BACKGROUND:
The major risks to children's health and development are largely preventable. Well-child care provides a vehicle for health professionals to promote healthy lifestyle choices, monitor children for physical and behavioral pathology, and provide individualized counseling.
Bright Futures is a national child health promotion and disease prevention initiative that provides guidelines for health supervision visits. The mission is to promote the principle that every child deserves to be healthy, and that optimal health involves a trusting relationship between the health professional, child, family, and community.

OBJECTIVE:
•Report on the overall goals of Bright Futures to improve recognition and implementation of the guidelines
•Identify opportunities for partnerships to increase child health promotion and disease prevention efforts
•Recommend strategies to increase the use of comprehensive health supervision guidelines, including recommendations on immunizations, routine health screenings, and anticipatory guidance

METHOD:
In February 2002, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) received 2 cooperative agreements from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) for Bright Futures. The Bright Futures Education Center (EC) promotes the importance of preventive services among health professionals, public and private partners, communities, and families. The second agreement, the Bright Futures: Pediatric Implementation Project (PIP), works to improve health promotion and prevention practices of health professionals through the effective implementation of the Bright Futures guidelines. The PIP is analyzing the obstacles to health promotion and prevention services to children within a medical home and developing practical strategies and tools to overcome these obstacles.

RESULT:
Bright Futures materials are helpful in providing comprehensive health supervision, including immunizations. These include manuals, handouts, and opportunities for health professionals, families, and communities to address local health promotion needs.

CONCLUSION:
Every child deserves to be healthy! Optimal health involves a trusting relationship between the health professional, child, family, and community. Bright Futures is effective in developing comprehensive strategies to increase preventive services, including immunizations.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
• Understand the value of incorporating Bright Futures with state/practice preventive services programs
• Provide a framework for anticipatory guidance in the public health and private settings.
• Share helpful tools and strategies for early intervention and assist in identifying high-risk children