Childhood wellness: A Qualitative evaluation of daily challenges and concerns pertaining to early childhood development

Background: Our project is part of the national Project LAUNCH program funded by SAMHSA. This program was implemented to improve child wellness, including addressing children's social, emotional, behavioral, developmental and cognitive needs. In order to fully understand the scope of the problem, information was sought from local parents to inform the strategic planning of this project. Focus groups were conducted to assess the needs, challenges, and knowledge level of child developmental milestones. This information is being used to inform strategic planning and implementation of evidence based practices and to increase collaborative efforts in the community. Methods: Seven focus groups were conducted with parents of children birth to age eight residing in central Missouri. Data was collected between September 2011 and June 2012. This data was then analyzed using a qualitative coding process to find common themes. Results: Parents face significant daily challenges that they feel impact their child's wellbeing and development. These most notably include monetary and time constraints, parent's quality of life, childcare, disciplinary methods, and multiple children. These and other concerns, such as policy limitations, lack of qualified childcare providers, limited access to medical professionals, and lack of education pertaining to child development decrease the probability of overall childhood wellness in central Missouri. Discussion: In order to increase early childhood wellness, daily challenges and concerns of parents must first be addressed. Parents have shown interest and concern, but feel limited in their capabilities and support level. Policy creation and program implementation must be parent-informed to ensure child wellness.