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.

 

2026 Awardees

1. From the NICU to ECE: Exploring Inequities in Early Care and Education Access for Low-Income Families with Children Born Preterm

Project Investigators:

  • Kyle DeMeo Cook, PhD Clinical Assistant Professor of Teaching & Learning, Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development
  • Genevieve (Gen) Guyol, MD MAT Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Community Partners: Kim Dion, Assistant Vice President, Seven Hills Child Care Resources and Representative of the MA Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies Network & Amy O’Leary, Executive Director, Strategies for Children

Abstract: Inequities to access high-quality early care and education (ECE) in the US disproportionately affect families experiencing poverty and families with unique needs, such as children with medical and developmental conditions related to preterm birth. A strong body of research documents that enrollment in high-quality ECE is associated with benefits for both the child and family. For the child, high-quality ECE improves both short- and long-term academic, social, and medical outcomes. For the family, ECE improves parental mental health, parenting self-efficacy, and financial security. Families with children born moderately and very preterm (<34 weeks’ gestation) experience unique factors that can impact access and ECE decision-making. After preterm birth, which is often unexpected and traumatic for families, babies are separated from their parents during hospitalizations in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that last several weeks. When they are discharged home, medical and developmental conditions related to prematurity require ongoing appointments and specialized therapies. Poverty is associated with preterm birth itself, can be worsened by the financial strain of a prolonged NICU hospitalization, and can compound stress for families caring for children with medical and developmental conditions. Among low-income families with children born preterm there is a research gap in understanding 1) how this population navigates the ECE system, including how preterm birth may impact their decisions, 2) barriers to ECE access , and 3) desired supports to improve ECE access. We will use a community-engaged convergent approach to explore ECE decision making among low-income families with children born preterm. We will conduct qualitative interviews with 30 families with children born moderately and very preterm at Boston Medical Center, the largest safety net hospital in New England.

 

2. Pilot feasibility trial of a mHealth application to support early childhood development and maternal mental health outcomes in under-resourced global settings

Project Investigators:

  • Elizabeth Levey, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Anthony Rosellini, PhD, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health
  • Maria Prom, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Community Partners: Margot Leticia Aguilar Fuentes, Lic, Psychologist specializing in child health, Socios en Salud (SES) & Carmen Contreras, MA, Mental Health Program Director, Socios en Salud (SES).

Abstract: Addressing maternal depression and other risk factors is critical to improving child outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where infants face multiple risk factors for developmental delay. Mobile health interventions show promise for improving perinatal depression and teaching parenting practices, however, data on such interventions are limited, particularly in LMICs. The proposed project will pilot an existing prototype mHealth application, Crecidendo Saludable, designed to promote healthy early development among children in resource-limited settings. We will utilize a CBPR mixed-methods research design to assess feasibility and acceptability of implementation of the Creciendo Saludable application with community health workers (N=4) with mothers (N=20) in Peru. The objectives of this mobile intervention are to reduce maternal depression, strengthen infant development, and improve child health outcomes.

 

3. The EARLY Study: Early Access to Music Education and Resilience among a Longitudinal Youth Cohort

Project Investigators:

  • Diana Dansereau, PhD, Associate Professor of Music Education, Chair of Music Education, Boston University College of Fine Art
  • Ziming Xuan, ScD, Professor of Community Health Sciences, Professor of Epidemiology, Director of Adolescent Behavior and Health Program, Boston University School of Public Health
  • Community Partners: Marielisa Alvarez, Co-Director, Boston String Academy

    Abstract: Early childhood is a critical period for neurological, emotional and social development, and music participation fosters cognitive growth, empathy, cooperation and communications skills essential for resilience and improved mental health outcomes. However, families in urban under-resourced neighborhoods could face multiple barriers to participation, including financial stress and limited time for engagement, language and literacy challenges, and a lack of representation in music curricula and teaching staff. In collaboration with the Boston String Academy, we will conduct a mixed-methods study to understand individual- and program-level barriers and facilitators affecting access to and engagement with early music education among children aged 4-8 years in under-resourced neighborhoods in Boston. We will assess the feasibility of recruiting and developing a longitudinal cohort to examine the impact of these equity-related factors on youth mental health development. Data collection will involve: 1) key informant interviews with adults (e.g., parents and staff members) at BSA
    (N=10) to better understand barriers and facilitators of equitable access to early music education; and 2) recruitment and development of a longitudinal cohort of child-parent dyad (N=30) to collect primary data on demographics, music engagement, stressors, resilience, and other mental health outcome at baseline and 6- month follow-up. Pilot data and findings from this study will inform the design of a larger longitudinal study aimed at enhancing research rigor, strengthening community partnerships, and building advocacy competencies among parents and BSA staff members to ensure sustained support for early music education in Boston’s underserved communities.

     

    4. Tackling teacher  environmental health and climate misinformation through co-design: a blueprint to improve student well-being in schools

    Project Investigators:

    • M. Patricia Fabian, Associate Professor of Environmental Health, and Associate Director at the Institute for Global Sustainability, Boston University School of Public Health
    • Arunima Krishna, Associate Professor of Mass Communication, Advertising, and Public Relations, Associate Dean for Faculty Development, and Associate Director at the Institute for Global Sustainability, Boston University College of Communication
    • Pilar Botana, Research Scientist of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Healt
    • Community Partners: Katherine Walsh, Director of Planning, Engineering, Sustainability, and Environment at Boston Public Schools.

      Abstract: School years are a vulnerable period for children, who spend up to 10 hours inside schools [3]. Disparities in the environmental burdens across public schools in the US, caused by historical disinvestment and exacerbated by climate change and misinformation, can negatively affect student health and learning [4]. We plan to engage with school teachers to co-design a communication intervention to increase their IEQ knowledge, and to empower them with information to improve their classroom conditions, by educating them on best practices to reduce indoor pollutants in classrooms, and take advantage of the resources that the district offers (environmental monitoring data, air purifiers).The study will leverage resources and efforts from the recently awarded Community Clean Air grant to develop climate action plan at BPS. Findings will be published in relevant journals, and the communication materials will be disseminated through relevant organizations.

       

      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:

      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:

      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:

        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:

        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.

        Delany A, October L & Mathews S. (2023). Preventing violence against young children: A scoping review of interventions in low- and middle-income countries. Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town and Boston University Centre for Innovation in Social Work and Health.

         

        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.