated parents of color may be experts in fields unrelated to child development leaving them with limited information and a lack of confidence on what typical development is and on identifying a need for services if their children are experiencing developmental delays. Together, feelings of isolation and a lack of confidence in knowledge about child development feed into one another; parents of color in suburban neighborhoods with low diversity who are isolated, lack a social network to rely on for reliable information on child development to support their children’s well-being. The theory of minorities’ diminished returns (MDR) captures the counterintuitive phenomenon that high parental educational attainment does not always lead to better developmental outcomes for children. MDR shows that despite high educational attainment by parents of color, their children’s developmental outcomes are worse than those of White children with highly educated parents. We propose to pilot programming that targets parents of color in Natick, MA that consists of evidence-based educational sessions on child development paired with opportunities for social connection via community events. We intentionally selected Natick due to the limited diversity of the town, previously reported incidents of racism, and the consequential need to create supports for parents of color. The proposed project is a partnership between the Department of Occupational Therapy in Sargent College, the Department of Physical Therapy in Sargent College, and a community organization: Natick Is United. The specific aims are to: 1) increase confidence in knowledge about child development for parents of color, 2) increase feelings of social connection for parents of color, and 3) solidify a collaboration with Natick Is United as a community partner to support families of color. This project has the potential to improve the health and well-being and to reduce health disparities for children of color. The results from this pilot study will be used to apply for larger funding from the National Institutes of Health to further build out the educational and social programming for parents of color to support their children’s well-being. Findings from this project have the potential to be scaled up beyond Natick to provide educational and social programming for families of color in Greater Boston and nationwide with a virtual platform.

3. Understanding reasons for and health consequences of non-participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition
Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Leveraging multistate data from mother-child dyads for
improved program outreach and retention.

Project Investigators:

  • Ana Población, PhD, Boston University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
  • Cristina Gago, PhD, Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Community Health Sciences

Community Partners: Diane Figueroa-Salazar – Senior Nutritionist, Whittier Street Health Center WIC Program

Abstract: In 2023, WIC supported stage-based nutrition needs for nearly 6.7 million pregnant, breastfeeding, and
postpartum women, infants, and children through nutrition education, breastfeeding support, healthcare referrals, and an evidence-based WIC food package1. Although participation is linked with healthier nutrition, health, cognition, and access to care among young children living in poverty, as well as reductions in child and maternal health disparities by race, ethnicity, and nativity, WIC continues to be underutilized. Reasons for non-participation in WIC among eligible families are not well understood, which stunts progress in addressing a coverage gap. Aligning with priorities of the BU Institute for Early Childhood Well-Being, the proposed study aims to (1) describe reasons for non-participation in WIC by race, ethnicity, and nativity, (2) estimate associations between WIC participation and child health outcomes by race, ethnicity, and nativity, and (3) develop and disseminate recommendations with WIC offices to inform practices for closing this coverage gap.

4. Upper Pointe Coupee Parent/Caregiver Ambassador Network

Project Investigators:

  • Detris Adelabu, EdD, Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, Department of Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development
  • Linda Banks-Santilli, EdD, Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Community Partner: Carolyn Wells – Principal, Upper Pointe Coupee Elementary School

Abstract: Early childhood development holds immense importance in rural communities as it lays the foundation for future academic success and overall well-being, and empowers children and families to overcome the challenges of quality educational access sometimes associated with rural living. With a focus on a small, low-income rural school of over 80% Children of Color, this project seeks to create an opportunity for positive early childhood development by providing parents with knowledge of and tools to support their children’s development.

2022 Awardees

1. Expanding Access to Evidence Based Preventive Care for Managing Early Childhood Stress: Development of a Brief, Interactive Tool for Early Childhood Educators

Project Investigators:

  • Jennifer Green, Ph.D., Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development
  • Donna Pincus, Ph.D., Boston University College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences

Community Partners: Andria Amador, Ph.D.; Elizabeth Muscolino, Behavioral Health, Boston Public Schools

Abstract: We aim to assist early childhood educators in creating supportive environments for young children in times of stress. Our proposal is responsive to indicators that child stress, anxiety, and trauma have increased in the past year duringCOVID–19 and longstanding evidence that racially minoritized families experience gaps in accessing evidence–based mental health resources. The current study is responsive to the goal of the Behavioral Health Department at BPS to support the district’s University Pre–K (UPK) programs. Our partners at BPS expressed a need for more training for early childhood educators to support student mental health and respond to students who experience trauma. BPS is currently developing Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation models, educator workshops, strategies to increase parental engagement, and a mental health services referral process. The current proposal complements this ongoing work by(1) developing an online preventive intervention for early educators on evidence–based practices for stress management, and (2) testing the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the intervention. Throughout the development process, we will partner with BPS early childhood stakeholders and community members to develop an accessible tool that reflects culturally sustaining practices and includes the voices and stories of members of the BPS early childhood community.

2. Reducing Health Inequities: Feasibility of a Head Start Oral Health Promotion Model

Project Investigators:

  • Corinna Culler, RDH, DrPH, Director School-Based Programs, Assist. Prof., Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine
  • Michelle Henshaw, DDS, MPH, Associate Dean of Global & Population Health, Professor, Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine
  • Kathy Lituri, MPH, RDH, Director, Oral Health Promotion, Clinical Assist. Prof., Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine
  • James Wolff, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Boston University School of Public Health

Community Partners:

Abstract: Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is a serious condition that disproportionally impacts low–income and minority children. The Head Start (HS) programs, all of which serve young children at high risk for ECC, often need to obtain outside partnerships to meet Federal Program Performance Standards focused on oral health. The proposed feasibility study is a first step in attempting to eliminate oral health inequities through policy development and integrated fluoride varnish applications into HS program operations. GSDM will build on its longstanding partnership with HS programs in Boston, Chelsea, and several surrounding communities to bring together an interdisciplinary research team. The team will use qualitative methods, including focus groups and key informant interviews with stake holders, to inform our understanding of the proposed intervention’s feasibility, acceptability, barriers, and facilitators. If awarded, the results of this study will support an application for an R21development/planning grant and ultimately an R01 fora randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the efficacy of the intervention.

 

3. Building a Knowledge Base for the Prevention of Violence Against Young Children in South Africa

Project Investigators:

Community Partner: Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town, South Africa and True North, Vrygrond, South Africa

Abstract: The partnership between BU’s Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health (CISWH), the Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town (UCT), and True North in Vrygrond, South Africa requests funding to build a knowledge base that will guide the development of a pilot project of an innovative, evidence-based, and community-informed intervention to reduce violence against young children. The purpose of the future pilot project will be to demonstrate that an evidence-based model of violence prevention that authentically engages families and their communities and addresses family needs in a context-specific, comprehensive manner produces improved outcomes in reducing risk factors for violence against young children in South Africa. This project is informed by: (i) research suggesting that a focus on gender-based inequalities as a driver for intimate partner violence and its intersections with the economic positioning of women is essential to efforts to curb violence against children and (ii) evidence connecting: (a) improving the quality of relationships between children and their caregivers and the quality of parenting overall and (b)addressing community norms regarding violence and the use of physical punishment, to reductions in risk factors for violence against young children in LMICs (Mathews, Govender, Lamb, et al., 2016; UNICEF South Africa, ND; African Partnership to End Violence Against Children and African Child Policy Forum, 2021). We are requesting support to conduct a comprehensive review of the literature documenting the state of knowledge on preventing violence against young children in South Africa and similar countries and to convene a panel of experts in early-childhood violence prevention and community meetings with stakeholders from the community of Vrygrond, the planned project site. Learning from the comprehensive review of the literature and the perspectives of both experts and community stakeholders will Inform development of the pilot project.

 

4. Motor Function and Language Development in Infants At-risk for Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Project Investigators:

  • Jennifer Zuk, PhD, Dept. of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Science: Sargent College
  • Claudio Ferre, PhD, Dept. of Occupational Therapy, Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Science: Sargent College

Community Partner: Kristen Lindgren, MD, PhD, Child Neurology, Newton-Wellesley Hospital

Abstract: Rapidly emerging evidence suggests that the first two years of life signify the most rapid period of brain development, which coincides with formative motor and language developmental milestones. The neural basis for motor and language functions are postulated to emerge prenatally, as foundational networks in the brain have been observed from birth. To date, the relationship between early-emerging motor behaviors and subsequent language development is unclear. Whether early-emerging motor behaviors may be predictive of subsequent outcomes remains an important question, particularly in the event of perinatal brain injury. Therefore, the present longitudinal investigation will examine the developing brain in relation to early motor and language developmental milestones within the first year of life among (i) typically developing infants and (ii) infants with perinatal brain injury (due to stroke or prematurity). We will assess infants at 6 months to characterize behavioral and neural correlates of motor function, then follow-up at 12 months to assess language outcomes. This work will specify developmental interactions between motor and language capacities during this heightened period of brain plasticity and development, which carries important implications for improving approaches to early identification and intervention for at-risk infants.