Bright Futures Resources

• About Bright Futures - If you are new to the Bright Futures Guidelines, this 2-minute video provides information you need to get started using the Bright Futures recommendations in your health promotion and disease prevention practices and with programs and families in your community.

• Bright Futures Guidelines, 4th Edition – This is the most recent version of the Guidelines.

• Bright Futures Tool & Resource Kit, 2nd Edition – While your state’s health care professionals have full access to the Toolkit already, you can also refer to the Toolkit forms here for review and reference purposes, if needed.

• Bright Futures Medical Screening Reference Tables – Each table compiles the relevant history, risk assessment questions, and action to take if the risk assessment shows a positive result (Note: since the Periodicity Schedule is annually updated, some of these original 2017 screening recommendations in these tables are not 100% up-to-date).

• Links to Commonly Used Screening Instruments and Tools - At selected well-child visits, Bright Futures recommends universal screening for issues such as child development, maternal or adolescent depression, substance use, or oral health. A number of screening tools have been developed and are commonly used. The Toolkit provides a list of links to commonly used tools that can be used at specific Bright Futures visits at the discretion of the health care professional.  Note: The American Academy of Pediatrics does not approve nor endorse any specific tool for screening purposes.

• Bright Futures/AAP Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care (Periodicity Schedule) – This is a schedule of screenings and assessments recommended at each well-child visit from infancy through adolescence. This schedule is reviewed and updated annually. The 2022 Periodicity Schedule was released in July 2022 as a policy statement in Pediatrics. 

  • We provide the PDF version of the Periodicity Schedule electronically and as a 11X17 poster size for display.

• Coding for Pediatric Preventive Care booklet – This companion resource to the Periodicity Schedule contains comprehensive listings of codes that may not be used by your practice on a regular basis. We recommend that you identify the codes most relevant to your practice and include those on your encounter form or billing sheet.

  • We provide the PDF version of the Coding booklet electronically and in hard copy.

• Webinars:

  • Bright Futures Guidelines, 4th Edition - Introduction

  • Making Bright Futures Work! How Evidence, the Periodicity Schedule, and the Bright Futures Guidelines Impact Practice

• Presentations & Handouts:

  • Bright Futures Tool and Resource Kit, 2nd Edition - Overview (with narration). 

  • Bright Futures Guidelines Priorities and Screening Tables – summarizes the age/stage priorities and screening recommendation by well-child visit. Please note: Since the Periodicity Schedule is annually updated, some of the original 2017 screening recommendations in these ppts are not 100% up-to-date.

• Bright Futures Resource List – This is a summary of many of these key Bright Futures and AAP resources related to health promotion.

• Bright Futures Family-focused Resources:

  • Well-Child Visits: Parent and Patient Education – This information is sourced from the Parent/Patient Educational Handouts in the Toolkit (in English and Spanish).

  • The Well-Child Visit: Why Go and What to Expect – Consistent with the Bright Futures Guidelines, these tips written in plain language for parents of children and teens of all ages to help prepare them for their well-child visits. This tip sheet is available in English and Spanish.

  • Bright Futures Activity Book, 2nd Edition - Provides a fun, informative, and interactive overview of the 12 Bright Futures themes that can be explored together by children and their parents (in English and Spanish).

  • Bright Futures Family Pocket Guide, 3rd Edition – Written by families for families, Family Voices the Bright Futures National Center co-created this guide to help families and providers work together to promote the health and wellness of children (in English and Spanish).

• AAP Campaign - #CallYourPediatrician – To encourage families to schedule their child’s well-visits.