Parents, educators and practitioners can now find the latest research and evidence-based guidance on raising a family and helping children at a new website called InfoAboutKids.org, a project of seven APA divisions. The site is a clearinghouse of behavioral science on children and adolescents, including media-popular topics such as screen time and disaster-related stress and common parenting concerns such as sleep difficulty, drug and alcohol use, and puberty.
"With so much information on the Internet, it's really difficult to know whether what you're reading is legitimate, effective or backed by good science or best practices," says University of Tennessee psychology professor Kristina Coop Gordon, PhD, of Div. 43 (Society for Couple and Family Psychology). "We wanted to offer one-stop shopping and direct people to information that has already been vetted by the experts."
The website is sponsored by APA and was created by the Consortium for Science-Based Information on Children, Youth and Families, a group of seven APA divisions interested in seeing the public access quality information on children and families: Divs. 7 (Developmental Psychology), 15 (Educational Psychology), 16 (School Psychology), 37 (Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice), 43, 53 (Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology) and 54 (Society of Pediatric Psychology).
To be included in the site, each Web-based resource must first pass a rigorous screening process to ensure its advice is based on good research and is bias-free. The website includes a translation feature for non-English speakers and complies with Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines for accessibility. To drive traffic to the site, the divisions are promoting the content to popular "mommy bloggers," parenting columnists and health journalists who cover children and families.
The website was made possible thanks to an APA Interdivisional Grant, which enables APA divisions to collaborate on projects that can have a big impact.
"We could not have achieved this breadth of coverage without collaboration across the full range of psychologists' expertise pertaining to children and families," says Div. 37 Past-President Mary Ann McCabe, PhD, an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine. "No single division could achieve this alone."
Visit the "About Us" page at www.infoaboutkids.orgopens in new window for more information on the resource selection process and the website advisory board. For more information on APA's Interdivisional Grant Program, visit www.apa.org/about/awards/interdivisional-grants-project. The next funding deadline is May 31.
— Jamie Chamberlin
