Reasoning & Evidence
Promoting the parent-child relationship is crucial for the social health of parents and children throughout life, beginning at birth. As explained in A Call to Connection, “Evolutionary biologists and developmental psychologists agree. We are primed to build relationships and to help and support each other. Our connections start in the womb with parents and children co-regulating one another, and they become vividly measurable the moment we are placed in our parents’ arms.”
Having a strong, positive parent-child relationship is important for a child’s development. Promoting the parent-child relationship strengthens children’s social-emotional skills and provides support to draw upon during challenging times (1). Benefits include increased feelings of trust and safety and a lower risk of depression (3, 4). Additionally, children with positive parent relationships have more adult relationships they can turn to for support (2). All of this is key to help children form and navigate healthy relationships throughout their lives, and protect them against negative experiences and trauma (2). Without early relational health skills, children are at risk for relational disconnection throughout life. Responsive caregiving that meets a child’s needs establishes a cycle of mutual understanding and emotional expression – all crucial for healthy relationships. On the other end, the absence of nurturing from a primary caregiver keeps children’s stress levels elevated, leading to detrimental effects on their molecular, cellular, and brain development, referred to as “toxic stress (8).” Early relational health practices can also benefit parents because they address structural barriers that may prevent parents from having the social skills and support necessary for strong, positive relationships with their children. By meeting parents needs, these individuals are more able to closely bond with their children (5, 6, 7).
*Throughout this page we use the term “parent” to refer to the significant caregivers in a child’s family. These individuals provide unconditional love to the child
Examples of Community Implementation
The Boston Basics Campaign is an initiative run by the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University that promotes early relational health. The program focuses on spreading five evidence-based parenting and caregiving principles that encompass much of what experts find is important for children from birth to age three. These principles encourage caregivers to maximize love, manage stress, talk, sing and point, count, group and compare, and explore through movement and play.
In Bridgeport, Connecticut, the United Way of Coastal Fairfield County developed an innovative initiative called the Bridgeport Baby Bundle to support parents and children during the child’s first three years of life. Promoting children’s social-emotional development is one of the key six policies of the program.
Other examples of communities fostering intergenerational parent-child connection are the Mount Sinai Parenting Center in New York City; the Wheeler Clinic’s Child First program in Plainville, CT; and the Children’s Home Society of New Jersey’s Early Head Start programs. These programs offer parents the opportunity to build skills to connect with their children and provide material resources to support their needs; often, these programs make home visits to parents and/or provide services at little to no cost.
Learn more:
Nurture Connection: Why ERH Matters
A Call to Connection: Rediscovering the Transformative Power of Relationships
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