Co-regulation is a promising, strengths-based, approach to supporting self-regulation from the field of human development that is relevant across a broad range of relationship contexts in ACF programs. Co-regulation is the interactive process by which caring adults (1) provide warm supportive relationships, (2) promote self-regulation through coaching, modeling, and feedback, and (3) structure supportive environments (Co-Regulation From Birth Through Young Adulthood: A Practice Brief; Murray et al., 2019). Co-regulation is optimized when these supportive processes are adapted to match age groups, flexible to situational demands, and responsive to the values and goals of individuals and communities. For example, parents provide co-regulation support to their toddlers when they help them get organized to head out the door for preschool in the morning; program staff provide co-regulation support to program participants when they foster positive group norms that encourage inclusive engagement; supervisors provide co-regulation support for staff when they provide opportunities for self-care during times of high stress; and participants provide co-regulation support to their peers when they listen and help each other find solutions for reaching each others’ goals.
As OPRE has worked towards translating research and theory on co-regulation to human services programs, we have maintained a dual focus on identifying opportunities to develop actionable resources and on determining priorities for research and exploration. Below we highlight the co-regulation practice resources and blogs OPRE has developed and our co-regulation research and evaluation projects.
Co-Regulation Practice Resources and Blogs
| Age Group of Focus | Audience | Resource Name | Relationship Context of Focus | Brief Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Across the lifespan | Human services program practitioners, directors, and researchers | Co-regulation and Strengths-based Approaches to Human Service Delivery
| Co-regulation supports for staff and for families participating in human services programs | This blog highlights the transformative potential of strengths-based approaches to applying co-regulation supports within human services practice and program settings. |
| Across the lifespan | Human services program practitioners, directors, and researchers | Co-Regulation and Connection in Human Services: Developing a Learning Agenda
| Co-regulation supports for staff and for families participating in human services programs | This blog describes how our thinking and efforts regarding co-regulation in human services are continuously evolving as we expand our understanding and application of co-regulation to different program areas. |
| Infancy through young adulthood | Caregivers and program administrators | Co-Regulation from Birth through Young Adulthood: A Practice Brief
| Parent co-regulation support for children and youth from infancy to young adulthood | This brief builds on reviews of the theoretical and intervention literature to provide caregivers and program administrators with guidelines for effective co-regulation support at each stage of development. |
| Infants and Toddlers | Human Service Practitioners and Educators for infants and toddlers
Caregivers of infants and toddlers (e.g., parents and extended family members) | Self-Regulation Snap Shot #1: A Focus on Infants and Toddlers
| Staff co-regulation support for infants and toddlers in human services and education
Parent co-regulation support for infants and toddlers
| This 2-page snap shot summarizes key concepts and research about self-regulation and co-regulation support for infants and toddlers. |
| Infants | Caregivers and teachers working with Infants in Childcare settings | Supporting the Development of Self-Regulation in Infants: Tips for Practitioners Working with Infants in Childcare Settings | Staff co-regulation support for infants in childcare settings | This practitioner tip sheet reviews concepts related to self-regulation; lists self-regulation skills developing in infants; and provides six co-regulation tips for caregivers to support self-regulation development among infants in childcare settings. |
| Infants and Toddlers | Home visiting practitioners | Supporting the Development of Self-Regulation in Young Children: Tips for Practitioners working in Home Settings | Staff and caregiver co-regulation support for infants and toddlers in home visiting settings | This practitioner tip sheet reviews concepts related to self-regulation; lists self-regulation skills developing in infants and toddlers; and provides six co-regulation tips for practitioners working with families in home visiting settings. |
Toddlers
| Early childhood professionals working with toddlers | Supporting the Development of Self-Regulation in Young Children: Tips for Practitioners Working with Toddlers in Classroom Settings | Staff co-regulation support for toddlers in classroom settings | This practitioner tip sheet reviews concepts related to self-regulation; lists self-regulation skills developing toddlers; and provides six co-regulation tips for early childhood educators to support self-regulation development among toddlers in classroom settings. |
Preschool-Aged Children
| Human Service Practitioners and Educators for preschool-aged children
Caregivers of preschool age children (e.g., parents and extended family members) | Self-Regulation Snap Shot #2: A Focus on Preschool-Aged Children
| Staff co-regulation support for preschool-aged children in human services and education
Parent co-regulation support for preschool-aged children
| This 2-page snap shot |
| Preschool-Aged Children | Early childhood professionals working with preschool-aged children | Supporting the Development of Self-Regulation in Young Children: Tips for Practitioners Working with Preschool Children in Classroom Settings | Staff co-regulation support for toddlers in classroom settings | This practitioner tip sheet reviews concepts related to self-regulation; lists self-regulation skills developing in preschool-aged children; and provides six co-regulation tips for early childhood educators to support self-regulation development among preschool-aged children in classroom settings. |
Elementary-Aged Children
| Human Service Practitioners and Educators for elementary-aged children
Caregivers of elementary-aged children (e.g., parents, extended family members, coaches, and afterschool care providers) | Self-Regulation Snap Shot #3: A Focus on Elementary-aged Children
| Staff co-regulation support for elementary-aged children in human services and education
Parent co-regulation support for elementary-aged children
| This 2-page snap shot summarizes key concepts and research about self-regulation and co-regulation support for elementary-aged children |
Middle-School Aged Youth
| Human Service Practitioners and Educators for middle-school aged youth
Caregivers of middle-school aged youth (e.g., parents, extended family members, coaches, and afterschool care providers) | Self-Regulation Snap Shot #4: A Focus on Middle-School Aged Youth
| Staff co-regulation support for middle-school aged youth in human services and education
Caregiver co-regulation support for middle-school aged youth
| This snap shot summarizes key concepts and research about self-regulation and co-regulation support for middle-school aged youth |
High-School Aged Youth
| Human Service Practitioners and Educators for high-school aged youth
Caregivers and caring adults for high-school aged youth (e.g., parents, extended family members, coaches, employers) | Self-Regulation Snap Shot #5: A Focus on High-School Aged Youth
| Staff co-regulation support for participants in high-school aged youth in human services and education
Caregiver and caring adult co-regulation support for high-school aged youth
| This snap shot summarizes key concepts and research about self-regulation and co-regulation for high-school aged youth |
| Youth aged 10-24 | Practitioners, teachers, coaches, facilit | Co-regulation: What It Is and Why It Matters | Staff co-regulation support for youth | This animation offers a brief introduction to co-regulation support rooted in evidence-informed strategies to foster self-regulation in youth. |
| Youth aged 10-19 | Project directors and practitioners providing relationship education for youth and young adults | Advancing Evidence on Co-regulation in Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Programs | Staff co-regulation support for youth | This blog highlights work to build evidence on co-regulation supports that may strengthen youth self-regulation, particularly in the contexts where youth make choices about sexual activity. |
| Youth and young adults aged 14-24 | Project directors and practitioners providing relationship education for youth and young adults | Building Staff Co-Regulation to Support Healthy Relationships in Youth: A Guide for Practitioners | Staff co-regulation support for youth
Staff co-regulation support for peers and supervisees | The guide explains how integrating co-regulation approaches into youth service delivery may improve program implementation and youth outcomes. |
| Youth and young adults aged 14-24 | Project directors and practitioners providing relationship education for youth and young adults | Co-Regulation in Practice: Strategies for Practitioners Who Serve Youth Aged 14-24 | Staff co-regulation support for youth;
Staff co-regulation support for peers and supervisees | This resource starts with background on self-regulation in adolescence and recommends integrating a co-regulation framework into youth-serving programs. This resources includes step-by-step instructions to implement six evidence-informed and theory-based co-regulation strategies. |
| Youth and young adults aged 16-24 with lived experience in foster care | Foster families | Foster Families Guide: How to Support Older Youth with Foster Care Experience Through Co-Regulation | Foster parent co-regulation support for youth
| The purpose of these guides is to provide knowledge of the different components of co-regulation, as well as specific examples of conversations to illustrate how co-regulation can be applied in everyday experiences with youth, depending on the situation and the young person’s needs. |
| Youth and young adults aged 16-24 with lived experience in foster care | Kinship caregivers | Kinship Caregivers Guide: How to Support Older Youth with Foster Care Experience Through Co-Regulation | Kinship Caregiver co-regulation support for youth
| The purpose of these guides is to provide knowledge of the different components of co-regulation, as well as specific examples of conversations to illustrate how co-regulation can be applied in everyday experiences with youth, depending on the situation and the young person’s needs. |
| Youth and young adults aged 16-24 with lived experience in foster care | Child welfare professionals | Child Welfare Professionals Guide: How to Support Older Youth with Foster Care Experience Through Co-Regulation | Child welfare professionals co-regulation support for youth
| The purpose of these guides is to provide knowledge of the different components of co-regulation, as well as specific examples of conversations to illustrate how co-regulation can be applied in everyday experiences with youth, depending on the situation and the young person’s needs. |
| Youth and young adults aged 16-24 with lived experience in foster care | Caring adults (such as coaches, teachers, and community members) who regularly interact with youth in foster care | Caring Adults Guide: How to Support Older Youth with Foster Care Experience Through Co-Regulation | Caring adult co-regulation support for youth | The purpose of these guides is to provide knowledge of the different components of co-regulation, as well as specific examples of conversations to illustrate how co-regulation can be applied in everyday experiences with youth, depending on the situation and the young person’s needs. |
| Young Adults | Human Service Practitioners and Educators for young adults
Caring adults for young adults (e.g., parents, extended family members, employers, coaches)
| Self-Regulation Snap Shot #6: A Focus on Young Adults
| Staff co-regulation support for participants in human services from infancy to young adulthood
Parent co-regulation support for children and youth from infancy to young adulthood
| This snap shot summarizes key concepts and research about self-regulation and co-regulation support for young adults |
| Across the lifespan | Human services program practitioners, directors, and researchers | Co-Regulation and Connection in Human Services: Ongoing OPRE Projects | Co-regulation supports for staff and for families participating in human services programs | This blog highlights the diverse programmatic contexts in which we have investigated the concept of co-regulation, from infancy to adulthood. |
| Youth aged 10-19 | Project coordinators and practitioners providing sexual risk avoidance education for youth and young adults | The Sexual Risk Avoidance National Evaluation: Co-Regulation from the Perspective of Youth | Staff co-regulation support for youth | This brief presents results from youth focus groups that were conducted to collect information on youth’s perspectives and to understand how youth experienced Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) programming after SRAE facilitators were taught and encouraged to use co-regulation skills. |
| Youth aged 10-19 | Practitioners providing sexual risk avoidance education for youth and young adults | Co-regulation in Action Videos and Tip Sheets | Staff co-regulation support for youth | This video series and accompanying tip sheets are designed for practitioners providing relationship education for youth who would like to build their co-regulation capacity to strengthen youth’s self-regulation skills. |
| Youth aged 10-19 | Project coordinators and practitioners providing sexual risk avoidance education for youth and young adults | The Sexual Risk Avoidance Education National Evaluation: Using Co-Regulation in Youth Programs | Staff co-regulation support for youth | This report presents the results of the Sexual Risk Avoidance Education National Evaluation (SRAENE) Co-Regulation Implementation Study. The study explored whether Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) program facilitators’ use of co-regulation strategies improves program implementation factors and youth outcomes, including youth self-regulation. |
Co-Regulation Research and Evaluation Projects
| Age Group of Focus | Project Name Years | Relationship Context of Focus | Relevant ACF Programs | Brief Description Related Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Across the lifespan | Applying Insights from Human Connection and Co-Regulation: Supporting Fathers in Human Services Programs | Co-regulation supports for fathers participating in human services programs | Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood
| This report explores insights and opportunities for applying connection and co-regulation to relationship-based supports for fathers in human services programs, including background, themes from a discussion with experts across sectors, review and synthesis of barriers and opportunities for practice, and priorities for future learning and research. |
| Infants and toddlers (0-3) | Early Head Start University Partnership Grants: Buffering Children from Toxic Stress 2011-2016 | Parent co-regulation support for infants and toddlers | Head Start | These grants evaluated promising parenting interventions in Early Head Start settings to help buffer children from toxic stress. |
| Infants and toddlers (0-3) | 2015-2022 | Parent and teacher co-regulation support for infants and toddlers | Head Start Child Care | These grant projects tested approaches to improving responsive interactions between infants/toddlers and their caregivers at home and in centers. |
| Infants and children aged 0-5 | Head Start University Partnership Grants: Dual Generation Approaches 2013-2019 | Parent co-regulation support of child | Head Start Child Care | These grants tested two-generation approaches to improving family well-being and school readiness. Two projects tested interventions that layered a parent component onto interventions aimed at supporting children’s self-regulation. |
| Infants and children aged 0-5 | Head Start University Partnerships: Building the Evidence Base for ECE Workforce Well-Being 2021-2026 | Early childhood professional co-regulation support for peers, supervisees, and infants and children | Head Start Child Care | These projects are testing approaches to improving the early childhood and education workforce well-being. The projects vary in the extent to which they explicitly focus on co-regulation. |
| Youth aged 14-24 |
| Staff co-regulation support for youth;
Staff co-regulation support for peers and supervisees | HMRE Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention | This project used rapid learning to transform the science on co-regulation into practical tools educators could use to build their co-regulation capacity to work with adolescents in healthy relationship programs. (2017-2022)
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| Youth aged 14-24 |
| Foster families co-regulation support for youth
Kinship caregiver co-regulation support for youth
Child welfare professional co-regulation support for youth
Caring adult co-regulation support for youth | Child welfare | This project examined existing literature and current practice to provide guidance for the child welfare system in strengthening co-regulation supports for older youth in foster care.
|
| Youth aged 10-19 | 2018-2023 | Staff co-regulation support for youth
| Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention | This study will use innovative methods to explore whether SRAE program facilitators’ use of co-regulation strategies—developed in the SARHM project improves program implementation factors and youth outcomes, including youth self-regulation. |
| Adults | Strengthening the Implementation of Responsible Fatherhood Programs (SIRF) 2019-2022 | Staff co-regulation support for adult participants | Responsible Fatherhood | This project is using rapid learning methods to pilot and refine promising solutions to common implementation challenges related to participant recruitment, engagement, and retention in program services. Programs are testing the effects of coaching approaches for helping participants understand and address emotional control, task initiation, persistence, stress tolerance, time management, and other skills, so that they are motivated and equipped to reach their goals. |
| Adults | Strengthening the implementation of Marriage and Relationship Services (SIMR) 2019-2022 | Staff co-regulation support for adults participants | Healthy Marriage Relationship Education (HMRE) | This project uses rapid learning methods to pilot and refine promising solutions to common implementation challenges. Programs are testing strategies for supporting facilitators to boost content engagement in core HMRE workshops; these strategies include helping facilitators identify and manage sources of their own stress, and incorporating co-regulation coaching in their work with youth. |
| Adults (18+) | 2016-2026 | Staff co-regulation support of adults with low incomes | Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) | Employment coaching incorporates co-regulation through a process in which trained staff members work with participants to set individualized goals and provide support and feedback as participants work toward their goals in a way that is participant-led and nondirective. It has shown to be an effective method for changing behaviors and improving self-regulation skills needed to find and maintain work. This evaluation will examine the effectiveness of coaching interventions on participants’ self-regulation skills on employment-related outcomes. |
| Caregivers (18+) with minor children (0-18) | Measuring, Supporting, and Understanding Child and Caregiver well-being through Employment and Self-Sufficiency Research (Measuring SUCCESS) 2021-2025 | Caregiver co-regulation support of children | TANF | The goal of this project is to identify and integrate evidence-based measures of child and family well-being into welfare and family self-sufficiency research. Aspects of self-regulation and co-regulation may be identified as they relate to participation in TANF or other employment and education programs. The project is developing a conceptual model of the ways caregivers’ participation in TANF and related programs shape child, caregiver, and family wellbeing. The model and other work from the project will ultimately be used to develop a compendium of measures of child, caregiver, and family wellbeing (including self-regulation and co-regulation) that should be considered in family self-sufficiency research and evaluation. |
References
Murray, D., Rosanbalm, K., Christopoulos, C., & Meyer, A. (2019). An applied contextual model for promoting self-regulation enactmect across development: Implications for prevention, public health, and future research. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 40 (4), pp. 367-403. DOI 10.1007/s10935-019-00556-1