WHAT WE ARE LEARNING

Experiences in developing and evaluating a parent group program for new parents are related and problems and strategies for future programs supporting new parents are discussed. The Family Development Parenting Groups (FDPGs) developed in Nashville are also described. Meeting in the infant's second or third month for six weekly and then four monthly meetings, FDPGs discussed basic topics relevant to the adjustment to parenthood. Topics included the parent-infant relationship, the marital relationship, infant health and nutrition, cognitive development, socialization, and effective parenting techniques. Results of a comparison of FDPG participants with parents who had expressed interest in attending the FDPGs showed few significant advantages for FDPG participants. (Subsequent sections of the document, entitled "Goals, " "Implementation," "Evaluation, " and "Ethics, " analyze possible reasons for the results of the comparison and indicate steps necessary for an accurate evaluation of the impact of parenting groups.) (Author/RH) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. T-