Developing, evaluating and implementing early parenting programs in real-world settings: The ‘My Toddler and Me’ experience
ELDoH Research Capacity Building Series
My Toddler and Me (MTAM) is a new prevention-focused early parenting program designed for families experiencing mild-to-moderate psychosocial risks. Delivered over eight group-based sessions, MTAM integrates evidence-informed content with applied learning approaches including didactic teaching, role modelling, facilitated discussion, and live coaching during parent–toddler interactions. This presentation will tell the story of MTAM - from program development and pilot testing through to evaluation within a hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial with more than 200 parent–toddler dyads across four sites in Sydney. Key methodological, clinical, and implementation insights will be highlighted, including challenges and enablers of translating research into real world settings, and delivering programs with fidelity in practice settings. Attendees will learn about MTAM and also gain practical insights into designing, evaluating, and scaling early intervention programs in community contexts.
Speaker: Associate Professor Jane Kohloff.
Jane Kohlhoff is an Associate Professor in the UNSW Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health and Director of Research at Karitane. She leads clinical and translational research in perinatal, infant, and early childhood mental health, with a focus on attachment theory, early intervention, and partnerships with clinical services to improve outcomes for children and families. Jane has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and multiple book chapters, is a past Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher (ARC DECRA), Paul Ramsay Foundation fellow, and co-developer of the attachment-based early parenting intervention Parent–Child Interaction Therapy with Toddlers (PCIT-T).