ABC Program Expands in Philadelphia

This unique public – private partnership was co-funded with the William Penn Foundation (WPF) and leveraged significant in-kind support from the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and disAbility Services (DBHIDS).

ABC is a ten-week program originally developed at the University of Delaware by Dr. Mary Dozier.² It supports parents and caregivers to establish responsive and nurturing relationships with their newborns, infants, and toddlers. ABC provides parents and caregivers with real-time feedback – during home-based or tele-intervention sessions –  to reinforce specific parenting behaviors that research has linked with social-emotional development and other favorable child outcomes (e.g., secure attachment, emotional regulation, executive functioning, and language development). The program is anchored in the importance of positive early childhood relationships to combat early experiences of adversity and develop the foundation for lifelong health and well-being.

In 2017, ABC was selected by the Philadelphia Infant Toddler Early Intervention program (ITEI) as an evidence-based coaching model that could be effectively delivered to support parents and caregivers of young children experiencing social, emotional, and behavioral concerns. A 2017 ITEI pilot with the ABC team at University of Delaware certified a small cohort of early interventionists as parent coaches. By 2019, the number of children who could benefit from the program far exceeded the supply of coaches. Program champions at DBHIDS – Philadelphia ITEI Associate Director Jeannette Newman and the late IDS Director Denise Patterson – concluded that dedicated resources were needed to scale the program.

The PHP-WPF funded project launched in 2020 to increase certification of ABC parent coaches and referral of eligible children and families to the program. During the three-year grant period, Philadelphia ITEI and the ABC team refined the parent coach screening process – engaging both early interventionists and provider agencies to ensure readiness and fit for the program. Preference was given to candidates who could serve high-need neighborhoods, had after-hours availability, and/or could provide bilingual services. To support quality implementation, the ABC team trained a Philadelphia-based Clinical and Fidelity Supervisor. An ABC Coach and Team Support Liaison was also hired to facilitate peer support meetings and provide individual consultation during training and after the certification process concluded.

To increase ABC referrals, Philadelphia ITEI collaborated with the Thomas Jefferson University Teaching and Learning Collaborative (TLC) to integrate ABC information and resources into systems-wide training. As a result, ITEI service coordinators, referral teams, agency supervisors, and early interventionists across disciplines learned about the developmental risk factors associated with trauma and adverse experiences and received guidance about how to connect eligible children with ABC.

ITEI also conducted outreach to child-serving partners (e.g., Philadelphia Department of Human Services Community Umbrella Agencies, emergency and transitional housing sites, birthing hospitals, and community-based organizations) to educate them about ABC.

As a result of these collaborative efforts:

• 34 early interventionists working for 17 provider agencies were newly certified in ABC with some coaches receiving multiple certifications (29 in ABC Infant, 17 ABC Toddler/Early Childhood, and 6 in ABC Newborn).
• Approximately 392 families received ABC services from coaches during the certification process.
• Fidelity and outcomes evaluation demonstrated results consistent with ABC’s evidence base: i.e., significant changes in sensitive parenting behaviors as evaluated by pre- and post-intervention play assessments.³
• System-wide delivery of ABC increased to over 500 families per year.

In 2023, as grant funding concluded, DBHIDS demonstrated their ongoing commitment to ABC by dedicating resources to sustain local program implementation. DBHIDS was awarded a System of Care grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to address the needs of children and youth with, or at risk, for mental health challenges. Part of the four-year grant will support continued expansion and replenishment of ABC coaches and ongoing Philadelphia ITEI support for early interventionists learning to incorporate ABC into their practice.

“Our job is to help families use the strategies and interventions that best help their young child to learn and develop,” says Jeannette Newman, Philadelphia ITEI Associate Director. “The Philadelphia Health Partnership and William Penn Foundation grants and now new SAMHSA funding for ABC help us make this highly effective intervention available for all Philadelphia families who need it.”

“By working with ABC, the Philadelphia ITEI program strongly supports the emotional health of children and their parents and caregivers from birth,” notes Lauren Wechsler, Philadelphia Health Partnership Program Director. “The Foundation is proud to have supported ABC implementation in Philadelphia. Allocation of SAMHSA funding to support ABC is a critical component of sustainability – as is ongoing advocacy for increased public investment in early childhood systems. At PHP, we will continue to engage in cross-sector collaboration to promote positive early relationships that set children and families on the pathway to thrive.”

Learn more about ABC at abcparenting.org.

1. Infant Toddler Early Intervention (ITEI) is a federal entitlement program administered by the States that provides services to children from birth to 3 years who have a developmental delay or risk of having a developmental delay. Families are supported to promote children’s physical, cognitive, communication, social or emotional, and adaptive development. In Philadelphia, the ITEI program is managed by the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) under the oversight of the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL).
2. In 2024, the ABC Parenting Institute was established as an independent nonprofit organization that partners with communities to implement ABC.
3.  Sensitive parenting behavior is defined as the ability to notice, correctly interpret, and respond appropriately to children’s cues during moments of distress and non-distress.