MYCHILD Family Focus Group Questions

MYCHILD
Focus Group Summary
Round 2 Groups
MYCHILD is a program that helps babies and young children to grow up healthy, happy and safe. The goal of the program is to catch
childhood problems early, problems that might stop children from doing well in school, feeling safe, making friends, and enjoying life. There
is a study taking place to see how well the MYCHILD program works. As part of this study, caregivers are invited to small group discussions
(focus groups, beginning in 2012 and continuing through 2015. These focus groups last about one hour and are an opportunity for caregivers
to share their experiences with the MYCHILD program and their ideas on what is needed for children and communities.
In fall 2013, the second round of focus groups took place for each of the four MYCHILD sites: Boston Health Care for the Homeless
Program, Bowdoin Street Community Health Center, Dorchester House, and Joseph M. Smith Community Health Center. All
caregivers (moms, dads, grandparents, and others) were offered the opportunity to join a focus group and share their opinions and
ideas about the MYCHILD program. Groups were offered in both English and in Spanish. In total, thirteen caregivers participated in the
focus groups.
Some of the many important opinions and ideas that the caregivers shared during the discussions are shown below.
What are the things you think are important for your child to grow up happy, healthy, and ready to do well in school?
A happy child:
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Laughs and smiles
Plays
Shares with other children and siblings
Has friends and gets along with peers
Feels secure and safe
A healthy child:
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Eats healthy food and has enough to not go hungry
Sleeps well
Is not stressed or anxious
Goes to the doctor and dentist
Has a healthy weight
Has healthy teeth
Exercises
A child is ready to do well in school if he or she:
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Has a schedule/routine
Knows their ABCs, numbers, and shapes
Wants to learn and is curious
Has school supplies and proper clothing
Is potty trained
Is confident and can handle being away from parents
It’s important for parents and other caregivers to:
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Set boundaries for children
Talk to, listen to, and try to understand their children
Engage with teachers and others at school
Encourage their children
Be loving and emotionally connected to their children
Provide a safe, stable, and clean home
Avoid arguing in front of their children
“You want your kids to be healthy emotionally, physically, and mentally. Not just healthy on the outside.”
Thinking about one of your children enrolled in the MYCHILD program, what are your hopes and dreams for his or her
future?
Caregivers talked about both short- and long-term hopes and dreams for their children’s futures. In the
short-term, caregivers hoped their children would:
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Be studious, do well in school and become educated
Learn to manage behavior and attitudes
Be respectful
Be happy and healthy
Get into programs that help them and be supported by their community
Not be a bully
MYCHILD FOCUS GROUP SUMMARY | Round 2 Groups
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Caregivers also shared some longer-term hopes and dreams for their children to:
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Go to college and have a good career (like becoming a doctor)
Get a driver’s license and own a car
Own a home
Get married and have children
Respect themselves and others
Be strong and independent
Go on to have a better life than their parents had and be happy in life
“I want them to have health, wealth. I want
them to always have a place to live, shelter. I
want them to be socially adjusted and I
would like them to have wisdom. Those are
my hopes and dreams for my children
enrolled in the MYCHILD program.”
In what ways can MYCHILD support you and your family to achieve those hopes and dreams? What works about the
program, and what doesn’t?
Some things that work well in the MYCHILD program include:
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MYCHILD staff work with families as a whole
Home visits are convenient
Help with housing and connections to other programs
Support with day-to-day life
Teaching coping skills
Some suggestions that caregivers had for the MYCHILD program include:
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Keep contact with families that have already graduated from the program
Support caregivers in dealing with school-related issues
Limit staff turnover; it is hard on families
In what ways can your community support the health and development of all its young children?
To better support young children, caregivers shared that communities should:
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Have a central directory of resources for children in the community
Provide resources that do not require multiple referrals
Increase direct outreach to shelters to reach families
Offer more activities for children at schools out of school hours
Organize more fundraising and volunteer activities for children to learn the importance of being involved in the community
Actively address racism and discrimination
Work to make neighborhoods safe and drug-free
What have you learned from the MYCHILD program about child health and well-being, including not just physical wellbeing, but social and emotional wellbeing?
By being involved in MYCHILD, caregivers learned many things about child health and well-being, such as:
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In order for children to be happy and healthy, mothers and other caregivers need to be sure to take care of themselves as well
Change can be difficult for children and caregivers need to support them during those times
It takes a village to raise a child, parents need support
It’s important to recognize when your child needs help and work to get them the help they need.
“You have to be a healthy parent
to have a healthy child…I’m glad
that the program focuses on the
parent.”
Get Involved!
Do you have a child enrolled in MYCHILD, or a child that was enrolled in MYCHILD in the past? Would
you like to share your thoughts and ideas about the program to help us make MYCHILD better? Ask
your MYCHILD family partner or clinician about the next round of focus groups and join us!