Reviews videos for parents of very young children that reflect current clinical research and practice. To qualify for selection, they had to be easily understood by general audiences as well as present a diversity of parents, children, situations, and settings. Fifty-five tapes were chosen from the many submissions contributed or recommended by such sources as the American Academy of Pediatrics, early childhood development experts, advocacy groups, social service and educational agencies, and media sources. In each review, parents, caregivers, parent educators, and other social service professionals get information about the video’s contents, a critique noting unique features and identifying shortcomings, and a summary of information about the product, including intended audience, availability in other languages, and supplemental print materials. The selection includes videos produced for commercial television, cable television, home video, educational non-broadcast video, university research projects, and nonprofit research and advocacy groups. The quality videos share features such as emphasis on the competence of parents who speak about their concerns in a compelling way; presentation of the child’s perspective and focus on the competencies and capacities of young children; and depictions of parents solving problems, handling everyday child-rearing issues skillfully, and communicating with their children through everyday interactions.
