Our community is the core of our research at the Baby Brain Optimization Project (BBOP). We cannot do our work without their continuous involvement. From translational and implementation science research to events with families, we aim to create an environment we learn from and share our resources with the community.
Our research lab is in the Floataway Community, adjacent to Zonolite Park. This setting allows us to access a beautiful greenspace for outside activities.
Summer Day Camps and Family Days
Our summer programs bring families together through play-based therapeutic activities and parent support and education. In 2023, thanks to the gracious funding from Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), we hosted 23 children aged 1-3 years with cerebral palsy (CP) and their families across multiple weeklong summer camp sessions. In 2024, we hosted our first family day at the BBOP Lab and Zonolite Park with a picnic, activities, and caregiver education for families previously involved in research studies and camps.
These opportunities allow us to remain connected to the families of the children we serve, understand their experiences, and identify their priorities for future research.
Collaborations with the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and UNICEF
In 2023 and 2024, our research staff and healthcare team traveled to Uganda, Peru, and Bulgaria to provide education on current best practice for early detection and early intervention services for children 0-3 years old at high risk for CP. Thanks to the collaborations with CPF and UNICEF, 10 doctors and 50 therapists were trained across the three countries.
Collaborations in the State of Georgia
The BBOP team recognizes that staying involved in current policies, practices, and initiatives in the state of Georgia is critical to being a part of improving access to quality services for children with CP and their families. In 2022, with our colleagues at the University of Georgia and Georgia Southern University, we launched the Georgia Alliance for Cerebral Palsy (GA4CP). The alliance focuses on bridging the collaborations between researchers, clinicians, education systems, and community programs that are invested in improving the lives of Georgians with CP. GA4CP has helped facilitate annual research symposiums, family conferences, and community sports days, and has presented our work at international conferences.
BBOP stays involved with Georgia policy as an alumnus of the Georgia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (GaLEND) program at the Georgia State University Center for Disability Leadership, collaborating with the Babies Can’t Wait Program, Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), and Georgia DBHDD.
Collaborations with Local Schools
We are so fortunate to have generous donors and volunteers throughout Georgia. In 2023-2024, students from Atlanta International School and The Walker School initiated service projects supporting access to early-intervention therapy materials for therapists in low-resource areas.