From Implementation to Impact: Growing Great Kids® Prenatal to 36 Months
The first three years of a child’s life are a time of extraordinary growth. During this period, a child’s brain develops rapidly, laying the foundation for lifelong learning, health, and relationships.
Helping families make the most of these early years requires more than good intentions—it requires practical, evidence-based resources.
That’s where the Growing Great Kids (GGK) Prenatal to 36 Months Curriculum Series comes in.
Designed for home visiting, early childhood, family support, and child welfare professionals, GGK Prenatal to 36 Months helps teams deliver consistent, relationship-centered services while adapting to each family’s unique strengths, goals, and stage of development.
Research consistently shows that positive early experiences and responsive caregiving contribute to healthier brain development, stronger social-emotional skills, improved language development, greater school readiness, and increased family resilience.¹ Home visitors play a vital role in helping parents recognize the everyday moments that build these lifelong foundations.
Built for Real-World Home Visiting
Today’s home visiting programs face increasing demands—from staff turnover and limited onboarding time to documentation requirements and maintaining quality across teams. GGK Prenatal to 36 Months was designed to help professionals spend less time planning and more time building meaningful relationships with families.
The curriculum includes:
- Developmentally
- Parent handouts that reinforce learning between visits
- Conversation guides and activity-based learning tools
- Goal-setting and progress-tracking supports
- Fidelity resources that promote consistent implementation
- Materials available in digital, print, Spanish-language, and virtual-friendly formats
Rather than creating lessons from scratch, home visitors have ready-to-use resources that encourage parent participation, strengthen relationships, and support each family’s unique goals.
Evidence-Based and Nationally –Recognized
Selecting a parenting curriculum is an important investment, and organizations want confidence that the resources they choose are backed by research.
The Growing Great Kids Next Generation Curricula have earned the highest evidence rating in the latest Parenting Curricula Review Databases published by the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC). ECLKC is a federally -funded resource that helps Head Start and other early childhood programs identify research-supported curricula and best practices. This recognition reflects rigorous research demonstrating positive outcomes for children and families.
GGK Prenatal to 36 Months also combines that strong research foundation with practical application. The curriculum is trauma-informed, endorsed by Healthy Families America, and recognized by Head Start as a promising evidence-based curriculum aligned with both the Early Learning Outcomes Framework and the Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework.
From Purchase to Practice
Implementing a curriculum successfully requires more than providing manuals—it requires preparing professionals to use them with confidence.
That’s why organizations implementing GGK Prenatal to 36 Months can choose the Tier I Certification pathway that best fits their team’s needs:
- Tier I Self-Study Certification
Available through Great Kids Academy, this approximately 34-hour, self-paced option offers flexible learning that’s ideal for onboarding new staff or accommodating individual schedules.
- Trainer-Led Hybrid Certification
Combining online coursework with live virtual sessions, this option gives participants opportunities for guided discussion, practice, and real-world application.
- In-Person Certification
Designed for teams seeking hands-on learning, this experience includes demonstrations, role-play, guided practice, and expert feedback to build confidence before working with families.
No matter which pathway a program chooses, participants learn how to individualize visits, facilitate meaningful conversations, and effectively support each family’s goals using the curriculum.
Learning Continues Beyond Certification
Professional growth doesn’t stop after Tier I Certification—and neither does Great Kids’ support.
Each GGK Prenatal to 36 Months curriculum purchase includes one year of access to Tier II Professional Development through Great Kids Academy. These courses help home visitors deepen their relationship-based practice, strengthen family engagement strategies, and continue building confidence long after certification.
Organizations can also expand learning through additional professional development opportunities:
- ELEVATE offers online courses that help certified users continue strengthening their home visiting practice.
- EMPOWER equips supervisors with coaching and leadership strategies that support high-quality implementation.
- CULTIVATE provides customized, in-person learning experiences tailored to an organization’s specific goals.
Together, these learning opportunities help create a culture of continuous growth that benefits both professionals and the families they serve.
A Partner Beyond Training
Implementation is an ongoing journey, and Great Kids supports organizations every step of the way.
Each organization is paired with a dedicated Partner Success Specialist who provides personalized guidance throughout implementation—from onboarding new staff to strengthening long-term curriculum use. Programs also receive complimentary monthly post-training support calls led by certified Great Kids trainers, giving teams opportunities to ask questions, share successes, and continue building confidence.
Supporting Better Outcomes
Supporting families during pregnancy and the first three years of life is one of the most meaningful investments a program can make. With an evidence-based curriculum, comprehensive training, and ongoing implementation support, organizations are better equipped to deliver consistent, high-quality services that strengthen home visitors, empower parents, and promote positive outcomes for children.
The Growing Great Kids Prenatal to 36 Months Curriculum Series is more than a curriculum. It’s a comprehensive implementation system designed to help organizations move confidently from training to practice—and ultimately create stronger outcomes for children and families.
Learn more about GGK Prenatal to 36 Months and discover how it can support your program.
Source:
- Harvard University Center on the Developing Child. “Serve and Return: Back-and-forth Exchanges Shape Brain Architecture.” Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
