Members of our Research Team will be presenting findings from our NICU FCC Measures mixed-methods study during the poster session at PAS. Come say hello! #PASPresenter

Executive Council members Alex Zavala of The NICU Dad and Cameron Boyd, MD have established a new FCC Taskforce Committee dedicated to supporting NICU fathers and non-birthing parents!

Last month, we asked about your unit’s experience with Child Life Services. Many barriers exist to funding this crucial role, with some NICUs able to build it into their hospital’s budget and others relying on philanthropy.

This month, our Family Partner Spotlight shines on Misti Staley! Misti is NICU, PICU, and bereaved parent of Freeman and Founder & CEO of FreeArm which supports tube fed babies and children in the hospital, at home, and on the go.

Help us support NICUs implementing or strengthening support for NICU Fathers and Non-Birthing Parents in their units. Even if your unit does not offer support for NICU Fathers and Non-Birthing Parents, we want to hear from you! stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Join us for a free educational webinar on “Stigmatizing Language: Changing the Narrative” with Veronica Barcelona, Jessi Barnes, Rose Horton, Adrienne McIntyre, and Cheniqua Morales.

Join us on Thursday, April 16th for a mini presentation from Alexa Craig, Betsy Pilon, and Liz Sewell titled From Feasibility to Global Movement: Parental Holding as a Model of Family-Centered Care During Therapeutic Hypothermia.

Thank you to the 130+ members who joined us for our March FCC Community Exchange session! A huge thank you to Jess Daigle, MD, FAAP and Alex Zavala, Family Partner who shared ways to establish trust during high-stakes medical decisions and overcome disagreements between clinicians and families.

The FCC Taskforce is excited to announce that we will fully support (conference registration, hotel, flight, ground transportation, and meals) one early career neonatal nurse and one early career neonatal therapist (RT, OT, PT, SLP) as FCC Scholarsattending the 39th International Gravens Conference,

The FCC Taskforce is excited to announce that we will fully support (conference registration, hotel, flight, ground transportation, and meals) FIVE neonatal fellows as FCC Scholars attending the 39th International Gravens Conference, taking place June 16-18, 2026 in South Bend, Indiana.

Calling all NICU Family Partners! Our organization is excited to be able to fully support two Family Partners (former NICU parents/family members working or volunteering in the NICU) in attending Gravens Conference. Click the link below to apply, applications are due April 6th!

Happening TODAY: an open forum-style session facilitated by Jess Daigle, MD, FAAP and Alex Zavala on Thursday, March 19th. Join our free membership to register: stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Thank you to the 200+ participants who were able to attend our March 12th Webinar live, and to our incredible speakers, Mia Malcolm, BS, CDFT & Malathi Balasundaram, MD of the FCC Taskforce and James Barry, MD, MBA for their eye-opening presentations!

Calling all NICU staff! Dr. Bobbi Pineda of USC is conducting a research study the current state of the auditory environment of the NICU.

Happening this week: an open forum-style session facilitated by Jess Daigle, MD, FAAP and Alex Zavala on Thursday, March 19th. They’ll be discussing building trust during high-stakes decisions successfully overcoming disagreements between clinicians and families in the NICU.

Get ready: our March 12th Webinar highlights data from our NICU FCC Measures research project and examines how AI can be used responsibly to strengthen family-centered care in the NICU.

This month, our Family Partner Spotlight shines on Tracy Pella! Tracy is NICU parent of Cohen, Cooper, and Maybry, and Co-Founder & President of Connected Forever which is a Nebraska-based nonprofit supporting families who have experienced pregnancy loss, infant loss, or a NICU stay.

It's finally here! Check out our new & improved website which is more user-friendly and brimming with FCC resources. Thank you smallTalk for your support! fcctaskforce.org

Help us support NICUs working toward implementing or strengthening Child Life Services in their units. Even if you don’t have Child Life in your unit, we want to hear from you! stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

February Poll results are here! Last month, we asked about safe & effective discharge pathways for infants requiring home nasogastric (NG) tube feeding.

English: The Pregnancy Loss Project is interested in how women cope with pregnancy loss and how pregnancy loss affects them. We are seeking Spanish-speaking women, ages 18-50, who have had an involuntary pregnancy loss to participate: drexel.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Athony Orsini, MD will be sharing his insights and expertise around practical, actionable ways clinicians and healthcare organizations can reduce medical errors, limit malpractice claims, and lower liability by communicating with compassion. us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Join us in celebrating FOUR YEARS of supporting NICUs as they begin or strengthen family-centered care in their units through free education, quality improvement work, and partnering with NICU families!

Thank you to the 185 members who joined us for this month’s FCC Community Exchange session! A huge thank you to Annie Jacobson, MS, CCLS who shared practical ways to implement and integrate Child Life Services in the NICU to improve family-centered care practices. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHOT...

Join us at the 39th International Gravens Conference: Sensitive Issues in Sensational Times from June 16-18 at University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana!

Join us in recognizing Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) Awareness Week, February 23 - March 3, by providing support and educational materials to families in your unit. Check out these free resources from Prevent Blindness, also available in Spanish! preventblindness.org/retinopathy-...

As members of our Research Team prepare to share our findings during our March 12th Webinar, we’re extending sincere appreciation to the following units for completing our comprehensive NICU FCC Measures Survey which required time and participation from multidisciplinary staff and Family Partners.

Is your unit working toward including Family Partners in QI initiatives? Check out our May 2023 Webinar for practical implementation strategies and examples of how to partner with former NICU families to ensure quality improvement projects center family voices: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTSv...

We are incredibly grateful to the 66 esteemed national and international organizations supporting our efforts to help NICUs beginning and strengthening FCC in their units!

This month, our Family Partner Spotlight shines on Erika Mendence! Erika is NICU parent of Birdie and Patient & Family Engagement Specialist at Children’s Mercy Kansas City.

In case you missed our email, January Poll results are in! We asked about your unit's experience with holding during cooling for infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).

Join us for a short presentation on implementing Child Life services in the NICU, which are essential for supporting the developmental, emotional, and psychosocial needs of NICU babies and their families.

Happy Feeding Tube Awareness Week! This month, we’re asking for you to help us support NICUs working toward advancing safe & effective discharge pathways for infants requiring home nasogastric (NG) tube feeding. stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Save the date for our March 12th Webinar! This event is free and open to all - become an FCC Taskforce member to receive a calendar invite with Zoom link! stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Calling all NICU families! We invite you to take a brief survey to provide feedback for an upcoming workshop about shared language for infants born at <25 weeks’ gestation. Survey link: uthtmc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

It's here! Download the PDF of our Winter Newsletter to access links, print and post in your unit, and share with your colleagues: drive.google.com/file/d/1wJIo...

We’re in the final days of a short, anonymous survey exploring an emerging idea in neonatal nutrition: whether a small portion of a parent’s own milk could be gently concentrated and used to fortify the rest of the milk — keeping feeding fully human-milk–based.

The FCC Taskforce will be attending National Perinatal Association’s 2026 Conference, Uniting for Impact: Advancing Rural-Urban Collaboration and Innovation in Perinatal and Infant Health from March 25-27th in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho! www.npaconference.org

A heartfelt thank you to the @vtoxfordnetwork.bsky.social for generously providing the Family-Centered Care Taskforce’s Executive Council of Family Partners access to the Quality Improvement Foundations Course.

U.S. participation in the BRONQ Family Study is currently low. The goal is to collect 120 U.S. parent responses, but as of the most recent data check, only 43 responses have been submitted.

Join us in supporting Paid Family and Medical Leave for Virginians! Signing onto the petition takes less than 60 seconds: www.votervoice.net/Shares/BnRpG...

We invite you to share your unit’s experience with holding during cooling for infants with HIE (hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy) to support others as they seek to implement this practice. stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Last month, we asked you to share your unit’s experience with a formal reading program. Reading to babies in the NICU offers important clinical benefits, including supporting neurodevelopment and strengthening parent–infant bonding and attachment.

Did you miss our November 13th Webinar on supporting families after a co-twin baby loss and nurturing and being nurtured with NIDCAP Federation International? We summarized it for you! Read the full article here: drive.google.com/file/d/1YJG6...

Thank you to the 200+ participants who were able to attend our January 8th Webinar live, and to our incredible speakers... www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAfv...

This month, our Family Partner Spotlight shines on Mia Malcolm, BS, CDFT! Mia is NICU parent of Gavin and Program Manager of Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation which is committed to addressing the unmet needs of heart families while transforming the future of pediatric heart care.

We invite you to share your unit’s experience with holding during cooling for infants with HIE (hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy) to support others as they seek to implement this practice. stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Save the date, our first webinar of 2026 has officially been scheduled! This event is free and open to all, join our membership to register: stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Help us support NICUs working toward establishing a formal reading program in their units! This month's poll takes less than 3 minutes to complete: stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Join us in celebrating our 2025 impact!