Building upon the successes of other age adaptations of the F&ST program, the Baby F&ST program was originally developed by Dr. Lynn McDonald in 2000. The Baby Families & Schools Together Canada (F&ST Canada) program is a research-based, family support, prevention model for infants (0-3) and their teenaged parents. It is a multi-generation, multi-family group process that brings families of high school teenagers together to participate in specific, fun, research-based activities aimed at strengthening families, empowering parents and building communities. Baby F&ST applies community organizing principles, group work practices and child and family therapy strategies to build protective factors for infants, to ensure the likelihood of a healthy start and to build the foundation for future success. The outcomes of Baby F&ST are:

• Increased healthy child development
• Improved parent-teen relationships
• Enhanced social capital
• Reduction of potential child abuse or neglect

The Baby F&ST model helps young parents succeed by creating structured opportunities for voluntary involvement in repeated, positive, personal, interactive and bonding experiences. The program assists young parents in building relationships with: i) their baby, ii) a supportive adult family member, iii) one another, iv) peers with and without babies, and v) child-serving community agency professionals. These relationship-building interactions take place with the infants and their parents, grandparents, peers, school and community professionals. Interventions also occur with the new, young parents and their own parent(s).

The program brings 10-15 three-generation families together for eight weekly sessions of carefully crafted activities. These include family-centered activities, discussions, engaging in specific peer activities and parent and grandparent support networking. The therapeutic component is adapted to three developmental stages:

• Infants 0-1 years old
• Toddlers 1-2 years old
• Children 2-3 years old

Each of the activities is research-based and designed specifically to develop the young child’s brain while enhancing the new, young mother’s (and father’s) self confidence and parenting skills.

The ultimate goal of Baby F&ST is to improve family functioning at multiple levels to ultimately enhance the functioning of the infant. The Baby F&ST process aims to:

• Support and empower new parents to be in charge of their children.
• Encourage positive play and communication between a new mom and her infant.
• Encourage exchange of advice with other parents in the same life cycle stage.
• Promote familiarity with community professionals in an informal setting.
• Encourage pleasant exchanges with the new mom and her support person (preferably her own mother and the new grandmother).

On the Baby F&ST team, 50% of the members are from the informal social network and 50% of the team members are from the formal social network. There are six core partners in this adaptation. It is critical that the collaborative team be culturally representative of the families being served.

As with all adaptations of the F&ST Canada approach, graduates of each Baby F&ST level move into Baby F&STWORKS, a support group that continues to meet monthly over the course of the following two years. Each graduating family may proceed to the next level of Baby F&ST as their infant reaches the next developmental stage.