Video: Born in the USA: A Documentary about Childbirth in America.
Produced by Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider in association with the Independent Television Service, with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (2000. 56 min.)

Three out of every four Americans become parents, yet most of us have never really considered what having a "normal" birth means. How much technology is appropriate? What are the safe options that are available to families today, and are they available to everyone? How can parents decide what is best? The United States has developed and routinely uses technology which saves countless lives that might have been lost even 10 years ago. At the same time, we have one of the highest rates of Cesarean sections in the world and spend more per birth than most other countries – although most obstetricians acknowledge that the vast majority of births proceed without complications. Born in the USA explores the landscape of maternity care through the eyes of three caregivers: a progressive obstetrician working at a teaching hospital, a skillful and articulate licensed midwife who attends home births, and a compassionate certified nurse-midwife who bridges both worlds in an urban, free-standing birth center. This film takes a critical but even-handed look at childbirth practices in this country, and raises important questions about technology, about social and other factors that impact our experiences of childbirth, and about what constitutes best care.

Available From:
Fanlight Productions
4196 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02131.
800-937-4113
Fax. 617-464-4999
Website www.fanlight.com
Purchase $195 plus shipping and handling. Rental available.

Video: Seeing is Believing
Produced by M.F. Erickson, Irving B. Harris Training Center for Infant and Toddler Development, University of Minnesota. (1999, 40 min.)

Many parents today live in highly stressful circumstances. They face multiple challenges as they care for their infants, often with little support. They may be struggling to come to grips with an abusive past. They are families at risk. Service providers working with these parents and children strive daily to provide the most effective support possible under difficult circumstances. Service providers need practical and effective prevention and intervention techniques to help families succeed. As part of the STEEP program (Steps Toward Effective, Enjoyable Parenting) at the University of Minnesota a unique intervention technique, Seeing is Believing, was developed. This training videotape and companion manual is based on that technique which is now used by home visitors and family support workers in many settings. The video and manual are designed to introduce home visitors to a strength-focused strategy for work with families and their very young children. The program first shows the videotaping of parents and infants, and then the parents and home visitor, viewing the tape in a spirit of shared discovery and self-reflection. The Seeing is Believing approach helps parents to focus on infant cues and signals, to recognize and validate the baby’s emotional needs, and to value attachment. Through Seeing is Believing the home visitor or facilitator is trained to 1) videotape parent and baby for a short time as they go about their everyday activities (e.g., feeding, bathing, playing), 2) watch the tape together with the parent, and 3) guide the parent to recognize the unique characteristics of the baby and enhance the parent’s ability to read the baby’s cues and signals and meet its needs. The parent keeps the video as a documented memory of the baby’s development.

Available From:
M.F. Erickson, Irving B. Harris Training Center for Infant and Toddler Development
University of Minnesota
51 E. River Road
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0345
Tel. 612-624-4510
Website http://icd.coled.umn.edu/HarrisCenter
Call for purchasing information

Video: Fatherhood USA
Produced by Cine Qua Non, Inc. (180 min. Three-tape set with training manual)

This PBS documentary hosted by Senator Bill Bradley is composed of two programs, Dedicated Not Deadbeat and Juggling Family and Work. It is accompanied by a third video and manual derived from these two programs, Effective Fatherhood: Workshop Overview. Fatherhood USA goes beyond the popular media stereotypes of "deadbeat" dads and househusbands to provide an intimate glimpse into the lives of a racially and economically diverse group of fathers who are trying to be good fathers. Some face a legacy of father absence (either physical or emotional), poverty, or a workplace that isn’t always "father friendly." Dedicated Not Deadbeat highlights the lives of young fathers in the Boston and Baltimore area who are struggling to be good fathers despite legacies of fatherlessness, poverty, domestic violence, and incarceration. This hour-long program, narrated by Yaphet Kotto, looks at what happens when men in fragile families find an environment that supports their importance as fathers. Juggling Family and Work explores the challenges of three fathers in intact families who must strike a balance between fulfilling the responsibilities and demands of life at home and in the workplace. Narrated by John Shea, this hour-long program shows the separate but related situations of a New York executive, a Kansas factory worker, and a California DWP employee. It deals with one of the most important business issues of the future: creating a family-friendly workplace for mothers and fathers. Effective Fatherhood: Workshop Overview contains a series of brief, emotionally-powerful vignettes in four video modules that capture key issues presented in the longer two-part documentary. The modules are designed to stimulate discussion among groups that want to expand their understanding of contemporary fatherhood and of ways to support men’s involvement in the lives of their children. The guide provides ways to use the video modules with a group, as well as background and resource information for group leaders. The titles of the four modules are The Importance of Fathers, Father-Mother Communication, Juggling Work and Family, and Fathers and Social Support.

Available From:
Child Development Media, Inc.
5632 Van Nuys Blvd, Suite 286
Van Nuys, CA 91401
Tel. 800-405-8942. Fax. 818-994-0153.
$250 plus shipping and handling.

Video: Keys to Caregiving Program
Produced by NCAST, Department of Nursing, University of Washington Executive Producer, Kathryn E.Bernard, RN, PhD. (281 min. Six videos, study guide, five pads of English or Spanish parent booklets)

This program, designed for anyone working with parents and newborns, is wellness oriented, preventive in nature, and is designed to help parents build confidence and competence in caring for their infants. Knowledge of infant behavior is a major factor in how parents relate to their infants. When parents know that newborn babies can see, hear, and are responsive, they then interact differently with the baby. They watch the baby more intently, listen more carefully to what the baby is saying, and gauge their caregiving based on the infants behavioral responses. This establishes an environment where the infant feels listened to, cared for, and becomes secure. This video-based learning package describes dimensions of newborn behaviors that parents and caregivers need to know. Each video builds on the content of the previous tape.

Tape 1 Infant State (33 min.) includes behavioral characteristics of state, neurologic and physiologic factors which effect state and sleep/wake organization, implications for parenting, and documenting parent/infant care.

Tape 2 Infant Behavior (50 min.) outlines ten behaviors parents find helpful in understanding their infant’s abilities; and demonstrates infant abilities such as seeing, hearing, cuddling, smiling, alerting, motor activity, consoling, habituating, readability, and irritability.

Tape 3 Infant Cues (42 min.) includes the language of the newborn; verbal and non-verbal infant behaviors; engaging, disengaging, and clustering of cues; and ways to teach parents to read/respond to their infants cues.

Tape 4 State Modulation (39 min.) includes principles involved in changing infant state, activities infants use to change their state, techniques to awaken/soothe infants, and aids in organizing infants’ sleep/wake states.

Tape 5 The Feeding Interaction (62 min.) includes strategies for both breast and bottle feeding, introduces the Barnard Model of parent-child interaction including parent and infant roles and responsibilities, how being "contingent" communicates importance, and contingent parents have more responsive infants.

Tape 6 Nurse Parent Communication (55 min.) explains how to share information so that the client is involved, encourages return demonstrations of infant care by the client, identifies assessment, sharing information, performance, feedback and documentation of intervention strategies.

Available from:
NCAST
Box 357920
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-7920
Tel. 206-543-8528. Fax 206-685-3284.
$620 for complete package, plus shipping and handling.

Video: Responsive Caregiving from Worlds of Childhood
(a twenty-four videotape series) Based on the PBS series Childhood Produced by GPN (30 min.)

This video introduces childrearing in its historical context, its differences and similarities across cultures, and provides illustrations of contemporary practices. The program opens with an observation of the ways in which different family circumstances and different advice influence something as basic as how a family greets its newest member. Archival photographs, films of child care practices, and a review of the history of advice to parents offer insight into the historical and cultural variations in caregiving. Research on the effects of variations in sleeping, comforting, modes of feeding, and discipline techniques are presented and the extent to which responsive interaction, rather than the specifics of a caregiving practice, has been shown to be critical in building a positive relationship between child and caregiver is discussed. In this unique series twelve families from around the world, featuring children from birth through puberty, were filmed over an 18-month period and their activities commented on by childhood experts Jerome Kagan, Urie Brofenbrenner, Robert A. Hinde, Sandra Scarr, Marian Wright Edelman and Melvin Konner.

Available From:
GPN
P.O. Box 80669
Lincoln, NE 68501-0669
Tel. 800-228-4630. Fax 402-472-4076.
$59.95 each program, $1,300 for the series
Free preview available.

Video: Bedlam At Bedtime from the series Parenting Works!
A production of Blue Penguin Television and Parenting Resources. (1998)

Each 30 minute program in this series opens with a ten-minute quote "slice of life" showing a family dealing with an actual parenting challenge. These personal documentaries trigger a high-energy discussion between the parents of six families from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, and Milton Creagh, a parent educator and host.

Bedlam At Bedtime introduces a young mother and her three-year-old son. Between his second and third birthdays they lived in ten different states. They now live in an apartment complex for single parents. The mother talks about how little security and stability her son has had and how this has affected him. He often must have his mother in sight in order to feel safe and secure. Bedtime is an ordeal every night. The mother bargains, pleads, and bribes her son to get him into bed. She lies down with him, watches television with him, and sometimes lets him fall asleep wherever he is, then carries him to bed. She understands that these may not be recommended techniques, but she is tired and just wants him to go to sleep. In the discussion group that follows the vignette, the parents recount similar bedtime situations, offer reasons why bedtime can be difficult for young children, and suggest strategies and routines they have established to both prevent and solve bedtime problems. Included with this series is a 200-page Facilitator’s Guide and a 64-page Parent’s Handbook.

Available From:
INJOY Videos
3970 Broadway, Suite B4
Boulder, CO 80304.
Tel. 800-326-2082.
Fax 303-449-8788.
Thirteen-part series $299.95 (plus shipping and handling).
Available in Spanish.

Video: The "No Tears" Technique
Produced by Jeffrey Hull Productions. (65 min., 1996)

The purpose of this tape is to address problems that parents have with their children's sleep. The solutions presented were developed by Jeffrey Hull M.D. and are used in his pediatric practice. The video looks at why problems start, how to solve them and how to prevent them. The Sleep Tight technique helps solve the most common sleep problems by gently changing a child's poor sleep habits. Common sleep problems discussed on this video include: 1) getting the newborn to sleep through the night; 2) the older infant or toddler who wakes and cries; 3) the baby or older child with the wrong bedtime and 4) the child who wants to sleep in the parent’s bed. This tape is not about methods that ask parents to let the baby cry. Rather it addresses the belief that understanding normal infant physiology - that is the baby's natural body functions allows parents to reinforce feeding and sleeping patterns that will be both healthy for the infant and satisfactory for the parents child. Feeding schedules can be arranged during the day so that the child does not need to awaken in the night to be fed. This can be achieved by gradual adjustments without causing any stress to the child or parents. The tape also suggests that taking infants' normal and expected developmental changes into account is essential both to help parents understand what sleep problems will potentially arise in the course of normal development, and to make clear how logically to prevent these problems by anticipation. This tape underscores the belief that habit is really everything. Certain habits that some parents inculcate in their children promote excellent sleep patterns. Other parental routines virtually guarantee poor sleeping, crying in the night, and unreasonable demands by children on parents' nighttime hours. If good habits are not present, proper behaviors need to be introduced and above all reinforced over time. A step-by step process is defined for parents to follow to help their infant gradually achieve good sleep habits without stress to the child or to the parent. This program specifically counsels against the crying-it-out technique because 1) the child did not ask to be taught bad habits, 2) it is not the child's fault; 3) it doesn’t address the problem and 4) it frightens the child. Following purchase of the video, online consultation is available.

Available from:
1215 7th Street SE, Suite 210
Decatur, Alabama 35601-3309.
Tel.: 800-344-1291.
Email:jwhull@drhull.com.
Internet: www.drhull.com. $19.95 (plus shipping and handling).

Video: Almost Home.
(1995, 25 min.) Produced by Cynthia L. Wade.

This video offers the authentic and unsentimental look at the lives of children in a homeless shelter in the Bronx. Nine year-old Ranier and eleven year-old Frank dream of living in castles and taking karate lessons. In reality they live in an uncertain world where walking to school means stepping over crack vials and dodging gunfire. Ranier has witnessed his father being shot and worries about his mother being raped. "I’m in a school where nobody knows me," he says. "One girl asked me where I lived. I couldn’t tell her I was homeless." Frank endures taunts from classmates and frustration at feeling left out. "I want a lot of things, skates and swimming lessons," he says, "but I can’t get it. That’s how we got to live." At the center of their world is "Big Dave," a recreation counselor who teaches them friendship, courage and self-respect. Eventually their families make the transition to permanent housing. Narrated by the children themselves, this is an honest portrait of poverty and youth.

Available From:
Fanlight Productions
47 Halifax Street
Boston, MA 02130
Tel. 800-937-4113. Fax 617-524-8838.
Purchase $99, rental $50 (plus shipping and handling).

Video: Homeless Not Hopeless.
(1990, 29 min., with 28 page viewers guide)

This program discusses stereotypes associated with homelessness and how changes in government, economy, and in personal lives have affected the face of homelessness in the United States. The reasons that people are homeless -- increasing rents, inadequate supply of low-income housing, federal aid reductions, and discrimination -- are explored. The program defines homeless persons as "those who lack resources and community ties necessary to provide for their own adequate shelter." There is no typical homeless person. Homelessness can and does happen to anyone. Through out this program four mothers who have experienced homelessness talk about issues of homelessness, the impact on their children and themselves and the resources they relied on. The video looks at urban and rural poverty and of the life of the suburban poor, where pockets of homelessness are expanding. The program describes the despair that homelessness brings to adults and children. In addition, children experience an increase in health problems that often go untreated. Their language development lags and they forget what they’ve learned. Many become impassive and won’t cuddle or play. Problems in school are common. The final segment of the program looks at what can be done by the public and private sector and by individuals to decrease poverty and vulnerability to homelessness.

Available From:
Northeastern Wisconsin In-School Telecommunications (NEWIST/CESA #7)
IS 1040, UW-GB
2420 Nicolet Drive
Green Bay, WI 54311
Tel. 800-633-7445. Fax 920-465-2576.
Purchase $195, rental $50 (plus shipping and handling).

Video: Streetlife: the Invisible Family.
(58 min.) Produced by Ken Verdoia, KUED-Television.

A third of the estimated three million homeless in the United States are families with children, the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. Each year, thousands of homeless families take to the highways in search of work. They live in their cars or temporary shelters. They are often overwhelmingly depressed. This video introduces viewers to seven such displaced families and follows the events of their lives as they struggle to improve their circumstances. The program examines the limited resources of one community that provide assistance to homeless families. The often over-burdened people who try to help describe homelessness as "an American nightmare, it is like working in a third world country." Those working with families, trying to help them find employment, shelter, food, health care, and education, all are alarmed by the plight of the children. The children of homeless families are the most obvious victims. They are denied the opportunity of healthy growth and development through transient life style, borderline nutrition, spotty schooling and an abnormal definition of daily life. Some children are born living in cars or shelters, this is all they know. This program addresses the sobering reality that we are raising a new generation of homeless people, the children, and argues for a public response based on the real needs of homeless families.

Available From:
Fanlight Productions
47 Halifax Street
Boston, MA 02130
Tel. 800-937-4113. Fax 617-524-8838.
Purchase $195, rental $50 (plus shipping and handling).

Video: What's Wrong with this Picture?
(1994, 28 min.) Produced by Constance Bosley Calhoun.

This program looks at homelessness among the working poor. The statistics on homelessness in the United States grow steadily more ominous. Perhaps the most disturbing fact is that families with children now make up more than a third of America's homeless. Many are working, but the combination of low wages and skyrocketing housing costs leaves them too poor to support a household. This video introduces viewers to four homeless and formally homeless families, who offer an honest, first-person insight into the realities of the working poor. They provide a deeper understanding of the obstacles homeless families face in getting off the streets and out of the shelters. One example is Tanya. When her unemployment insurance ran out she had to move her family to a shelter. Even though she is now working with child care expenses for her two young children at $145 a week she can’t afford to move out of the shelter. "Everyone in the shelter works," she explains, "but most have minimum-wage jobs. And it’s hard to maintain a household on that."

Available From:
Fanlight Productions
47 Halifax Street
Boston, MA 02130
Tel. 800-937-4113. Fax 617-524-8838.
Purchase $195, rental $50 (plus shipping and handling).

Video: I Love Somebody
Produced by Project CAPABLE (Communities Assisting Parents to be Able), University Affiliated Cincinnati Center for Developmental Disorders. (1991)

This video series and discussion leader's manuals were designed to be used by service providers who work with families in which children age birth to three years are at established, biological or environmental risk and have parents with special needs/mental retardation. No reading skills are required by the viewer.

Safety in the Home. 17 min., manual included. The purpose of this video is to engage parents who are interested in safety for their children in discussions that will result in an increased knowledge of safety and ensure safer environments for their children. Presents three parents with special needs or mental retardation who demonstrates how to make a living room, bathroom, bedroom and kitchen safe for children. Potential dangers in each room are identified followed by concrete directions to make the rooms safe. Designed to be used with parents individually or in small groups.

Partners in Parenting. 6 min. Presents the concept that parents with special needs or mental retardation, their children and those who work with them benefit from close collaboration. The objective is to develop working partnerships that address family strengths and needs rather than only specific child-care issues.

Feeding My Baby. 10 min., manual included. This tape shows how some mothers feed their babies and asks, "Should she do anything differently?" or "How is this like/unlike what you do or might do?" The purpose of this tape is to engage parents in discussions that will result in an increased knowledge of feeding and nutrition for their children. Very simple easy-to-follow information describes the dos and don'ts of feeding young children from infancy to preschool. The tape can be paused for discussion following each segment.

Together We Get Along. 11 min., manual included. This three-part tape was developed to promote discussions that will result in increased understanding of the difficult issues of loving discipline of young children. Two small groups of parents with special needs/mental retardation discuss with a professional the ways they show their children love, how they figure out what their children are trying to tell them and what to do when it is hard to love your children. Video clips to promote discussion include a baby crying, a two-year-old saying "No!", a child kicking, a child taking things out of a cupboard and children playing roughly.

Getting Services for My Baby and Me. 16 min., manual included. Parents can find it difficult to be assertive during the formulation of service plan for their family. The purpose of this tape is to engage parents in discussions that will result in increased understanding of the most effective ways of communicating with professionals. The tape discusses the format of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and presents examples of situations during an IFSP that help to define the role of the family and what is important to both the family and the professionals.

Available From:
Child Development Media, Inc.
5632 Van Nuys Blvd., Suite 286
Van Nuys, CA 91401. Tel. 818-994-0933. Fax 818-994-0153.
$40 each tape or $170 for the series (plus shipping and handling).

Video: I'm Only Doing This For Your Own Good.
Produced by Stephen J. Bavolek, Ph.D. and Fran Kaplan, MSW. (40 min., 1997)

Parenting infants, toddlers and preschool age children is one of the most challenging of all the developmental stages of childhood. Rapid changes in social, emotional and physical growth keep parents on their toes just trying to keep up. This five part interactive teaching tool is designed to help parents identify difficult times in their parenting abilities and to learn proven skills that work to promote the health and welfare of their child and the relationship between parent and child. There are five scenes each portraying a typically challenging time. Scene one shows a mother frustrated by her baby's crying and her own lack of sleep. Stressed out, she shakes her baby. Scene two shows a toddler being taught that exploring her environment can be a painful and dangerous activity when mom is constantly yelling "no" and slapping her hands. Scene three involves a parent who is frightened by her son running into the street and getting hit by a car, she yells and spanks her son, telling him he could get hurt. Scene four shows a whining child who won't give up. The parents who are unable to handle the whining only make matters worse by giving in to demands. Scene five focuses on a father and daughter shopping in a grocery store. The preschool child is tired and disinterested, dad and daughter engage in a power struggle which ends up with a spanking. After each scene with the example of inappropriate parenting presented the video is intended to be paused with parent viewers offered the opportunity to discuss what occurred and what they would do differently. When the video is resumed, proven techniques and strategies are presented as alternatives to spanking, yelling, hitting and shaking children. The strategies presented teach healthy ways to discipline, to parent and care for the child. This multicultural program features black, white and Hispanic families.

Available From:
Child Development Media, Inc.
5632 Van Nuys Blvd., Suite 286
Van Nuys, CA 91401. Tel. 818-994-0933. Fax 818-994-0153.
$95 (plus shipping and handling).

Video: Parents as Teachers: Meeting the Challenge of Teen Parents
(21min., 1996)

One million teens become pregnant each year, one-half of them become parents. This video provides an overview of the key issues of teen parenting and describes, Parents as Teachers, a program designed to meet teen parenting needs for support and education. Reasons for teen pregnancy are described and discussed. The challenges of teen parenting are expressed from the perspective of teen mothers and fathers, grandparents and school administrators. Teen parents are seen with their babies in a variety of settings as they talk about their experiences and in a group of young mothers and fathers the teens share their realities of parenthood with their peers. The teens, their parents and school administrators also talk about the benefits of the Parents as Teachers program.

Parents as Teachers is based on the premise that parents are the first and most important influence in the lives of their children and that the first years of life are critical in determining what children will become. As part of Parents as Teachers teen parents are offered regular home visits where the focus is on the specific needs of the teen parent and baby. Group meetings offer teens the opportunity to share personal issues and to gain child development information. Periodic developmental screening for babies and a resource network are also part of the Parent as Teachers program. Teen fathers are invited and encouraged to participate in all parts of the program. Parents as Teachers supports teens as they learn how to accept their responsibilities as parents and how to fit the needs of their babies into a world where, as youngsters, they are still learning to cope.

Available From:
Parents as Teachers National Center, Inc.
10176 Corporate Square Drive
Suite 230, St. Louis, MO 63132
Tel. 314-432-4330.
$45 (plus shipping and handling).

Video: A Simple Gift.
(10 min., 1997)

This video emphasizes the significant impact that the quality of early parenting has on later social-emotional development. It provides specific information about the development and importance of the infant's attachment relationship with parents in the first year of life. The information is presented in clear, easy-to-understand language with demonstration of when and how to respond to an infant's distress. This program is based on an increasing body of research on attachment which shows that the quality sensitivity) of parents' responses to their infants' cues and signals is critical in developing feelings of security in the child. Whenever safety is threatened, the attachment system is "activated" and infants show attachment behaviors e.g., they seek contact with their attachment figure and try to elicit caregiving responses through behaviors such as crying and clinging. The attachment system is activated when a baby is emotionally upset (afraid, sad), physically hurt and ill. The quality of parents' responses to their infants under these three circumstances determines whether infants learn to feel safe with their parents and secure that their parents will be there when needed. The purpose of the video is to increase parents' sensitivity to their young children and thus promote their child's ability to learn, cope, work and form satisfying relationships throughout life. Suitable for parents from many cultures.

Available From:
Infant Mental Health Promotion Project
Dept. of Psychiatry. Hospital for Sick Children
555 University Ave., Toronto, On M5G 1X8.
Tel. 416-813-6062. FAX 416-813-5326.
$40 (plus shipping and handling).

Video: Gentle Transitions: A Newborn Baby's Point of View About Adoption.
Produced by Michael Trout, Director, the Infant-Parent Institute, Champaign, IL. The Infant-Parent Institute is a private teaching and clinical service institute specializing in problems of attachment in infants and adults. (10 min. 1997).

This program offers suggestions on what grown-ups should think about and do to make the adoption experience work best for a baby. Presented as if written by an infant, the video was produced for birthparents, adoptive parents and adoption professionals, and as a catalyst for discussion in adoption training. Covered are issues ranging from the importance of the adoptive family having a chance to be pregnant for their adopted baby, to the importance of some kind of ritual to mark the transition from one family to the other. Explanations are offered for some of the adopted baby's subsequent behavior, and a plea is made (by the baby) for us to remember that he is watching us.

Available from
Child Development Media, Inc.
5632 Van Nuys Blvd.
Suite 286, Van Nuys, CA 91401.
Tel. 800-405-8942. Fax 818-994-0153.
$70 (plus shipping and handling).

Video: Building a Family Partnership from the Listen to Families Series.
Produced by Jana Staton, Ph.D., American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Foundation. (50 min.,1995). Viewers Guide included.

This tape includes unedited excerpts from conversations with 5 diverse families. Segments were selected to highlight generic communication strategies helpful in joining with a family and building a collaborative partnership. Strategies include: having a conversation rather than an interview, sharing power by letting the family do the talking, focusing on family members' strengths, asking open-ended questions and encouraging expression of different viewpoints. Experienced family consultants meet with families from African-American, Hispanic/Latino and European-American backgrounds from all income levels. Created for use with providers working with families in a variety of settings, including IDEA Part H services, Head Start, family preservation, maternal and child health and marriage and family therapy.

Available From:
Child Development Media, Inc.
5632 Van Nuys Blvd., Suite 286
Van Nuys, CA 91401. Tel. 818-994-0933. Fax 818-994-0153.
$85 (plus shipping and handling).

Video: Exploring Family Strengths from the Listen to Families Series.
Produced by Jana Staton, Ph.D., American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Foundation. (30 min., 1995). Viewers Guide included.

Highly focused presentation of the rationale, examples and strategies for engaging families in conversations about their strengths as well as their problems. Explains why recognizing family strengths is essential to building a family partnership, demonstrates the essential importance of the provider's belief that all families have strengths and illustrates how early interventionists can explore and elicit strengths with families from diverse economic and cultural backgrounds, even under difficult and stressful circumstances. All the families and family therapists from the 16-tape Listening to Families series are shown. Designed to meet the need for training early interventionists to work effectively with families.

Available From:
Child Development Media, Inc.
5632 Van Nuys Blvd., Suite 286
Van Nuys, CA 91401
Tel. 818-994-0933. Fax 818-994-0153.
$85 (plus shipping and handling).

Video: Project Future: Teen Pregnancy, Childbirth and Parenting.
(1991)

This three-tape, six-part video series addresses the needs of adolescents who are continuing their pregnancies and going on to become parents. The videos are designed to promote healthy birth outcomes for young mothers, fathers and their babies, to provide emotional support and to teach basic parenting skills.

1. Part One: Your Pregnancy (22 min.) focuses on prenatal care and general health during pregnancy. The tape provides frank detailed information on conception, the symptoms of pregnancy, prenatal exams, fetal development, nutrition, weight gain and the effects of substance abuse on the newborn.

   Part Two: Your Plan (21 min.) considers the emotional, social and practical life-issues surrounding pregnancy, stressing the role of the young father throughout. The program addresses concerns about continuing education, family relationships and finances. Reviews basic clothing and equipment needs of the newborn.

2. Part One: Jeannie's Story and Debra's Story (28 min.) presents a complete teen's guide through labor and delivery. An uncomplicated vaginal birth and vaginal birth with epidural are documented. Includes an animated sequence on the stages of labor and scenes on teen labor support, newborn appearance and postpartum breastfeeding.

   Part Two: Robin's Story (15 min.) chronicles a planned Cesarean delivery including hospital admission procedures, routine preparation for surgery and the Cesarean birth. This program also looks at the presence of birth support, emotional considerations surrounding Cesarean delivery and tips for physical recovery.

3. Part One: Your New Baby (32 min.) The stories and backgrounds of teenagers who have recently become mothers and fathers are all different. But with the birth of a baby they all face the same challenge of learning to figure out and cope with and care for a new baby. This program looks at what is involved. Teens in a group talk about their new parenting experiences and how they feel. The video also looks specifically at differences in babies, crying, sleeping and taking care.

   Part Two: Your New Life (26 min.) This program concentrates on the changes and challenges following birth including postpartum care for mothers and fathers. Social and emotional responses to parenting and strategies for continuing education are examined. Day care options, use of contraceptives, abstinence and AIDS prevention are also explored.

Available From:
Vida Health Communications
6 Bigelow Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
Tel. 617-864-4334. Fax 617-864-7862.
$275 each tape, $595 for the set.

Video: Importance of Fatherhood
(1996)

Deeply significant societal changes in America in the past 40 years have resulted in greatly increased rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births. While it is true that many adults have benefited, now able to leave a marriage that no longer satisfies them or free to have children without a marital commitment, it is equally true that the children have gained little, if anything. Evidence reflects a strongly negative affect on many children growing up in one-parent homes. It is estimated that over 50% of American children can expect to spend some of their childhood in homes with only one parent, usually the mother. This three-tape video series, illustrates the vital and unique contribution of fathers to their children's lives, the societal forces that cause fathers to drift away from their children and the resulting detrimental effects on society and on the children themselves.

Life with Father (28 min.). This program begins with a discussion of the role of the father from the time of conception and compares the parenting behaviors of mothers and fathers. The historical roles of fathers are described and aspects of their contemporary roles are discussed. The tape examines the unique contribution of fathers to their children's development. David Blankenhorn, author of Fatherless America, comments on issues such as protection, sponsorship and breadwinning.

Disappearance of the Father (25 min.). This program cites figures which indicate that America is increasingly becoming a fatherless nation and identifies societal factors that are contributing to this phenomenon. The tape focuses on reasons many non-custodial fathers gradually drop out of their children's lives and the detrimental effects of this on the children and on society as a whole. The role of the stepfather is also examined.

Life without Father (25 min.). This program addresses the emotional effects of fatherlessness and the difficulty of separating those effects from the trauma of family disruption such as divorce. Some of the destabilizing events in a child's life resulting from a marital breakup are also discussed. The tape describes the effects of fatherlessness on children's school performance and later development. The tape concludes by discussing some strategies to counter the flight of fathers from their families.

Available From:
Concept Media
P.O. Box 19542
Irvine, CA 92623-9542
Tel. 800-233-7078. Fax 714-660-0206
$280 each tape, $700 for the series.

Video: Show Your Love.
Produced by Sam Kaufmann, Chairman, Department of Film and Television, Boston, University. (1995, 20 min.)

This program addresses the importance of fathers in the lives of children. The tape presents a diverse group of children, ranging in age from 10 to 17 years, who talk about their lives with and without their fathers. The tape is not narrated nor does it attempt to analyze or contrast the responses of the children. Examples of the questions addressed by the children are Does your father live at home with you? How do you feel about not having your father around? What do you like best about your dad? Would you be different if he was around? Do you talk to your father? What do you think you/your husband will be like with your children? The tape ends with the children offering advice to fathers:

"Be there for your child."
"Don't screw around, be loyal."
" It takes a man to be a father."
"Show your love to your children."

This program is one of a series of three videos that focus on issues important to children and families. Gone Too Far looks at the impact of television on children and Lessons From The Ones We Love addresses the importance of the family's role in a child's learning process. All three were produced at a the request of Vice President Al Gore.

Available From:
Nancy Maguire
Boston University
College of Communication
640 Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA 02215.
Tel. 617-353-3483.
$50 plus shipping and handling

Video: Equal Partners: African American Fathers and Systems of Health Care.
(26 min. Discussion and resource guide included).

What does an African American father experience when his child has a disabling condition or chronic illness? Why does he generally feel so isolated? How may health care professionals support him in being fully involved with his children? Equal Partners was developed for the following reasons: To portray the unique challenges African American fathers confront when working with health care delivery systems (i.e., physicians, nurses, therapists, family resource workers, social workers, hospitals, clinics). To explore ways for health care delivery systems to become user-friendly and inclusive of African American fathers as "equal partners" in the health care of their children with special needs. To portray positive images of African American men as capable, nurturing, and involved in the care of their children and families. This video demonstrates that African American men can be caring fathers and effective advocates for their children with special health care needs.

The 90 page discussion and resource guide includes: 1) questions and ideas that promote discussion of the video; 2) assessment of care delivery for fathers of children with special needs; 3) Cultural Competence Self-Assessment Questionnaire; 4) approaches for enhancing the participation of African American fathers in health care and early intervention programs; 5) a roster of organizations that provide resources and support; 6) bibliography regarding culturally competent care and 7) articles by authors in the Fathering field.

Available From:
James May
National Fathers' Network
Kindering Center
16120 N.E. 8th Street
Bellevue, WA 98008-3937. Tel. 206-747-4004, ext. 216. Fax 206-747-1069
$50 plus shipping and handling

Video: A Challenge to Care: Strategies to Help Chemically Dependent Women and Their Children.
Produced by Vida Health Communications in partnership with NAACOG, the Organization for Obstetrics, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nurses. (38 min., 1991).

This tape is a staff-training program for professionals working with childbearing women and their children. A Challenge to Care looks at the phenomenon of addiction and at mothers and babies in danger, and demonstrates specific strategies for professionals caring for pregnant and newly parenting women with chemical dependencies. The film explores patterns of addiction and appropriate interventions for use during pregnancy, birth, postpartum and pediatric follow-ups.

Available From:
Vida Health Communications
6 Bigelow Street
Cambridge, MA 02139.
Tel. 617-864-4334. FAX 617-864-7862.
$275.

Video: Fragile Beginnings: Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders.
Produced by Lifestyle Productions, Inc. (25 min., 1993).

Thousands of women each year - somewhere between five and fifteen percent of new mothers - suffer from postpartum mood and anxiety disorders. What should have been a happy event - the birth of a child - is instead the beginning of what can be a long nightmare of serious illness and the frustrating search for appropriate treatment. This video presents women who have lived through this experience. In a group discussion they share their stories, from the onset of illness through the search for the correct diagnosis, treatment and eventual recovery. Deborah Sichel, M.D. and Jeanne Watson Driscoll, M.S., R.N., C.S. lead the group discussion and share their understanding of these difficult and often misunderstood disorders. The topics explored include: postpartum depression; postpartum panic disorder; postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder; postpartum psychosis; and breastfeeding and family support. This program will help both professional and families recognize the symptoms of a postpartum mood disorder.

Available From:
Injoy Videos
3970 Broadway, Suite B4
Boulder, CO 80304.
Tel. 800-326-2082. Fax 303-449-8788.
$75, plus shipping and handling.

Video: Attention To Each Other: Infant and Adult During the Bath.
Produced by Pikler-Loczy Association for Infancy, Emmi Pikler Institute, Budapest, Hungary,1997 (37 min.)

The act of bathing a child provides a unique and important opportunity for the development of love and communication between adult and child. During free play, the infant encounters the reality of the physical world and discovers himself. This also occurs during bathing, but here the infant experiences reality through his relationship to the adult, and this relationship in itself becomes an object of interest to him. The infant switches his attention from his surroundings to the adult and back again, and from the words and actions of the adult back to his own body. But this happens only when the infant is considered as an active partner by a sensitive adult eager to respond to the signals offered by the child and ready to allow the infant to share in the care he is getting. A subtle communication may develop between both partners, which increases the infant's self-awareness and shapes his relationship to the adult. When this sensitive communication is lacking, it deprives both the infant and adult of experiencing the wealth of rich emotions generated by this privileged relationship that occurs during the bath. When it is there, an infinite range of emotions colors these moments together. The child discovers both his own expectations and desires and those of the adult. He learns to be loved, to love himself, and to love others. At the end of this program there are scenes, without voice-over, for observation and study

Available From:
Child Development Media, Inc.
5632 Van Nuys Blvd., Suite 286
Van Nuys, CA 91401.
Tel. 800-405-8942, FAX 818-994-0153
$120, plus shipping and handling.

Video: Right From the Start.
Produced by Scott Casey Productions. Made possible by Irving B. Harris Foundation, Chicago, IL., John D. and Catherine T. Mac Arthur Foundation and the National Science Foundation. (53 min., 1986).

The bond that an infant begins to form with his parents in the first weeks after birth is the foundation for development throughout later life. This tape is about the process of bonding and attachment. How does this special relationship get started? Who participates and what happens to a child if it doesn't form? What can be done to help an infant and his parents compensate for a difficult beginning? This program reviews the research of many scientists and examines years of thought. Harry Harlow, Rene Spitz and John Bowlby demonstrate the importance of attachment and bonding for normal development. John Kennell and Marshall Klaus identify the negative effect of early separation on family development. Selma Fraiberg demonstrates that deprivation of a nurturing mother or mother-substitute diminishes later capacity to commit to loving relationships and the human community. T. Berry Brazelton demonstrates how the early capabilities of infants and the balanced rhythm between infant and mother are essential to attachment. The infant plays a fundamental role in learning to love and trust. The tape also focuses on some of the practices and institutions in our society that can either encourage or hinder the attachment process. Bernice Weissbourd describes a community-based, drop-in, family support center that assists families to function more effectively in their child-rearing roles. Programs like this support the growing attachment between children and their parents that is so important throughout life.

Available From:
Child Development Media
5632 Van Nuys Blvd, Suite 286
Van Nuys, CA 91401.
Tel. 800-405-8942.
$25, plus shipping and handling.

Video series: What Mother Takes, Baby Gets I, II, and III.
Produced by Hacienda La Puente USD, Correctional Education Division, Los Angeles, CA. 1992-1994.

In this series of spontaneous and unrehearsed programs medical experts Xylina Bean, M.D. and Michael Durfee M.D. answer questions put to them by inmates of the Sybil Brand Institute in Los Angeles. Their answers are direct as they inform, confront, challenge and motivate their audience to get off drugs, get pre-natal care and maintain a drug-free home for the sake of the child. People who do drugs do not want to think of their drugs as poison. Women who use drugs during their pregnancy do not want to think that as they poison themselves they are poisoning their babies. This programmakes people who do not want to think, think.

Part I. 26 min. Emphasizes the importance of pre-natal care, the effects of heroin, PCP, cocaine, cigarettes and other drugs on the baby and the legal liability of addicted mothers. Some of the women discuss their personal stories and tell of the effects their drug addition has had on their children.

Part II. 37 min. Focuses on babies born addicted to cocaine and alcohol, looks at the responsibility of drug-abusing fathers and features the story of Carol Bender, a mother who used and sold drugs until she could no longer do either.

Part III. 40 min. Compares addicted and non-addicted premature babies. Experts discuss addiction, the consequences and options for getting treatment. The program stresses the importance of bringing a baby home to a drug-free environment and offers some practical advice on making decisions about babies who have been exposed to drugs and the responsibility of parenting.

Available From:
Child Development Media
5632 Van Nuys Blvd., Suite 286
Van Nuys, CA 91401.
Tel. 800-405-8942.
$140 for the series, plus shipping and handling

Video series: Achieve! Success for Young Fathers.
Four video set (15 min. each tape) with video guide. 1998.

The videos in this series provide motivation, support and practical parenting skills for young fathers. Using a documentary format, the series offers candid comments of young fathers from many ethnic, racial and socio-economic backgrounds. Young men who have succeeded as fathers serve as mentors and share their ideas on how to fill the essential role of father in a baby's life. Viewers see how others found ways to overcome the stereotypes and peer pressure that can interfere with success. Young men (and women) can become aware of the invaluable benefit of the presence and support a father provides to his children. Parents and professionals learn about the challenges faced by young fathers, the changes in their lives and the rewards of their efforts and commitment. The issues addressed in this series include: Deciding to Succeed - Your Baby Needs You; Practical Skills - Your Baby Needs You; Successful Communication - How To Talk And Listen and Responsible Fatherhood - Taking Control Of Your Future.

Available From:
American Guidance Service, Inc. (AGS)
4201 Woodland Road, P.O. Box 99.
Circle Pines, MN 55014-1796.
Tel. 800-328-2560. FAX 612-786-9077.
$199.95 for the series, plus shipping and handling.

Video series: Growing Together.
1998. Six video set (15 min. each tape) with video guide.

This series is based on the understanding that while it is critical to help young mothers learn how to care for their babies it is equally important to help them continue to grow themselves. The aim of this series is to offer real help for teen mothers and those who work with them. The videos and supplementary materials are designed to teach young parents positive behaviors such as setting goals, seeking help in the family, school and community , and developing pride in themselves and their new role as parents. Growing Together focuses on practical methods to help young parents cope with their own needs and those of their infants. Each video focuses on one topic of interest to teen parents. Program 1, "Just Like You," deals with self-esteem The focus is equally divided between ways to develop a solid foundation for the emotional health of the baby and ways to help the mother develop her own self-esteem. Program 2, "Out of Danger," demonstrates the vulnerability of babies and steps the mother can take to protect them. Program 3, "Good Food for a Good Start," teaches the fundamental principles of proper infant feeding. It also explains and encourages a healthy diet for the teen mother. Program 4, "Strong and Healthy" focuses on basic information the mother should know to maintain the infant's health and her own. Program 5, "What My Baby Can Do," deals with physical development, what to expect at each age and how to foster normal development in infants. Program 6, "Feelings, Family and Friends," teaches about social and emotional development through positive play activities, interaction with family and finding support from friends.

Available From:
American Guidance Service, Inc. (AGS)
4201 Woodland Road, P.O. Box 99.
Circle Pines, MN 55014-1796.
Tel. 800-328-2560. FAX 612-786-9077.
$199.95 for the series, plus shipping and handling.

Parenting Education Curriculum
The Partners in Parenting Education Program Developed by Read Your Baby for Partners in Parenting Education and The Program for Early Developmental Studies Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

The Partners in Parenting Education Program (PIPE) was developed as a collaborative effort between a group of parent educators who wanted to improve the quality of parent/infant interactions, and a group of child development researchers who had accumulated a wealth of knowledge in the areas of emotional development and communication.

The focus of this parenting curriculum is on the social and emotional development of the child, and the relationship between the child and their parents. The curriculum includes lesson plans, videos, and activities. The materials are suitable for parents with limited literacy skills and include advanced work sheets for parents with more advanced skills.

The Bulletin of ZERO TO THREE/ National Center for Infants, Toddler, and Families devoted the August/September 1996 issue to this new approach to parenting education.

The following review is from the Bulletin:

PIPE materials were developed specifically for use with adolescent parent’s or adults who themselves have had less than optimal parenting examples. The curriculum addresses the emotional development of infant and parent and teaches emotional communication, parent/infant interaction, and skills for emotion regulation. Each unit of the curriculum includes: 1) a manual with 8 to 10 weeks of lesson plans, conceptual material, teaching strategies, overheads, posters, games, and questionnaires; 2) a videotape with a discussion guide; and 3) activity cards designed to support parent-infant interaction.

Listen, Listen, Listen ($180).
This unit focuses on communication skills and the baby as an individual. Listening - a key ingredient in effective parenting - is a skill that must be developed. Learning to listen and respond appropriately forms a foundation for the relationship between parent and child. The unit addresses babies' states of awareness and the cues for caregiving they provide; rhythmically in early development; how babies "talk" with their feelings; responding to babies’ engagement and disengagement cues; learning how to follow a baby’s lead to extend and expand play; helping babies lear n language; and the power of rhythm and music for emotional regulation.

Love is Layers of Sharing ($180).
This unit focuses on relationship building, defining love as a relationship that deepens through mutual sharing. A baby’s emotional and social development are determined through relationships, and a baby’s first relationship sets the pattern for all future relationships. Learning to use positive parenting techniques early can enhance the development of love and pleasure in parenting. The unit addresses individual differences in temperament; trust; sharing emotions; communication love through touch; interdependence; respect; regulation; tolerance; resilience; and emotional refueling.

Playing is Learning ($180).
This unit focuses on shared learning and mastery skills, showing babies as born eager to learn and play as a pathway to learning. Play leads to new experiences, new competencies, shared interests, and sharing positive emotions with others. Parents and caregivers promote learning and develop closeness by being partners in children’s play and helping children feel mastery and pride. The unit addresses curiosity and mastery, shared positive emotions, developmental milestones, teaching styles, reciprocal play, stimulating the senses, building communication skills through play, pretend play as problem solving, and the joys of reading.

Available from:
Child Development Media, Inc.
5632 Van Nuys Boulevard, Suite 286
Van Nuys, CA 91401
Tel: 800-405-8942

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