The HELP Project is modeled after Bellevue’s successful Reach Out and Read early childhood literacy intervention. In both programs, staff and specially trained volunteers engage parents in pediatric clinic waiting rooms — providing educational information in an informal, interactive way.
12:23 / The HELP ProjectA collaboration of NYU School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and Bellevue Hospital Center’s Pediatric Clinic, the HELP Project reflects both institutions’ commitment to medically underserved communities, including immigrants from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Trained volunteers are a key component of the HELP Project. Volunteers maximize the project's impact by increasing the number of families reached as well as expanding the skills and knowledge of the volunteers themselves.
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Waiting time is not wasted time! Instead, parents use the time before they see their child’s doctor to talk about important health issues. Parents are very positive about this “learning while waiting” approach.
From the moment we introduce ourselves to families in the waiting room, our approach is conversational and interactive. We ask parents questions and listen to their experiences. We share information about the curriculum based on their specific needs. This informal, personal approach helps us build a relationship during the activity to enhance learning.
Respecting individual and cultural differences is a key element of our approach. We work with many types of parents, including quiet parents, parents who have had limited formal education, non-English speakers. Each encounter is adapted to a parent’s needs and learning style.
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Rather than a traditional top-down educational method, we use a collaborative learning style to exchange information. We provide parents with problem-solving strategies and answers to their questions. In turn, parents provide us with important feedback. Our curricula have evolved as a result of this input.
Our goal is to help parents see the value of what they already know, and use this as the foundation for discussing new information. We use materials parents have seen but may not have fully understood—like a nutritional chart showing sugar content in drinks—to provide new information within a familiar context. We want to build confidence so parents begin to see themselves as “learners” who seek out other learning opportunities.
It’s hard to predict how long a parent will spend in the waiting room. That’s why each HELP activity is presented in a flexible, layered format, with each layer adding new concepts. This way, useful information is shared even if a parent can’t complete an entire activity.
