Just in Time Parenting (JITP) is a project of leading land grant universities from across the United States, which brings high quality, research-based information to families just when it is most useful and can make the biggest difference in their lives. Our vision is to reach all parents — starting prenatally and continuing through age 5 — with key information that can help their family thrive and support their children to grow up healthy and ready for success.
JITP was founded in 2009 by e-Xtension by the states of California, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Tennessee, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Wisconsin, with significant leadership from the Illinois Extension team at Champagne-Urbana.
We work to reflect our readers. If you don’t see yourself, let us know! We are happy to post photos with your permission.
We do not accept advertising. By federal law, Extension is a free resource to all, supported by public land grant universities. You can donate though! We use resources to help fund our external domain name, subscription service cost, and outreach.
Questions regarding JITP should be sent via our contact email not to individual board members.
JITP Board
YaeBin Kim, Ph.D.
Evaluation
Extension Specialist and Associate Professor, University of Nevada Extension
Why do you value JITP?
- JITP is the only non-profit online resource dedicated to providing families reliable parenting information developed by a group of early childhood or parenting scholars.
Silvia Vilches, Ph.D.
Chair and JITP Site Host
Extension Specialist and Associate Professor, Auburn University/Alabama Cooperative Extension System
Why do you value JITP?
- As a former single mother, I devoured parenting material to try and figure out what I was doing. Now, as an outreach education program educator developer, I value the organized, consistent information that is backed by current science. These newsletters reflect sound, high quality information that is vetted by a university-based team.
Barb Beaulieu, M.S.
(Community Board Member) former Human Development Extension Specialist, Purdue University
Why do you value JITP?
- As a parent, grandparent, former teacher, and professional working in the field of parenting and childcare, I value the factual, research-informed information provided by JITP. Parenting young children can be overwhelming and there are lots of questions. JITP provides high quality, reliable, age-appropriate information, at your fingertips.
Amanda Griswold, CFLE
(Extension Outreach representative). Human Development & Relationships Educator, Crawford County, University of Wisconsin – Madison / Extension
Why do you value JITP?
- I value JITP as a timely, thorough, and easy-to-share free resource for parents or anyone who has children they care about. The information is research-based and reviewed by professionals in the field of human development.
Kelsie Jo Muller, MS
(Board Secretary) Human Development and Family Science Extension Specialist, College of Health and Human Sciences, Purdue University
- When I became a first-time mom, I was extremely grateful for JITP newsletters. I found the resources shared, timely and helpful because I didn’t have to go searching through other resources and examine their validity. I could trust the content to be high quality. I share JITP with any new parent, family and friends. As an Extension Specialist I have a special interest in coming alongside families and caregivers to help kids grow, learn and spend more time in nature too.
Brittney Schrick, Ph.D.
(Book Review Editor) Associate Professor and Family Life Specialist, University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Research and Extension
Why do you value JITP?
- I value JITP as a timely, thorough, and easy-to-share free resource for parents or anyone who has children they care about. The information is research-based and reviewed by professionals in the field of human development.
Lindsey Weymouth
Family Engagement and Relationships Program Manager, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Mari Pighini, Ph.D.
Spanish Language Consultant
Mari Pighini, Ph.D. is a retired lecturer and program coordinator for The University of British Columbia’s Masters in Education (MED) in Early Childhood Education Programs (Faculty of Education) online cohorts. Mari is a binational, bilingual consultant on early childhood training curriculum and content. A parent of two adult children, Mari is also a certified IAIM infant massage instructor for parents, and a trained facilitator for the Roots of Empathy and Seeds of Empathy Programs based in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Cailey Green (IB)
Undergraduate Intern and Research Assistant, Auburn University
Cailey Green (IB) has an International Baccalaureate diploma and is currently an undergraduate computer science student (Engineering, Auburn University). Cailey started doing User Acceptance Testing with the JITP project in January 2024, and has continued assisting with website and subscription service reconstruction as an undergraduate research assistant.
Ivan Mendoza, MPH
Graduate Research Assistant, Purdue University
Ivan Mendoza, MPH is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Purdue University. Ivan is passionate about bridging the gap between research and practical applications. His research focuses on how environmental and individual factors influence familial dietary patterns and eating behaviors.
Sofia Sanchez
Member, Spanish Language Nutrition Advisory Committee
Jacob Bailey
Member, Spanish Language Nutrition Advisory Committee
Camille Minaya
Member, Spanish Language Nutrition Advisory Committee
Past Awards, Grants, Publications, Presentations and Reports
Please write us if you are interested in any of these products.
2024
Kim, Y-B., Vilches, S.L., Shapiro, S., & Clarkson, A. (2025). Testing the capability of generative AI for parent and caregiver information-seeking. Family Relations (Special Edition: Artificial Intelligence in Everyday Family Life).
Kim, Y-B., Vilches, S.L. Shapiro, S., & Clarkson, A. (November 20-23, 2024). Testing the capability of generative AI for parent and caregiver information-seeking. (Paper). National Council on Family Relations, Seattle, Wash.
2023
Clarkson, A., Kim, Y.-B. & Vilches, S. L. (2023). A pandemic parenting split: What does an online newsletter reveal about extension outreach? Journal of the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences, 18(annual), pp. 62-69.
Vilches, S.L., Ache Akua, B.*, Kim, Y.-B., Clarkson, A., & Kim, M.* (7-11, November 2023). Mixed Methods Insights Into On-Line Parent Information Seeking: Lessons From the Fusion of the Pandemic with the Digital World. (Paper). National Council on Family Relations, Orlando, FL.
Vilches, S. L., Ache, B.*, Kim, M.*, Clarkson, A., & Kim, Y.-B. (September 2023). Wanting Respect, Engagement, and to be Known as Individuals: Understanding On-line Parenting/Caregiver Information-seeking Motivation, (Paper), National Extension Association of Family Consumer Sciences, Providence, RI.
Ache, B.*, Kim, M.*, Vilches, S. L., Clarkson, A., & Kim, Y.-B. (6-8 June 2023). Family Cohesion and Support Functions Revealed through Online Parenting Information-seeking Behavior, (Paper), International Congress on Evidence-based Parenting Support (I-CEPS), Parenting and Family Research Alliance (PAFRA), (online, Australia).
2022
Kim, Y-B, Vilches, S. L. & Clarkson, A. (accepted, 2022, Sept. 12-15). Comparative Differences in Effectiveness of Online Parenting Newsletters during COVID-19. Research paper. National Extension Association of Family Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS), Raleigh, North Carolina.
Vilches, S. L., Kim, Y-B, & Clarkson, A. (2022, Sept. 12-15). Comparative Differences in Effectiveness of Online Parenting Newsletters during COVID-19, Paper presented at the National Extension Association of Family Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS), Raleigh, North Carolina.
2021
2021 Communications – Newsletters Award for Just in Time Parenting Extension project, LEAN Methodology Evaluation – National Extension Just in Time Parenting Newsletter, Alabama Affiliate of the National Extension Association for Family and Consumer Science.
2020-2021. Just in Time Parenting (JITP) National Database Commercialization Development. Y.-H. Peggy Hsieh Fund for Innovation & Research Excellence in the College of Human Sciences. College of Human Sciences Endowment, Auburn University.
Clarkson, A., Kim, Y.-B., & Vilches, S. L. (2021). Understanding internet information usage among parenting newsletter website users. Research paper. National Extension Association of Family Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) conference November, 2021. (online).
Kim, Y-B, Vilches, S. L., & Clarkson, A. (2021, October 25–29). How professionals have used an age-paced, research-based, electronic newsletters for parents/caregivers. Research poster. ZERO TO THREE conference (online).
2020
2020 Communications – Newsletters Award for Just in Time Parenting Extension project, 2nd Place Western Region, National Extension Association of Family Consumer Science.
2020 Program Excellence through Research, Understanding Internet Information Usage Among Parenting Newsletter Website Users. 2nd Place Western Region, National Extension Association of Family Consumer Science.
Kim, Y-B., Clarkson, A., & Vilches, S. L. (2020). Understanding internet information usage among parent subscribers to an information newsletter. Research poster. National Council on Family Relations conference, Nov., 2020 (online).
Vilches, S. L., Kim, Y.-B., & Clarkson, A. (2020). Are online parenting newsletters still relevant and useful? Parents report yes! Journal of the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences, 15, 22–26. https://neafcs.memberclicks.net/assets/documents/journal/2020-jneafcs/2020-JNEAFCS-FINAL-Compressed.pdf
Vilches, S. L., Littleton, C., Bubb, R., Kim, Y., & Clarkson, A. (2020). Digital reach: The value of on-line parenting newsletters. Research poster. Early Years Conference: Listen Together, Learn Together, Act Together, Vancouver, BC.
2019
2019-2020. Just in Time Parenting (JITP) National Database Commercialization Development. Y.-H. Peggy Hsieh Fund for Innovation & Research Excellence in the College of Human Sciences. College of Human Sciences Endowment, Auburn University.
Littleton, C., Bubb, R., & Vilches, S. L. (2019). Usefulness of a research‐based parenting newsletter: A comparison of child‐rearing information source. Research poster. Auburn Student Research Symposium. * 1st Place University-wide Undergraduate Poster winner in Social Science, Creative Scholarship, Arts, and Humanities, This is Research Symposium, Auburn University.
2018 and earlier
Kim, Y., Bowers, J. R., Martin, S. S., Ebata, A. E., Lindsey, S. C., Nelson, P. T., & Ontai, L. (2015). Process monitoring evaluation of an online program for parents. Journal of Extension, 53(2), No.2 Research in Brief (2RIB2).
Ostergren, C. S., & Riley, D. A. (2012). Testing age-paced parenting newsletters up to age 3: Greater impact on first time parents. Journal of Extension, 50(1), 1-9. https://archives.joe.org/joe/2012february/a9.php
Martin, S. S., & Weigel, D. J. (2001). Age-paced parenting materials and child maltreatment: Can newsletters make a difference? Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations, November 2001, Rochester, New York.