Beds for Kids Partnership

Since 2016, we have partnered with this Philadelphia-area non-profit organization that provides beds, bedding, and sleep health education to children ages 2-21 years living at or below 100% of the US poverty line and without an individual bed to sleep in. Learn more about Beds for Kids by watching this recent Philadelphia news clip featuring Kate Fay, executive director of the program.

Study #1: Sleep Well! A pilot study of an education campaign to improve sleep of socioeconomically disadvantaged children

Summary: The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of parent-based sleep health education  to supplement bed provision as part of the Beds for Kids (BfK) program. In this randomized controlled trial, 152 children (mean age = 5.95 years, 57.2% boys) were randomly assigned to sleep education or control (dental hygiene education). The sleep education (Sleep Well!) consisted of 3 messages: bedtime before 21:00, no caffeine; keep electronics out of the bedroom). Sleep and dental hygiene education were provided at the time of scheduling and bed delivery, with parent-reported sleep outcomes collected at baseline and 4-week follow-up. Although bed provision was associated with reduced bedroom electronics and increased parent-reported child nighttime sleep duration for all children, those whose parents received the sleep health education showed even greater reductions in electronics and benefits to nighttime sleep duration compared to controls. Based on these results, BfK now includes sleep health education as part of their bed provision program. 

Funding: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

Stage: Completed

Related Publications: Mindell, J. A., Sedmak, R., Boyle, J. T., Butler, R., & Williamson, A. A. (2016). Sleep Well! A pilot study of an education campaign to improve sleep of socioeconomically disadvantaged children. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 12(12):1593-1599. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.6338. PMID: 27655459

Study #2: Beds for Kids Program: Impact on Child Sleep and Functioning in Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Young Children

Summary: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of bed provision and sleep education through the Beds for Kids (BfK) program on early childhood sleep and behavior and maternal mood and sleep. In this multimethod randomized waitlist control trial, twenty-seven mother–child dyads (childage= 2–5 years, 85.2% Black) living in poverty and without an individual child bed were randomly assigned to receive the BfK delivery after 7 days (initial intervention; n = 14) or after 14 days (waitlist control; n = 13). Children in participating families in both conditions received a bed and bedframe, a bedtime bad (including a pillow, bedding, stuffed animal, books, and dental hygiene items), and a magnet and bookmark with sleep health education. Measures consisted of maternal reports of child sleep and behavior, actigraphy measurements of child sleep, and self reported daily maternal mood.  Maternal-reported child sleep and behavior were collected at 1 month after BfK participation for all families; 11 families completed a qualitative interview at 1-month follow-up. At 1 week after BfK, mothers’ sleep duration increased by 1 hour compared to that of waitlist controls. At 1 month post-intervention, improvements were found in mother-reported child night awakenings, sleep quality, sleep problems, and behavior. Mothers quantitatively reported improvements in child sleep and benefits to overall family well-being, although transitioning children to independent sleep presented some challenges.

Funding: Center for Perinatal and Pediatric Health Disparities Research Pilot Grant, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 

ClinicalTrials.gov #: NCT03392844

Stage: Completed

Related Publications: Williamson, A. A., Min, J., Fay, K., Cicalese, O., Meltzer, L.J., & Mindell, J.A. (2023). A multi-method evaluation of bed provision and sleep education for young children and their families living in poverty. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 19(9):1583-1594. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.10614. PMID: 37086055.

Study #3: Impact of Bed Provision and Enhanced Sleep Health Education on Sleep in Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Children

Summary: The overall goal of this project was to determine whether bed provision combined with community provider-delivered sleep health education through the Beds for Kids program improved sleep in lower-SES school-aged children. We hypothesized that broad provision of sleep education that was personalized and provided by community partner staff would result in more robust sleep outcomes. The first specific aim was to evaluate whether bed provision combined with provider-delivered sleep health education is associated with greater improvements in child nighttime sleep duration and sleep quality relative to the standard Beds for Kids program. The second specific aim was to evaluate whether bed provision combined with provider-delivered sleep health education is associated with greater improvements in child sleep health behaviors (bedtime routine consistency, sleep schedule regularity, nighttime electronics usage) relative to the standard Beds for Kids program. The third specific aim was to determine community provider and family acceptability of provider-delivered sleep health education.

Funding: Community Sleep Health and Public Awareness Grant, American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation

ClinicalTrials.gov #: NCT04536766

Stage: Data analysis is ongoing

Related Publications:

Collaborators

Co-Primary Investigator Jodi A. Mindell, PhD
Kate Fay, Executive Director, Beds for Kids program
Fiona Kyck, Referral Coordinator, Beds for Kids program
  • Beds for Kids staff Jamar and Brandon making deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • BEDS Lab members Joey Lam, Maja Dunnewald, and Mikayla Carson volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic